“The World is Just Awesome:” Exceptional Rhetoric in the Discovery Channel’s Advertising

Modern advertising is rooted in Aristotelian rhetoric, and it is by applying a knowledge of Aristotle’s three principles of good rhetoric—logos (logic), ethos (credibility), and pathos (emotional appeal)—that we can be discerning viewers. Logos, the use of logic in an argument, is the core of what the advertiser is actually trying to say. Most commercial advertizing, however, whether it is in a magazine or on television, doesn’t focus on this aspect of rhetoric. In order for something to be eye-catching in the fast-paced modern world, it has to immediately appeal to our emotions. This is where most advertisers spend their time; they create a more appealing version of reality for their viewers, trying to convince them that whatever they are selling will make the viewer’s life better. The other main focus of advertisers is convincing their audience that their company has the viewer’s best interests in mind. They want the audience to believe that their product will allow the viewer to achieve a higher standard of living—either physically, spiritually, or intellectually. A good example of this skewed version of Aristotle’s rhetoric in the modern advertising world is with the Discovery Channel’s commercial “The World is Just Awesome.” The commercial uses primarily pathos and ethos, though not overtly, to establish a rapport with their viewers and attract people to watch their television programs.

The commercial begins with two astronauts floating in space, looking down at the earth. One says to the other, “It never gets old, huh?” There is nothing in the beginning of the commercial to denote that it belongs to a specific station. It’s just a couple of astronauts singing about what they love about the world. The message is of a general goodwill towards the earth. This commercial aired during the holiday season in 2008, when feelings of goodwill run high (most of the time).The commercial isn’t specifically about the holidays, though. It isn’t specifically “about” anything; the only words repeated in all of the three choruses are, “I love the whole world,” and “boomdeyada.” By not placing a logo or main characters from shows in the very beginning of the commercial, Discovery Channel tries to catch the viewer’s interest as to what this song will be about.

A few lines into the song, the camera cuts from the astronauts to one of the hosts of a show on the Discovery Channel. From there, it features many characters singing about what they love about the world—from the “Deadliest Catch” men to Bear Grylls. Not all of them are recognizable, but by using a few people from popular shows, the Discovery Channel inserts itself solidly into the commercial. Not all of the singers are hosts or main shows, however. There are scenes from concerts, cityscapes, deep-sea creatures, and African tribal dancers. These various scenes from around the world are an attempt to show the diversity of programming on the Discovery Channel, and are designed to pique a casual viewer’s interest about what other sort of programs the company offers. The placements of these scenes are strategically interspersed between major names on the programs to enhance the viewer’s interest in what the Discovery Channel airs.

Not only do they use characters from their shows and goodwill towards the earth to increase their credibility, the Discovery Channel borrows some of Stephen Hawking’s credibility as well. He appears late in the commercial, during a repeated chorus of “Boomdeyada,” speaking the word through his voice computer. Even if a viewer wasn’t watching during that part, Stephen Hawking’s voice is easily recognizable to most of the educated world. To someone who knows who Stephen Hawking is, this gives the Discovery Channel an air of sophistication and intelligence that might not be recognizable from a show like “Mythbusters.”

At the very end of the commercial, the camera cuts back to the astronauts, and one of them is spinning end over end with his hands behind his head, in a very relaxed, contented position. The screen fades to black, and large white letters spelling out “The World is Just Awesome” flash across the screen. As they fade, the Discovery Channel logo is finally introduced, with a tiny version of the earth that was reflected in the astronauts’ helmets embedded in the “D.” Waiting to introduce themselves makes the Discovery Channel the last thing the viewer sees, and therefore more memorable. They present themselves as having made this commercial almost purely for the viewer’s enjoyment, and to create a feeling of affection for the earth.

The actual message of the commercial—watch the Discovery Channel—is nearly lost in the catchy tune and the euphoria induced by loving the whole world. At just over one minute, this is an extremely long commercial for television advertising. Its emotional power is not lost in its length, however; The first time I watched this commercial, I teared up. Though it was cut to a thirty-second version several months later, the commercial had amazing popularity. It still does, in fact. YouTube hosts over twenty uploads of the original commercial, some as new as one week old, along with hundreds of remakes and response videos that fans of the commercial have posted. The phenomenal popularity of this commercial continues even though it is no longer aired on television. By creating something that has lasting appeal to a wide range of audiences, the Discovery Channel has established its credibility and continues to attract viewers—the dream of every advertiser.

The video can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at_f98qOGY0

Transcription of Original Commercial

Never gets old, huh?

Nope.

It kinda makes you want to—

Break into song?

Yep.

[astronauts fist pound, begin to sing]

I love the mountains

I love the clear blue skies

I love big bridges

I love when great whites fly

I love the whole world

And all its sights and sounds

Boomdeyada boomdeyada boomdeyada boomdeyada

I love the oceans

I love real dirty things

I love to go fast

I love Egyptian kings

I love the whole world

And all its craziness

Boomdeyada boomdeyada boomdeyada boomdeyada

I love tornadoes

I love arachnids

I love hot magma

I love the giant squids

I love the whole world

It’s such a brilliant place

Boomdeyada boomdeyada boomdeyada boomdeyada

Boomdeyada boomdeyada boomdeyada boomdeyada