Assigned Wednesday, 9/27 -- Speech 1 Outline 2
Title: Crying Babies, Sad Dogs, and Amazon Prime
Thesis statement: Amazon's "Lion Mane" commercial effectively presents Amazon Prime as a tool to solve problems and foster happiness to middle- and upper-class families.
HOOK: Why would you ever buy a lion mane for your dog?
INTRODUCTION
I. Amazon's commercial insinuates that problems (such as loneliness and sadness) can be solved through the purchase of goods, especially if those goods are purchased through Amazon Prime.
A. The commercial depicts Amazon helping a dog to befriend his owners' baby.
B. The owners and the baby seem to constitute a middle-class, happy, traditional family, only sad because the baby does not like the dog.
C. Thesis: Amazon's "Lion Mane" commercial effectively presents Amazon Prime as a tool to solve problems and foster happiness to middle- and upper-class families.
Transition: The commercial is effective due to its representation of the family featured in the commercial, the problem that arises, and the Amazon-aided solution.
BODY
I. Main Point 1: The commercial is effective partly because it features an average family, which generalizes the represented family's experience to thousands of families around the world.
A. The family seems to be middle- or upper-class
1. Their house is clean, bright, and well-decorated
2. They seem put together and kind
3. They are sitting on the floor with their baby; they're not incessantly stressed and fighting
4. The majority of families are middle-class, and can relate to this standard of living
B. The family seems average, which is reflected by the way they fall into typical stereotypes
1. The father is the one who buys the lion mane, which falls into the typical stereotype of the man managing finances.
2. They look presentable; they wear fashionable clothes and they are relatively good-looking.
3. They have a dog (and a golden retriever, at that!)
4. Many families fall into the traditional stereotypes, even without meaning to, and dogs are often found in homes of many people; also, many people love their dogs, which makes the commercial reach even more people than it did before
C. They seem to be happy and content
1. They both dote on their child
2. They like their dog (as evidenced by the purchase)
3. Everyone wants to be happy and content
D. Therefore, this average family represents hundreds of families across the world, making the audience relate to them to a greater extent.
1. Since the audience relates to them to a greater extent, they may trust them more, causing them to mirror the family's Amazon Prime implementation
Transition: Similarly, the commercial also portrays universal, human feelings, especially when the main problem arises.
II. Main Point 2: By featuring emotions such as fear, loneliness, shame, and empathy, the commercial makes the problem seem dire, even though the problem is not life-or-death.
A. Fear
1. The baby seems to be afraid of the dog
2. An innocent, crying baby inevitably makes viewers sad
3. Viewers may remember feelings of powerlessness and fear as children, too
B. Loneliness/isolation
1. The dog is rejected by the baby, while a stuffed animal is accepted
2. Since the parents spend their time with the baby, the dog is all by himself, allowed to watch the happiness but not be a part of it
3. Viewers may remember experiences where they felt left out and/or excluded
4. The music is sad and wistful, contributing to this sense of loneliness
C. Shame
1. The dog feels bad for making the baby cry
2. The dog seems to choose its isolation, seeming to wish it could join, but simultaneously remembering what happened before; meanwhile
3. The stuffed lion seems to represent the dog's inadequacies
4. Therefore, the image of the dog sitting and waiting alone conveys his guilt and shame
(which viewers may also relate to)
D. Since viewers may relate to these feelings, they may remember those unpleasant feelings, which makes them want a better, happier ending
Transition: However, the commercial replaces negative, depressing emotions with happier, more optimistic ones.
III. Main Point 3: As a solution begins to come to fruition, emotions such as empathy, resolve, hope, and joy emerge, making the audience remember or believe in happy endings.
A. Empathy
1. The dog's owner, the father, notices the dog's sad isolation
2. He seems sad for the dog
3. Viewers have likely all empathized with another human being or animal in some way
B. Resolve/Hope
1. The father decides to do something about the situation, spurred on by empathy
2. This reinforces the idea that people are in charge of their own happiness and destiny, which is appealing to many
3. It also clues the viewers in to a potential happy ending
4. As viewers hope for a happy ending, the dog seems to, as well, approaching the child slowly
5. The music cuts out
C. Joy
1. The baby reaches out to touch the dog with a feeling of wonder
2. The music comes back in, more upbeat and happy
3. The music comes back in
D. These happier feelings please the audience, who are emotionally invested in the story at this point, and who always love a happy ending. This happy ending will make them feel more favorably towards Amazon, and will make them relate happy endings with Amazon Prime.
Transition: Whether it be through the family Amazon exemplified, the problem they depicted, or the solution they showed, Amazon Prime's "Lion Mane" ad effectively presents Amazon Prime as a helpful tool for middle- and upper-class families, and may even be one that brings about happy endings.
CONCLUSION
I. Review of main points
A. The commercial represents an average family viewers can relate to
B. The commercial represents emotions viewers have all experienced and can relate to
C. By relating to the situations present in the commercial, viewers become engaged in it
II. Closing remarks
A. Because of the happy ending and universal situations, viewers look more favorably on Amazon
B. This can cause them to be more interested in Amazon Prime, or at least view it as a more viable tool than before
C. The commercial engages people and encourages them to see Amazon Prime solving problems and fostering unity -- therefore, it is effective
Thesis statement: Amazon's "Lion Mane" commercial effectively presents Amazon Prime as a tool to solve problems and foster happiness to middle- and upper-class families.
