Arguments about the Past/Present/Future- The woman in this commercial continually expressed how BP was going to be there in the future up until the point that all of the oil is cleaned up from the gulf. I find this to be a tad ironic, because she acts so concerned, like this is such a huge project they're trying to put forth, and do good in the community, when in fact it was their fault the oil is there in the first place. I don't think this argument is very effective because the audience would most likely have the same initial thought in that it is almost their duty to clean up all of the oil, and not just something that looks good, or a project that others are proud to watch them do.
Invitational Argument- There isn't necessarily a point where she asks you to respond to her questions, obviously, because it's a commercial, however they do put up a telephone number up, as well as websites throughout the length of the commercial where people can call in for information, or help, or questions. This is their own way of asking others to participate in the argument and get feedback, and possibly other peoples viewpoints. This argument can be seen as effective, because it effectively opens up this topic for discussion, aka an invitation, aka an invitational argument.
Arguments to Inform- There are certain facts that the woman in the commercial states simply to inform the audience of specific details. Such as: "We have 19 centers in 4 states", and "We've committed $20 billion in an independent claims fund to cover lost income until people impacted can get back to work." She even says that a sole purpose of the commercial is to inform. I think she was successful in making this argument effective, because I, for one, didn't know any of these actual facts, and I'm sure others thought these to be informative as well.
Arguments to Convince- The underlying theme of this commercial is to prove that BP is taking steps to improve the oil spill situation. The woman proposes the argument about restoring communities, the economy, and the environment to convince the audience that they are in fact taking this very seriously. She backs up all of her argument by giving examples of how they're trying to change things. This argument was effective, for the most part, because I truly do feel as though they're taking the necessary measures to make things better. The only thing that could by iffy is how long all of this should take.
Rogerian Argument- The speaker is using Rogerian Argument in a couple places in this commercial. The point of Rogerian argument is to find a common ground between the speaker and the audience, and to keep things non threatening. The woman talked about how she was working with shrimpers, fishermen, hotel workers, restaurant employees, and others to start solving problems to hopefully help the economic loss. I feel as though she's trying to evoke feelings from people that may watch this commercial that are a part of the industry that was effected by this, and in turn, they may feel as though she's reaching out to them specifically to help them with their problems. Also, at the end of the commercial, she talks about how she's from New Orleans, and how her family still lives there. My guess is she wants to find a common ground between her and those who may live along the gulf where this problem is severely effecting their lives. I feel as though this argument could be taken effectively if you are someone who she specifically reached out to, however I am not one of those people, and I still just think the whole BP situation is their fault and nothing more than that, therefore they should of course be doing everything they can to repair all the damage they've put forth.
