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Cale Eastin
English 250
Secton SD
Assignment 3
Futhey
11 December 2015
Dont Become a Local Fisherman
The day starting off subpar and becoming more detrimental as it continues seems to be an
experience everyone goes through at one time or another. Due to this series of events being such
a common occurrence in everyday life, it can be used as a relatable argument tool. One of the
most famous uses of this experience is the Get Rid of Cable DirecTV ad campaign. Through
the use of slippery slope fallacy, DirecTVs Get Rid of Cable Dont Become a Fisherman
commercial humorously persuades cable TV owners to avoid an unpleasant life by switching to
DirecTV.
In order to maximize the message of their commercial, DirecTV begins the ad with a
description of a frustrating cable problem. They suggest cable is not the most reliable source of
television, as the frustrating situation presented is the cable going out. This beginning is effective
because it creates a relatable situation to any of the cable-using audience who have experienced
similar problems with cable. Although the ad presents understanding in this case, it is not the
only pathos expressed by this hypothetical scenario.
Pathos applies to all emotions in the audience whether good or undesirable. The cable
going out is a catalyst for a myriad of other problems for the main character in this commercial.
After losing his cable, he goes on an exotic retreat, only to be bitten by an insect which causes
his face to swell. This swelling causes him to be quarantined to the island and he is forced to

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become a fisherman in order to live. The goal of this story was to instill a fear of losing
television into the audience, since that was what caused this undesirable end result. Of course,
one must only look so deep to realize the logical flaws in this scenario.
Considering losing your television signal and becoming a fisherman in an exotic land do
not seem connected in any way, it can only be assumed that this is a logical fallacy. The ad
suggests when your cable goes out, you get stressed. When you get stressed, you need to get
away. Despite the likelihood that stress is to come with a broken signal, getting away is not the
only, and perhaps not even the first thought of, solution to relieving stress. The logic of the
commercial falls apart only 6 seconds into the ad, damaging any other claims made after that
point. It is clear the ad uses a fallacy to promote its message and, therefore, loses nearly all
credibility. However, the ad still manages to persuade the audience to listen despite the logical
and ethical hindrances.
Looking at how outlandish this end outcome is from having faulty cable, it seems as
though the ad knows this is all a fallacy. The main focus is most likely to create such a silly end
result that the audience finds it humorous. Whether information is completely credible and
factual is not the prime concern when one is trying to create humor. A large component of
comedy comes from the verbal irony and exaggerations we create as humans. In addition to the
rhetorical devices, the ad utilizes certain visual devices in order to enhance the message.
The camera work of the ad flows with the audio of the ad. Each of the cause and effect
statements given by the narrator match the visuals presented. For example, when the narrator
claims when you get stressed, you want to get away, it shows the main character in a travel
agency office and then shows him point to a picture of an exotic island which then fades into a

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plane flying him to the island. The camera focuses only on the main character and what he
interacts with so as to not distract the audience. This combination of visuals and vocals hammers
each cause and effect into the audience whether they focus on sound, visuals, or both.
In terms of the visuals themselves, they are well-executed and contribute to building the
message of the ad. The starting scene shows the main character in a dimly lit room when he is
proclaimed stressed. The background clearly reflects the negative feeling through the dark
lighting. When the scene shifts to the travel agency, the light becomes slightly brighter, and it
only gets brighter when he arrives at his tropical getaway. The improvement in mood is shown
by the change in lighting. However, the lighting stays relatively bright even after things turn sour
for the main character. This could be a strategic use if the ad is going for juxtaposition. The light
staying the same may be representing the idea that even though something looks nice at first,
undesirable things may be happening despite the attractive outside.
With all points considered, the slippery slope scenario used by DirecTVs Get Rid of
Cable Dont Become a Fisherman commercial is successful in maintaining the audiences
attention and presenting its message. If one decides to take a look at the advertisement seriously,
they will either commit to buying DirecTV through fear of ending up a local fisherman in a
foreign area or notice the obvious slippery slope fallacy. Even if one discovers the fallacy, the ad
still does its work because it is so humorous that the viewer will pay attention and perhaps
consider the product. Whatever the case, the exaggerated bad day getting worse scenario is a
relatable subject that gives the audience some reason to mind the campaign.

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Works Cited
DirecTV Local Fisherman Commercial. n.d. http://www.marketmenot.com/ . 7 Oct. 2015.
n.d. hirejimessian.com. 7 Oct. 2015.