Speedo Rhetorical Analysis Essay

Speedo uses various rhetorical devices in its imagery in order to persuade viewers to purchase their product. In an attempt to establish their own credibility by accessing the ethos appeal associated with Michael Phelps, Speedo focuses the main energy of certain ads, including the one reviewed for this assignment on Phelps. The swimsuit company links their own credibility with that of Phelps by connecting him with their brand, associating his accomplishments while wearing their swimsuits, thus establishing a connection between Phelps and a wider audience. The Speedo ad, taken from a 2010 Speedo swimsuit catalog, features Phelps, clad in gym shorts and flip flops, leaning against the railing at the bottom of a set of bleachers and staring

As part of this prestige, Speedo has established itself as one of the most prominent and reliable brands in competitive swimming, but for a long time the brand was focused mostly on Australian athletes, where Speedo was founded. As part of sports marketing it’s common for athletic brands to sign athletes to endorsement deals because of the fan bases they bring to the brand. This trend, set by basketball players with shoe deals like Michael Jordan’s groundbreaking deal with Nike, carries over to the sport of swimming, where no name attracts fans like Michael Phelps, the most iconic swimmer in American history. In this ad, Speedo attempts to use their own prestigious background and the name brand of Michael Phelps to establish credibility in the shoe market, which isn’t a product normally associated with the Speedo brand in the United States. Speedo as a brand occupies a very narrow niche athletic wear because of it’s focus on swimming, and many of Speedo’s advertisements aim at either expanding that view of Speedo to incorporate a broader product range, or expanding the target population by encouraging participation in activities already monopolized by

My Speedo”, uses Exergasia to clarify a common adage in the sportswear business and tie Phelps into a larger series of ads from. “Worn By World Champions”, although often worded differently is a common expression used by athletics companies. For example, Nike and Jordan brands use the phrase “Engineered to the exact specification of championship athletes” to express the very same idea, that successful athletes use their product. Speedo then clarifies the statement using the title of the ad campaign, “My Speedo” to note that Phelps, a “world champion” races in a Speedo swimsuit. By clarifying the common world champion statement with the more particular “My Speedo” statement, the ad ties Phelps into a larger group of people from fellow Olympians to aqua fitness class participants, and thus widens the brand’s target