"Dunking over the car"

    Blake Griffin dunked over a Kia Optima during last year’s NBA Dunk Contest. Ever since that, he became a spokesman for the KIA Optima commercial. This commercial which I posted is just one of his many Optima commercial series.

       Blake Griffin is a famous basketball star. He is a great example of ethos. Especially because of the fact that he dunked over a Kia Optima, it is easy for the audience, who will mostly be basketball fans, think of Blake Griffin when they see the Kia Optima. Also, at the end of the commercial, it says "Not your average spokesman.", meaning that because he is a star athlete, he has the credibility to be worth listening to. Also, right after that, the phrase "not your average midsize sedan." appears. By using a similar structured phrase it links Blake and the car, showing that these two have something in common; they are special.

        Also in this commercial, a man complains that he cannot fold the bed sheet right and Blake Griffin says, “You know what easily fold Phil? The side mirrors on 2011 KIA optima… with a push of button, it fold automatically.” He acts really seriously without a change in his facial expression. The only change in his face is at the end when he stares at the camera and raises one eyebrow, nice and slowly. Normally, being serious has to bring a sense of weight into the whole atmosphere. However, in this particular situation, the seriousness does the exact opposite; it makes the ad funny and light. This is because he is being serious for not much of a big reason. He did not really have to be serious in a situation where a man is struggling with folding laundry. That awkward situation made the ad not heavy but funny. This enlightenment of the ad makes it easier for the audience to remember the ad thanks to its sense of humor.