Blog 2 - Runners vs. Joggers

When I saw the "We Are Not Joggers" ad, the first thing that jumped out at me were the words written in a bold and capitalized script that said, "Ever notice how it's always runners who find dead bodies?". This made me wonder what Pearl Izumi was trying to suggest. Were the runners the good guys or the bad? I then clicked on the the We Are Not Joggers homepage to view the whole campaign ad and learn more. When I looked through, I found a passage that was similar to the one posted on Ms. Johnson's blog, but a bit different. Unlike the passage on Ms. Johnson's blog, this passage included a sentence at the end that said, "Actually, with runners being such a dangerous breed, maybe the whole body-finding thing is more than just a coincidence." With words like those written into a dark, ominous-looking, stormy background, I have to admit that I was a bit unnerved.

Since I am not a runner, my response was probably very different from those who are. When I was looking through the full ad campaign, I felt as if Pearl Izumi was just trying to sell their product. Although their words alienate joggers, I felt as if Izumi wanted joggers to read their words. With their criticism of joggers, it is as if they are trying to persuade joggers to say that they are runners, when they are not. The joggers do not want to admit to themselves that they are the "joggers" that Izumi criticizes in their ad. So, because of the ads, they convince themselves that they are, in fact, runners and buy her product. They want to be the wild animals that Izumi relates runners to, not the domesticated and tame ones that they condemn.

The background was the first thing that caught my attention when I looked at the homepage. The stormy, dark, image with a dark shadow of a runner indicated that runners keep running no matter what; they never give up. More than the background, it was the words that made most of the impact. The words were what lent significance to the ad's intent to persuade. With statements like, "Running is in our nature," and "All of this made man what he is today. And all of it evolved from running," it is no wonder that people would begin to believe that they actually are runners, not joggers. Pearl Izumi attempts to promote the value of running, while discouraging that of jogging. Yet, they do not remember that as time changes, people change. We do not need to run like we used to before. However, running is in all of us, so if we need to, we will run. The important thing is that we remember to do what we're comfortable with. If running is what you find comfortable, then run; if not, you're at liberty to walk or jog as fast as you please.

The author of the Pearl Izumi ad appeals to ethos is strongest to me. Through the vivid words that the author uses to describe the differences between runners and joggers, I imagine the author to be an extraordinary and superior runner, to whom running is more than just a hobby. On the other hand, the Reebok ad appeals to pathos strongly. I imagined myself replacing the person in the image, with puke spilling out of my mouth. The image is not something I would want to come true. Regardless of my opinion, I would choose the Reebok ad to appear in a magazine because it appeals to more people. Unlike the Reebok ad, the Pearl Izumi ad singles out runners. I also feel as though although the first statement on the Pearl Izumi ad, "Ever notice how it's always runners who find dead bodies?," would catch peoples attention, it would not persuade them to buy their product because who really wants to stumble upon a dead body?