The piece of media I chose to analyze is the Windows Surface Pro advertisement. The Rogerian argument was used during the commercial. The Rogerian argument requires a couple different steps such as: knowing the audience, establishing a common ground, presenting the problem, and finally presenting a solution that is agreeable to all parties. The order and sequence of this advertisement is a direct example of how to utilize the Regorian argument.
In the commercial, the audience was implicitly identified. Mackenzie Book is the name of the man whose experience and opinion the commercial is centered around. Mac Book seems to be an avid user of Apple’s Macbook much like the audience the advertisement is geared towards. The extreme position is the assumption that die hard Mac users would even consider switching to a different product.
Throughout the different scenes the Macbook is seen along side of the Surface Pro while the comparisons were made. Mac Book was asked which one lasts longer and which one was faster. To both he responded, “the Surface Pro”. The last compare and contrasting question was which one had a better touch screen. His response was limited because the Macbook does not have a touch screen. The question was presented in a way that makes not having a touch screen seem like it’s lacking something. This is where the problems are presented.
The advertisers show understanding to the Macbook users by demonstrating the touch screen of the Surface Pro and emphasizing the fact that the Macbook does not have this convenient feature. The same is done when the comparisons of battery life and speed were made. These are areas where the Macbook could be improved. Empathizing with these ideas makes it a positive experience to switch something different.
A compromise was made by using a man named Mac Book who is a Macbook user. The video concludes with one final question. The unseen voice asks Mac Book which one is better. He promptly responds with his opinion in favor of the Surface Pro. In choosing the Surface Pro as the better of the two devices, it shows how the advertiser intended to bring the audience together and make the conclusion at the same time. Once Mac Book answers that last question the narrator simply responds, “ok then”, as if he is convinced that because such a loyal Macbook user can say that the Surface Pro is better, then it must be true.
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