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Beau Renaud
ENG102
Valerie Fazel
October 1 2010
Bieber Fever
!
The new Proactiv commercial found on television moves through the four
appeals of rhetoric creating a strong influential impact to persuade teens fighting acne
to use what has now become a well publicized skin care product. The main purpose of
this visual text is to persuade people who struggle with acne to purchase Proactiv and
“get rid of their acne once and for all”. While this skin care line has always employed
celebrity spokespersons who share their own personal experience with this acne
treating regime, Proactiv recently added Justin Bieber, the worldwide teenage singing
phenomenon, to forefront their latest ad campaign. With Bieber at the helm, Proactiv
appeals to rhetoric using kairos, pathos, logos, but heavily relies on ethos to persuade
customers to buy their product.
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When the ad begins, Justin Bieber is the first image on the screen. The widely
known pop singer plays the guitar while singing one of his newest singles. He stops
singing to state that acne is just something that comes along with “being a teenager,”
and to stop that, he uses Proactiv. The voiceover of the commercial then announces,
“Want to get rid of acne for good? Join Justin, use Proactiv and get control of those
zits!” Before and after pictures of actual Proactiv customers flash across the screen, as
the narrator continues to explain that Proactiv is an easy three-step process that works
for all people, and all skin types. As the commercial progresses, more images of Justin
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Bieberʼs clear face engulfs the screen, along with true testimonies from random users.
As the commercial comes to an end, a screen shot of two female dermatologists in lab
coats who created the product appear, and the voiceover concludes with these words,
“Proactiv, Americaʼs number one acne treatment!” Altogether this commercial appeals
to kairos, ethos, pathos, and logos from beginning to end.
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Kairos is evident in Proactivʼs commercial because the use of Justin Bieber
connects to the relativity of todayʼs pop music era. Proactiv puts the spotlight on Bieber
to forefront their acne treatment using his recent rise to fame to attract customers.
Proactiv has a history of using the most current singer/songwriters to promote their acne
medication. They have recruited an army of celebrities including Katy Perry, Avril
Lavigne, Mandy Moore, Julianne Hough, and Jessica Simpson to promote their product.
When she was in her prime four years ago, Jessica Simpson was one of the first
celebrities to promote the acne treating system; now with Justin Bieber in his prime, he
has taken on the pop culture face of Proactiv. Kairos is a dominant appeal that Proactiv
uses in means of persuasion, but ethos gives the ad that credibility needed to really
convince the audience to purchase their product.
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The Proactiv commercial effectively appeals to ethos with the use of Justin
Bieber; they pair their product with a famous face. As a teen himself, Bieberʼs
experience with acne is one many adolescent teens who struggle with acne find
believable. For instance, when Bieber states, “I'm definitely someone who suffers from
acne. I'm a teenage boy! ... So I use Proactiv so my face doesn't get like that. Proactiv
is a great thing!” he sounds genuinely supportive of the product. Furthermore, Proactiv
gains credibility right away when the commercialʼs audience sees Justin Bieberʼs
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perfectly clear face, free from any acne irritation whatsoever. Because of this squeakyclean baby face image, teenage viewers are persuaded to think that if Justin claims the
product works for him, then itʼs sure to work for them. As such, Proactiv gains an edge
over other products because ordinary people look up to celebrities and are convinced to
buy the product they endorse. As a result, buyers feel like they can trust Justin Bieber
and believe that the product will eliminate acne in their life as well.
!
Another way this Proactiv commercial effectively appeals to ethos is through a
quick screen shot of Katie Rodan M.D., and Kathy Fields M.D., who both wear lab
coats. The image of the “two leading dermatologists” dressed in lab coats promotes
credibility for Proactiv from a scientific perspective. It suggests that the acne medication
was developed in a lab by dermatologists and was reviewed by a team of scientists.
The viewer would assume that Proactiv is an effective treatment because the
commercial presents an image of two women wearing lab coats who are described as
“leading dermatologist medical doctors” who developed an acne treatment in a science
lab. The image produces trust and respect for the product because of the scientific
background of the product. Proactiv appeals to ethos through the use of Justin Bieber
and the two dermatologist creators, as well as persuasive customer testimonies
throughout the commercial.
