Rachel Bertram

Rhetorical Analysis

Ms. Amory Orchard

2017 March 3

A Splash of Brightness

I chose the Tropicana's official website as my topic because Tropicana is a popular brand,

and most people know about their product. Since most people know about their product, it will

be interesting to know if their website is user friendly or sells their product well. Another reason

I chose this website for the rhetorical analysis is because I enjoy their product, which includes

different types of juices, and learning about the company that created it. During the analysis, I

will talk about the supported use of ethos, logos, and pathos used in the Tropicana website along

with other details for supporting evidence.

From first glance, Tropicanas website is

not overwhelming, but it is very colorful. The

website has a white background that helps connect

the colors together, and it makes certain colors

stand out. I noticed that the website takes the

bright colors, orange and yellow, to make the

images stand out while taking the other colors, red

and green, label the headings on the page. Logos has an effect on this part of the website because

it is helpful for the audience to see the pictures before the text on the page. The audience should

know what the product looks like therefore Tropicanas website as many images. On the
homepage of the website, the headings are in green while the pictures of the juices or other

products are in yellow. This creates a draw to the products on the page instead of the text.

At the top of the website, there is a tab bar indicating different sections of the website.

These tabs include: products, goodness of juice, where to buy, our story, contact us, and different

countries to buy from. This tab bar helps the viewer navigate the website better. As I go into the

products tab, I could see images of every product that were separated into categories. Such as:

featured products, Tropicana Pure Premium, Premium Lemonade and Drinks, Trop50, etc. Logos

has an effect on this part of the website because it is easy to navigate and understand the

differences in each product from the layout of the website. Once you click on the product you

want, it gives you an explanation of the product including the nutrition facts, what store to find it

in, and what sizes it comes in. This information is helpful to the audience to better understand

their product selection.

As I clicked on the goodness of juice tab, I noticed a lot of images that were family

oriented. Tropicanas website produces an understanding of pathos because they connect the

entire family by laughing images. Even though this is a healthy product, it is not strictly for

people trying to be healthy, but it is for happiness and enjoying life with family and friends. This

product makes life seem happy and bright because they have a lot of the images of adults

running, stretching, and playing with their children. In this tab, there is education about the

vitamins included in the products. The creators use mothers and children to represent each

vitamin included. I believe that this is an an appropriate way to signify pathos. Pathos of the

website seems to have a target audience of healthy families with or without children.

According to Bryan Walsh in the article Sustainably Squeezed, [Creators] reduce the

carbon consumption necessary to make Tropicana orange juice. This is healthier for humans
and the environment. Walsh did a study on the effects of low-carbon fertilizers to several orange

trees to help him understand Tropicanas product. A 64 ounce container of Tropicana juice uses

almost 4 pounds of greenhouse gases. This is made up of the fertilizers. From the study, he found

out that more farms develop from carbon than nitrogen which means they reduce[d] the total

carbon footprint of a glass of its orange juice by up to 20%. Humans can drink this juice, and it

is healthier than nitrogen (Walsh, 53).

It is simple to buy off of Tropicanas website or go into the store to purchase their

product. Laurie Freeman explains in her article Tropicana Pure Premium that Tropicanas

product is a success according to their advertisements. Freeman goes on to explain, Tropicana

as the third largest selling brand in the grocery business. She states that their earnings keep

increasing since the product was discovered. FCD Worldwide, New York started advertising for

Tropicana to get even more business. Ethos is greatly connected with their earnings of the

products. Tropicanas sales are increasing therefore ethos is also increasing within the business

(Freeman, s8).

Sense Tropicana gets a

tremendous amount of sales;

people enjoy their product. Even

though the product sells well,

how can you tell ethos is

increasing? University of

Wisconsin- Green Bay

published an article, how can I

tell if a website is credible? The

article states that there should be information on the author/creator. On Tropicanas website in

the our story tab, there is information about who started the company and how it started. The

article also states that, a well-designed site can be an indication of more reliable information.

Ethos is shown in Tropicanas website because they have a well-designed website, and it is

user friendly. Tropicana can sell their product right off of their website which is credible, so it is

real to the customers (B, How Can).

Overall, looking through the website, I noticed this product is about enjoying life and

being healthy at the same time. Tropicanas website surprised me when I researched it because I

was not expecting a well-designed layout, a piece about the creator, or being able to buy the

products from the website. During this analysis, I talked about the successful use of ethos, logos,

and pathos used in the Tropicana website. As Tropicana concludes, It has everything you need

to brighten your day!

RESOURCES

B, Kevin. How can I tell if a website is credible? University of Wisconsin Green Bay. 9 Feb.

2017. https://uknowit.uwgb.edu/page.php?id=30276

Freeman, Laurie. "Tropicana Pure Premium." Advertising Age, vol. 71, no. 27, 26 June 2000, p.

s8. http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?sid=a14c5047-c46b-4357-b6df-8c0b1a

27dcfb%40sessionmgr101&vid=0&hid=116&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY2

9wZT1zaXRl#AN=3250187&db=aph

Walsh, Bryan. "Sustainably Squeezed?." Time, vol. 175, no. 15, 19 Apr. 2010, p. 53.

http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?sid=46ef92d2-691b-42ac-91c6-

5e17cc1e7712%40sessionmgr103&vid=0&hid=116&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2

ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN=49097696&db=aph