Degree Name
MA (Master of Arts)
Program
Brand and Media Strategy
Date of Award
5-2023
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Stokes Piercy
Committee Members
Mildred Perreault, Stephen Marshall
Abstract
This paper examines the concept of brand-funded documentaries that center on the issue of climate change and uses Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle to better understand how the films use rhetoric in communicating their message. A rhetorical analysis was conducted using four brand films from Amazon, Corona, Patagonia and REI and the results are intended to demonstrate the best methods of persuasion and the most effective rhetoric utilized in brand-funded documentaries. Because brand-funded documentaries not only make an argument about a particular issue, in this case climate change, but also must communicate a particular brand’s values and commitments, examining the rhetoric in these films proves particularly interesting and informative both for advertisers and filmmakers. The research shows that using emotions such as fear, awe, sadness, and joy serves to complement information dissemination in documentaries and allows for stronger engagement with audiences.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Rossetti, Matthew, "Brand-Funded Documentary Films and Climate Change: An Aristotelian Rhetorical Analysis" (2023). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 4219. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/4219
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.