HOOK: Why would you ever buy a lion mane for your dog?
INTRODUCTION
I. Amazon's commercial insinuates that problems (such as loneliness and sadness) can be solved through the purchase of goods, especially if those goods are purchased through Amazon Prime.
A. The commercial depicts Amazon helping a dog to befriend his owners' baby.
B. The owners and the baby seem to constitute a middle-class, happy, traditional family, only sad because the baby does not like the dog.
C. Thesis: Amazon's "Lion Mane" commercial effectively presents Amazon Prime as a tool to solve problems and foster happiness to middle- and upper-class families.
Transition: The commercial is effective due to its representation of the family featured in the commercial, the problem that arises, and the Amazon-aided solution.
BODY
I. Main Point 1: The commercial is effective partly because it features an average family, which generalizes the represented family's experience to thousands of families around the world.
A. The family seems to be middle- or upper-class
1. Their house is clean, bright, and well-decorated
2. They seem put together and kind
3. They are sitting on the floor with their baby; they're not incessantly stressed and fighting
4. The majority of families are middle-class, and can relate to this standard of living
B. The family seems average, which is reflected by the way they fall into typical stereotypes
1. The father is the one who buys the lion mane, which falls into the typical stereotype of the man managing finances.
2. They look presentable; they wear fashionable clothes and they are relatively good-looking.
3. They have a dog (and a golden retriever, at that!)
4. Many families fall into the traditional stereotypes, even without meaning to, and dogs are often found in homes of many people; also, many people love their dogs, which makes the commercial reach even more people than it did before
C. They seem to be happy and content
1. They both dote on their child
2. They like their dog (as evidenced by the purchase)
3. Everyone wants to be happy and content
D. Therefore, this average family represents hundreds of families across the world, making the audience relate to them to a greater extent.
1. Since the audience relates to them to a greater extent, they may trust them more, causing them to mirror the family's Amazon Prime implementation
Transition: Similarly, the commercial also portrays universal, human feelings, especially when the main problem arises.
II. Main Point 2: By featuring emotions such as fear, loneliness, shame, and empathy, the commercial makes the problem seem dire, even though the problem is not life-or-death.
A. Fear
1. The baby seems to be afraid of the dog
2. An innocent, crying baby inevitably makes viewers sad
3. Viewers may remember feelings of powerlessness and fear as children, too
B. Loneliness/isolation
1. The dog is rejected by the baby, while a stuffed animal is accepted
2. Since the parents spend their time with the baby, the dog is all by himself, allowed to watch the happiness but not be a part of it
3. Viewers may remember experiences where they felt left out and/or excluded
4. The music is sad and wistful, contributing to this sense of loneliness
C. Shame
1. The dog feels bad for making the baby cry
2. The dog seems to choose its isolation, seeming to wish it could join, but simultaneously remembering what happened before; meanwhile
3. The stuffed lion seems to represent the dog's inadequacies
4. Therefore, the image of the dog sitting and waiting alone conveys his guilt and shame
(which viewers may also relate to)
D. Since viewers may relate to these feelings, they may remember those unpleasant feelings, which makes them want a better, happier ending
Transition: However, the commercial replaces negative, depressing emotions with happier, more optimistic ones.
III. Main Point 3: As a solution begins to come to fruition, emotions such as empathy, resolve, hope, and joy emerge, making the audience remember or believe in happy endings.
A. Empathy
1. The dog's owner, the father, notices the dog's sad isolation
2. He seems sad for the dog
3. Viewers have likely all empathized with another human being or animal in some way
B. Resolve/Hope
1. The father decides to do something about the situation, spurred on by empathy
2. This reinforces the idea that people are in charge of their own happiness and destiny, which is appealing to many
3. It also clues the viewers in to a potential happy ending
4. As viewers hope for a happy ending, the dog seems to, as well, approaching the child slowly
5. The music cuts out
C. Joy
1. The baby reaches out to touch the dog with a feeling of wonder
2. The music comes back in, more upbeat and happy
3. The music comes back in
D. These happier feelings please the audience, who are emotionally invested in the story at this point, and who always love a happy ending. This happy ending will make them feel more favorably towards Amazon, and will make them relate happy endings with Amazon Prime.
Transition: Whether it be through the family Amazon exemplified, the problem they depicted, or the solution they showed, Amazon Prime's "Lion Mane" ad effectively presents Amazon Prime as a helpful tool for middle- and upper-class families, and may even be one that brings about happy endings.
CONCLUSION
I. Review of main points
A. The commercial represents an average family viewers can relate to
B. The commercial represents emotions viewers have all experienced and can relate to
C. By relating to the situations present in the commercial, viewers become engaged in it
II. Closing remarks
A. Because of the happy ending and universal situations, viewers look more favorably on Amazon
B. This can cause them to be more interested in Amazon Prime, or at least view it as a more viable tool than before
C. The commercial engages people and encourages them to see Amazon Prime solving problems and fostering unity -- therefore, it is effective
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