Joggers or Runners?

1. My initial reaction of the website reading was that I was kind of intrigued. I never really thought of the human race as “runners”. Also, the idea that running is wild definitely stood out to me.

2. I run probably three to four times a week. After reading the article though it made me feel weak and that I don’t work hard enough because the comparisons the writers were using (the idea that our ancestors ran for their survival) was very strong.

3. I found that the use of black and white images definitely tied in with the point of the article: that a person is either a runner or a person is not. In other words, the answer is black or white, one or the other. Also, I really liked how at the end of chapter two the last page stated in bold text “run like an animal”. It was very inspirational and to the point. The significance of these elements and the message that they are working with easily persuades the reader in an easy, clear way.

4. Values that are promoted in the ad are physical activity. One obvious result of running like an animal is health and good fitness.

5. In the article, Pearl Izumi alienates the jogger by criticizing him. However, I think the main motive behind that is to inspire joggers to become runners and “save the population”. Considering myself a jogger, I was more inspired than offended. With that, I see large marketing advantages.

6. Logos came off as the strongest rhetorical appeal in the ad. All of the information condensed into a paragraph form instantly made me think that it had to contain facts and logic in order to back up the main question of “ever notice how it’s always runners who find dead bodies?”. Also, the technique of comparing where joggers are found jogging and where runners are found running had to of had some kind of brainstorming behind it.

7. I would choose the Reebok ad to appear in a magazine because it’s more visually appealing and does not require much reading for the viewer. If you think about it, what average person flipping through magazines stops to read a detailed ad such as Pearl Izumi’s? I can also see Izumi’s ad offending people or confusing them from using such a touchy subject (dead bodies) to get his point across. The Reebok ad makes sense and I think more people could relate to it, meaning the feeling of throwing up. How many people really come across dead bodies when they go for a run anyway?