Let’s be honest, how many opportunities does one have to swaddle themselves in rich, velvety, layers of chocolate? Well if you’re the star of a Dove chocolate commercial, every day! Dove’s “Pure Silk” chocolate commercial plays up the appetizing name of their treat by using specific appeals that charm adult women right out of their diets.
The writers of the commercial achieve these appeals through the use of words with pleasurable connotations, slow and sultry pace and music, and a beautiful actress.If the words “pure silk” weren’t enough to convince consumers, Dove packs on the punch by composing their commercial primarily with words that will make their audience swoon. The words “savor”, “sigh”, “melt”, and “tantalizing”, all provide the viewer with a sense that an escape of pure bliss is waiting for them once their first bite of Dove has been taken. These words particularly appeal to the feelings of women who are in their teens or older, as young girls might not grab on to the sensual emotions that these words evoke.
In a sense, Dove seems to aim for the metaphor of chocolate being a romantic partner.The words used are the same words that could be used to describe a close relationship. There is, however, a bit of information asymmetry present. The commercial leaves out information like the particular things that make this certain type of chocolate so “silky” and “tantalizing”. The audience has to trust in Dove that the quality of the chocolate directly correlates to the words it is being described by. There are other factors present in the commercial which help the audience gain trust however.
Music is one of the factors that can completely make or break any type of performance. Thankfully for Dove, they got it right.The commercial employs a seductive tune with a slow rhythm to compliment the pleasurable emotions derived from the aforementioned word choice. The music gives the entire commercial a slow pace, further enhancing the feeling of serene delight. It is as if the chocolate is supposed to make time slow down for the consumer, which leads to the argument that the writers used conventional wisdom to assume that the majority of their audience is busy or stressed. If a frazzled woman were to view the commercial, they would be convinced that the chocolate would bring a slow, happy, moment to their day.
Also since music gives humans mainly an emotional response, the tune of this commercial succeeds in further utilizing pathos to instill the amorous emotions that Dove is trying to show. Pathos, a common theme throughout the commercial, is used in one more situation. Finally, Dove uses the age-old successful marketing strategy of hiring an attractive actress. As the commercial progresses, the audience is exposed to footage of a woman dressed in a brown nightgown as pieces of chocolate-colored silk are slowly draped across her body.
While this occurs, the woman uses her face to express feelings of delight and satisfaction. Importantly, she is not particularly young or old so a larger age group can relate to her. She also exemplifies the exact emotions that Dove is playing up and is used as an example of what the Pure Silk chocolate does to someone. She appears to be lost in her own world of delight and free from the worries and troubles that exist outside of the chocolate.
Many women can identify with the desire of escaping their troubles and are therefore attracted to the idea of being this woman.Considering the heavy use of pathos, women are also seen as more emotionally responsive creatures than males. This also ties in with conventional wisdom and explains why the commercial chose the techniques they did when hoping to target women. In conclusion, Dove relies primarily on emotional appeals and conventional wisdom to drive their chocolate commercial.
Chocolate after all, is largely romanticized and associated with times of happiness. It makes sense then that the commercial targets women and shows them a state of happiness that is attainable through the consumption of the product.
