Helen Rose Geleskie

LA 101H Section 001

Rhetorical Situation Analysis Essay

Apple has a history of entertaining, and often successful, marketing for

their products. Back in the 1970s, they used a play on words in their

campaign ‘Byte into an Apple.’ In 1984, they used references to the novel

1984 by George Orwell to supplement their campaign ‘the computer for the

rest of us.’ More recently, in 2002, their campaign inspired Americans to

‘Think Different.’ With the release of the first iPhone, Apple promoted the

idea ‘Apple reinvents the phone.’ With the release of the iPhone 4 in 2010,

Apple said ‘This changes everything. Again.’ Now in 2011, Apple is trying to

sell their iPhone 4 to both Verizon and AT&T consumers. Apple’s “Two is

better than one” campaign for the iPhone 4 responds to the kairos of

Verizon’s approaching acquisition of the iPhone by reinforcing the

commonplace that any smart phone should be like an iPhone and creating an

exigence to which the only solution is to buy an iPhone 4.

Apple’s “Two is better than one” campaign did not occur in a vacuum,

nor was it unexpected. Apple was using kairos to put their advertisement

foreword to its greatest advantage. Americans had known since at least

December of 2010 that Apple would be releasing the iPhone to Verizon in

February of 2011. In case they had forgotten, Verizon aired a commercial on

Thursday 20 January 2011 which reminded Americans that the Apple iPhone

4 was coming by showing ticking clocks and people waiting for the iPhone to

come to Verizon, as it would on 10 February 2011. Apple used this

momentum, the kairos created by the iPhone 4 coming to Verizon, to put out

their own commercial two days later, on Saturday 22 January 2011.

This air date was advantageous to Apple in multiple ways. American

consumers were already thinking about the iPhone 4 if they had seen

Verizon’s commercial, or even if they hadn’t, they knew the iPhone 4 would

be available to Verizon costumers in February. In addition, Apple’s

commercial was aired on a Saturday. Judging by the average American work

week, a Saturday is the day when the most Americans will be watching, and

paying attention to, their TV. Apple didn’t release their advertisement on a

day when Americans would be too busy with their daily work to take in any

new commercial, if they even had time to be watching their TV, but on a day

when most Americans are more relaxed, and more open to new ideas and

new influences. Apple incorporated both the kairos of the iPhone 4’s coming

availability to Verizon costumers and the logistics of the typical American

work week to ensure that when Americans saw their new commercial, they

would be predisposed to think favorably of it, and of the product the

commercial was selling, the iPhone 4.

However Apple could not, and did not, rely on kairos alone to sell their

product, but also took advantage of their reputation. The company continued

their legacy of clever and entertaining advertisements, even using elements

of those past advertisements to better sell their current commercial. The

“Two is better than one” commercial displayed two phones, and two major

rival companies, Verizon and AT&T. Previous advertisements by Apple had

also shown two major rival companies. Apple’s Mac versus PC campaign
displayed Apple and Macintosh, two major rival companies in computers,

arguing over whom’s operating system was better. Apple uses an element of

this past advertisement, the two rival companies, to remind American

consumers that this is the same company that delivered to them such

entertaining commercials, but does not use the arguing that was evident in

the earlier campaign. In the context of the Verizon and AT&T cell service

companies, Apple does not need to. Verizon and AT&T will do so themselves,

as they have on many occasions in their own past advertising campaigns.

Apple uses another past advertisement campaign to enhance the

current campaign. The “Two is better than one” campaign showcases

iPhones being held by a single hand on a white background. Many of their

previous iPhone and iPod commercials used this same set up to display all

the wonders that an iPod or iPhone could do, demonstrating the

technological advancements and the pleasing ascetics. The current

campaign uses this reminder of past advertisements to do the same work of

advertising the technology, so that the current commercial does not need to

waste time telling consumers of how advanced the iPhone 4 is. By

referencing their line of commercials which explain the sophisticated

capabilities of their products, Apple attempts to sell their line of phones.

However it is not just the set up of previous campaigns that Apple

replicates to the advantage of the current commercial. Apple also makes use

of the ideologies created by their previous advertisements. When Apple first

released the iPhone, they called it reinventing the phone. The iPhone was

one of the first smart phones to enter the American market, and so in ways it
was reinventing the phone – going from a device used only for calling to a

device used for everything from business management to e-mail to gaming

to travel, not to mention the regular phone capabilities of calling and texting

in between. With the release of the iPhone 4 to AT&T, at that time the only

carrier for the iPhone, Apple claimed that it changed everything, again, just

as the first iPhone’s release had changed the world of phones to the

direction of smart phones. This ideology of the iPhone changing the world of

phones led to an American commonplace that if the iPhone was the first,

than all other smart phones are imitations trying to be like the better

original. Apple tries to take advantage of this commonplace in their current

campaign, to reinforce the idea that if all smart phones should be like the

iPhone, than why not buy an original iPhone?

This idea of the iPhone being the first and therefore best is not the only

American commonplace that Apple utilizes in their “Two is better than one”

campaign. Another is obvious in the very title of the campaign; that

Americans should have freedom of choice. This commonplace is preeminent

in the most important American government documents; the Constitution, in

choosing who will lead the government and country, and the Declaration of

Independence, which declares rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of

happiness (two of these which hint at being able to choose – having liberty,

freedom, and being able to choose to pursue one’s own happiness). To relate

to this highly cherished American commonplace, Apple displayed two

competing companies, Verizon and AT&T, with iPhone 4s that are almost

exactly the same. By portraying the iPhones as being identical, Apple wanted
to signify that the two carriers would have the same iPhone, with the same

capabilities, even if this fact is not strictly true – because of the different set

ups of Verizon’s and AT&T’s networks, the iPhone’s capabilities cannot be

the exact same on each network. Having two networks with phones that

could do the same thing means that the consumer gets to choose which

network they want to use, without having to sacrifice the capabilities of the

phone. The consumer would have their treasured freedom of choice between

the cell service companies, and so a high opinion of Apple and their iPhone

who is giving the Americans this freedom.

With these commonplaces in mind, that Apple gives freedom of choice

and produces the original and perfect smart phone, Apple attempts to create

an exigence in the minds of the American public. Apple hopes American

consumers will believe that only the iPhone is a truly complete smart phone,

the only smart phone to be able to do everything that the consumer wants

and needs. The company uses their references to previous campaigns and

the commonplaces they created then to convince Americans that this

exigence is true, and must be addressed. Apple wants this exigence

addressed with discussion of the iPhone 4, further advertising for them, and

by the eventual result o American consumers buying iPhone 4s.

Apple takes advantage of the context of their rhetorical situation. They

advertize for a target audience whom they know well, the American

consumers, by drawing on American commonplaces, some of which Apple

themselves planted via their earlier marketing campaigns. Apple also

advertizes at the exact right moment, the moment of kairos, by airing their
commercial on a Saturday just after Verizon had released an advertisement

about the iPhone, when America knew the iPhone 4 was becoming available

through Verizon soon. By presenting their “Two is better than one” campaign

during a time of kairos and drawing on the American commonplace that all

smart phones are attempting to be as accomplished and advanced as the

iPhone, Apple is trying to create an exigence for the American public, that all

Americans wanting a complete smart phone need an iPhone. This exigence

can only be addressed by buying an iPhone 4 from Apple.