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The use of the personal testimonies during the commercial create credibility and
assurance because actual users are describing their experiences with the product in a
supportive, convincing way. A true Proactiv customer, Megan, claims “itʼs my secret
weapon, when I feel one coming on, I can zap it right away”. This serves as proof that
the product actually does work and gives Proactiv the credibility itʼs striving for. For
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example, when someone asks a friend, “Whatʼs a great restaurant for an Italian dish?”
and the friend suggests Olive Garden, credibility is established for Olive Garden and
gives the person the incentive to go to dinner there. Personal testimonies, more so in
commercials, are a helpful aid in persuasion because people will listen to what others
have to say, especially if it may benefit them. Hearing real statements from Proactiv
customers guides viewers to believe that the product does what it claims to do, and they
are more likely to purchase it. Personal testimonies are not only limited to ethos, but
also cover the appeal to pathos.
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Proactiv appeals to viewers emotions clearly with the use of personal testimonies
and before and after pictures of experiences with the product. The testimony from user
Sammi, for instance, comments that “it [Proactiv] smooths my skin and [has] changed
my face . . . forever!” Distinct before and after pictures of Sammi flash across the screen
to confirm her claim about Proactiv. When viewers who struggle with acne see and hear
Sammiʼs story, they can relate and gain hope and confidence that Proactiv might be the
answer for them as it was for Sammi. Quickly following her story, more before and after
picture of customers flash across the screen to show that Proactiv works for many
different types of skin and people. These strong appeals to pathos grasp the viewers
emotions and produce a feeling of hope that shouts, “Your acne can be cured using
Proactivʼs easy three step process!”. For many people, acne is a sensitive subject that
makes them unconfident, unhappy, and sometimes depressed about their appearance.
Proactiv appeals to this emotion by showing photos of the worst cases of acne and then
photos from after applying the treatment. Proactiv proves to customers that their
company understands how hard coping with acne can be, and this helps persuades
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them to purchase their product. The use of the appeal to pathos provokes emotion in
the viewer which is the selling point for the viewer. Personal testimonies in this Proactiv
commercial serve as a blanket for the appeals to rhetoric; they cover ethos, pathos as
well as logos.
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Appealing to logos, these testimonies serve as examples that Proactiv does
actually get rid of acne. They are as strong, if not stronger than the use of facts and
statistics because existing users are giving their word that the product does what it
says. They are, in a way, sitting on the stand of a court room promising everyone that
“Proactiv will get those zits off your face, and keep them off!”. It is only logical that
viewers respect these testimonies like they would if they heard a fact claiming “91% of
Proactiv users reported clearer faces within the first three weeks of using the product!”.
Proactiv strategically linked the three appeals of ethos, pathos, and logos with user
testimonies to create the best persuasion possible.
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However, during the Proactiv ad the saying “Americaʼs Number One Acne
System!” engulfs the screen resulting in a poor appeal to logos. Proactiv provides this
“fact” with confidence however there is no given source of where it originated. This may
draw a red flag on Proactivʼs credibility. This is a weak appeal to logos because it is
unclear if the fact is stating Americaʼs number one acne system in sales, or number one
in effectiveness. This question remains unanswered throughout the visual text. It is no
surprise that Proactiv left out the source, although credible facts are generally the
selling point for Americans. They like to see numbers and percentages as proof. To
improve this ad, Proactiv would benefit from a clearer statistic or fact such as “Americaʼs
Number One Selling Acne Treatment” or “90% of users reported improvement after 4
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weeks”. Although logos isnʼt the strongest appeal, it is present during the personal
testimonies of this advertisement.
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Overall, Proactivʼs commercial tackles all the appeals to rhetoric to create a
persuasive ad. The ad appeals to kairos with the use of Justin Bieber and his current
overwhelming popularity in the pop music world. The acne treatmentʼs strongest and
most effective appeal, ethos, is used through with the use of Bieber also because he
supportively describes his great experience with Proactiv. Another way the commercial
appeals to ethos is by displaying a screen shot of two Medical Doctor Dermatologists
wearing lab coats creating credibility and trust in the science of the product. The use of
personal testimonies covers the three appeals of ethos, pathos as well as logos
because it appeals to the viewers logic that the product does indeed work. The
testimonies also cover the appeals to ethos and pathos. The acne treatments strongest
and most effective appeal, pathos, is utilized by personal testimony, equipped with
before and after pictures of customers. Appealing to the emotions of the viewer is the
selling point in this ad. All in all, Proactiv creates a strong, persuasive ad to sell their
acne product to puberty struck teens with the four appeals to rhetoric.