The Superbowl ad that I am reviewing for my rhetorical analysis paper is the Pepsi Zero
commercial. Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured in 1893 by a pharmacist named Caleb
Bradham, located in North Carolina. The drink became popular in 1934 and is still commonly
known as the second-best carbonated drink in the world. Pepsi Cola, the full name of the
carbonated drink, is appealing in many ways. The main reason that Pepsi is popular is due to the
marketing strategies of the brand, such as using endorsements from famous people to promote
the drink, social media platforms, and more. Therefore, it’s important for society to recognize the
emotional, logical, and credibility strategies that the brand used during the 2023 Super Bowl to
increase the popularity of Pepsi Zero.

The 2023 Superbowl commercial for Pepsi Zero was interesting. The brand used a
combination of emotions, logic, and credibility to promote the carbonated drink. I want to
discuss the credibility section of this ad. In the commercial, actors Ben Stiller and Steve Martin
were featured. Ben Stiller is a famous actor, comedian, director, and producer. Steve Martin is an
American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. It was an excellent idea for Pepsi
Zero to have Ben and Steve star in the Superbowl ad because the actors are diverse in several
disciplines, which makes them more commonly known to viewers.

The Pepsi commercial targeted the emotional component to promote the carbonated drink
to viewers. The commercial completes this by showing Ben Stiller acting in several scenes
throughout the commercial to demonstrate the job of actors, which is to make their actions
believable to viewers in a movie or television series. Ben demonstrates this standpoint by
initially acting as a superhero, fighting, and killing a weird-looking monster, then stating the jobs
of actors. The commercial scene then switches to the actor, Ben Stiller, proposing to a woman at
a restaurant, and the female actor being so excited that she falls back and kicks Ben in the face,
with him screaming Ouch! to display that pain is real. Furthermore, the scene changes again to
the actor shaking and shivering in the cold, stating “that the cold is real”. Lastly, the scenes
change to the actor talking to a robot and crying, acting like he knows the robot on a friendship
level, then pushing the robot actor to the ground and stating, “That friendship is real”.

The scene then transitions to Ben Stiller explaining to viewers that the scenes he
previously played were not real; they were just acting (Ben Stiller, 2023). He makes this
statement while holding the Pepsi Zero soda can and drinking the carbonated drink. The actor
then stated, while holding the soda, that the Pepsi drink tasted really good. Ben Stiller then
makes a statement that was surprising after sipping on the delicious beverage: “Or was I just
acting?” This statement is the climax of the commercial and starts to get viewers pondering the
question that the brand was trying to convey: does the beverage taste good, or are the actors
acting like the new drink tastes good?

The commercial then uses Steve Martin to demonstrate the jobs of the actors. The scenes
Steve Martin plays in are different from the scenes Ben Stiller acts in. In the upcoming scenes,
Steve is playing a surgeon working on a dog, demonstrating the whole concept of this
commercial, which is to convince the audience to purchase the drink to see if the Pepsi Zero
Sugar beverage tastes good. The Superbowl ad was successful in appealing to the emotional side
of viewers by having Ben Stiller and Steve Martin demonstrate frustration, disappointment,
happiness, pain, etc., which are emotions that humans experience throughout their lifetime. The
brands that make audience members curious about the drink will have society purchase the new
beverage.

The Pepsi Zero Superbowl commercial also implemented logic into the ad. The brand
achieved this concept by implementing the question and statement that actors Ben Stiller and
Steve Martin made in the Superbowl ad. Is the Pepsi Zero sugar drink actually good? or are the
actors acting like the beverage tastes good? The question and statement made by the actors relate
to the logic component of the commercial because it forces the “common sense” argument on
viewers. This statement appeals to the “common sense” argument because the actors and
directors are suggesting that audience members purchase the new, improved carbonated drink to
see if the beverage will make their taste buds happy. The only way for viewers to know the truth
about the taste of Pepsi Zero sugar soda is to try the beverage for themselves.

The Super Bowl is a national football championship that takes place every year. The
Superbowl Championships give brands the opportunity to promote their products around the
world. Popular brands have a few seconds to a couple of minutes to advertise the product, but it’s
important that brands recognize ways they can broadcast the brand. The 2023 Pepsi Zero Sugar
Superbowl commercial was a fantastic ad for the brand to broadcast at the championship. The
drink is popular because the brand recognizes how to make their commercials appeal to logos,
ethos, and pathos components that entice viewers to purchase the drink.