Video John Lewis Uses Highly

Video

John Lewis uses highly effective rhetorical techniques to convey their "lifetime commitment to you." Although the video does depict a specific ethnic demographic (heterosexual and white), and includes some gender gaffes (using the song by Billy Joel that compares a woman to a child), the marketing techniques still come across as being persuasive. The author or speaker is like a trusted grandfather, who conveys traditional values. Intended audience is the average American: a hard worker who also has traditional family values. The central topics covered include mainly price and value but the term "commitment" is central to the theme of the marketing campaign. John Lewis's purpose with the campaign is developing brand loyalty and consumer commitment. Context, both immediate and cultural, is quintessentially American. In both John Lewis's video "Never Knowingly Undersold," and in the text of their Web shop "Never Knowingly Undersold," the speaker relies heavily on ethos and pathos to convey themes of value and commitment to working-class American consumers.

In both the video and in the Web document, the word "you" is the one most emphasized. The speaker only actually directly addresses the audience towards the end of the video -- before that relying on the imagery and the song by Billy Joel. However, it is clear the author serves the purpose of being like a spiritual representative for American culture. In the video, an emotionally-charged song is coupled with emotionally-charged imagery following the birth of a child and then tracing her development through adolescence and finally ending with her as a senior with grandchildren. Viewers, the indented target audience, are intended to relate to the woman in the video. The viewer is supposed to project themselves into the picture, assume the core values of family and child-rearing as well as traditional gender roles, and thus consume John Lewis products. Using the term "you" throughout the print document comes across as highly effective also because the speaker personalizes the message. Instead of focusing on John Lewis, John Lewis is focused on the reader. This engenders trust.

One of the most remarkable aspects of the video is its use of pathos to induce consumers into developing a relationship with John Lewis. There is a subtle sexuality in the marketing campaign, via the polarization of "you" and "me," the author. In the video, a romantic Billy Joel song, which has nothing to do with a family, is juxtaposed over the scenes of the woman. It should be noted that in the video, men are rarely shown at all; they play supporting roles at best. The ancillary presence of males in the video does suggest that the target audience is not just working-class white Americans but mainly white American females with traditional family values. At no point in the video is any non-conformist ideal supported.