Suits & PJ's

The delivery of the commercials are different from each other.  In the 1960s commercial, the husband and wife are "dressed for success," where as in the 1990s commercial the married couple wore pajamas.  The different ways of presentation causes viewers to asssociate coffee with different aspects of life.  Watching someone who is wearing a suit and tie drink coffee causes a viewer to associate coffee with the professional world.  In the 1960s commercial, viewers may think that coffee is necessary to reach success since the husband uses a strong tone towards his wife when the taste wasn't fillling his satisfaction.  Watching a people in pajamas drink coffee would allow the viewer to associate coffee with relaxation.  In the 1990s commercial, coffee is not necessary for one's daily life, but instead represents a luxury in life. The coffee in this commercial is made by will, rather than it being a daily routine in the 1960s video. 

Breakfast In Bed

The 1990's Folger's coffee commercial begins with a shot of a married couple in bed, quickly followed by the husband waking from bed and going to the kitchen. Once in the kitchen the husband decides to make breakfast for the wife, taking out the Folger's coffee, the husband steals a few quick whiffs of the coffee. Meanwhile, the wife is awoken by the smell and finds herself delighted when she sees her husband making her breakfast in bed.

So why present a commerical of a married couple's morning routine? What is the rhetorical situation? The writer displays the couple's morning routine in an effort to demonstrate how this specific morning is different than any other, this specific morning is better. This is a result of the coffee which the husband decides to make for a change. The writer crafts the text in this way in an effort to appeal to both the men and women of the public. The women can deduce logically that having Folger's coffee will cause their husbands to make breakfast for a change. While the men can deduce that having Folger's coffee will allow them to be happier in the morning with their wives.

-Mariah

What fun Folgers adds!

Both the 60s and 90s ads show snippets of a regular person’s day. Normally, snippets from a person’s day wouldn’t be particularly interesting. The ads try to convince us otherwise. Starting the commercials with a title of their own, just like a TV show would, Folgers promises to unfold interesting, if not exciting, happenings in the snippets of times in the characters’ daily lives. The husband’s views in the 60s ad change drastically—from considering his wife’s coffee murder to considering not having her coffee a crime. What used to be murder is not murder anymore….instead, its absence is! All because of Folgers coffee. Can you imagine such a change? It can come in any form…the 90s commercial shows it also. The husband surprises his wife, making her breakfast in bed for a change. It’s Folgers coffee again that does the trick—the wife wakes up by the smell of the coffee, and, to her delight, finds her husband trying to surprise her with the delicious Folgers coffee. These are only two daily life scenarios in the delightful outcome of which Folgers plays its part. There must be others!

--Aayush

Coffee Culture

Coffee culture is neither an antiquated nor a modern convention. Coffee has historical ties to the Mediterranean since the late fifteenth-century and continues to be a staple of modern socialization. In the fifteen- and sixteen-hundreds, coffee shops were opened in Mecca, Damascus, and Constantinople, among others, as a gathering place for intellectuals to share ideas. Fast forward four hundred years to the 1960s. Drinking coffee together provided the occasion for a man and a woman, such as a husband and wife, to have a discussion. Because this has not changed much even compared to today, the setting of two people drinking coffee establishes a highly comfortable situation for those viewing the ad. Though the occasion of drinking coffee has not changed, the culture of the coffee drinkers is much different. Look, for example, at the 1960s advertisement. A woman makes her husband his coffee in the morning. Unfortunately, he is not satisfied, he tells her so, and leaves for work so that he can bring home the bacon. Alternatively, in the 1990s commercial, the husband, to surprise his wife, wakes up early and makes her breakfast in bed. They then proceed to relax together enjoying the coffee and each other's company. Sharing a cup of coffee with someone is a great way to begin a conversation. As these ads show, the coffee hasn't changed, but fortunately the conversation has.

-Corey

Ethos of the 1960 and 1990 Ads

The source from which the information is from is significant in determining its credibility. The more credible a source is, the more likely one is to buy into its message. In the 1960's Folger's coffee advertisement, the salesman provided information to the woman in the store regarding high-quality coffee. The salesman was more creditable than a saleswoman due to the sexism of the time period, which dictated that a male is intrinsically more credible. Due to the credibility of a male salesperson, men were more likely to buy the product because they believed the product is high-quality simply because the salesman said so. Females were more likely to buy the product because the husband approved of the coffee, which established the credibility of its taste through the reactions of a male.

In the case of the 1990's Folger's coffee advertisement, the roles of establishing credibility seem to be reversed from those in the 1960's ad. The credibility is established in the commercial by both the husband and the wife, demonstrating a growing equality between the sexes at the time. Before the husband takes the coffee to his wife, he indulges in it; meanwhile, the wife sneaks down the stairs approvingly of her husband's surprise. Both husband and wife in the commercial seem to be a source of credibility for the desirability of Folger's coffee.

-Mariah

The Best Part Of Wakin' Up...

You have most likely heard the old adage, "Style is everything." Well, style may not be everything, but that doesn't mean style wasn't incredibly important to the writers of the 90s advertisement. To begin with, the upbeat background music and the catchy jingle of the 90s ad capture the audience's attention almost instantly. Immediately we feel happy, picturing ourselves in the man's position, quietly sneaking down the stairs trying not to wake our wife. We can almost smell the coffee, and we can hardly wait to surprise her! Finally the moment comes, she's delighted, and we both get comfy sipping our coffee. If only we had some Folgers right now. Of course, some of you reading this are thinking - no way, I wasn't fooled by the lighthearted and arguably cheesy commercial. I never imagined myself as either of the people in the commercial, and I would never be fooled into buying that coffee just because of this ad. But think about the title of this post again. Did you finish the line in your mind? Did you sing the jingle in your head or maybe even out loud? The style used by the writers of this ad was more than just choosing to have a song or creating this short look into a couple's lives. The goal of this advertisement was not to make you believe you were that man or woman. But imagine walking down the coffee aisle in the supermarket and seeing Folgers on the shelf. It's hard to imagine that the best part of waking wouldn't be Folgers in your cup.

-Corey

Logos and Pathos in the 90s ad

The 90s Folgers ad is aimed more towards men hoping to improve their romantic relationship with their wives. To emphasize the positive impact of Folgers coffee on the relationship, Folgers makes the ad happy and playful. The ad uses logos showing that a husband making the mountain grown Folgers coffee once in a while helps make his wife happy. It shows his wife how loving and caring he is. Furthermore, the wife wakes up by the smell of the coffee with a smile on her face. This appeals to emotion and logic of the targeted audience since the ad shows that even the smell of Folgers coffee is extremely great, which pleases the wife. The ad focuses on how much the wife appreciates her husband trying to make her happy. So, by showing a pleasant response from the wife, the ad appeals to emotions of the targeted audience. If the man can make his wife happy by making Folgers coffee for her, they can do the same.


--Aayush