Speech Proposal

            I chose to look into Hy-Vee because I go there a lot and it has a large presence in Iowa.  Hy-Vee is a grocery store that has many locations in Iowa.  I noticed the amount of advertising and sponsorship Hy-Vee does in the community.  I have perceived them to be successful in their advertising campaigns and wondered what about the company appeals to Iowans.  The advertisements contributed to the positive image the company has in many Iowa communities. 

            I plan to analyze three advertisements.  I chose to use a print ad with famous chef Curtis Stone because it shows the two most used appeals in most Hy-Vee ad campaigns.  The other two are television commercials which display these same appeals.  One commercial uses a spokesperson, Harrison Barnes, like the print add, and the other one emphasizes the sense of community in this employee owned company.  The outside source I chose to use is a news article about the partnership between chef Curtis Stone and Hy-Vee.  This article was a good fit because is shows the motives and shared beliefs between the two.

            My tentative thesis is Hy-Vee predominantly uses the ethos and pathos appeals in their advertising to draw in and keep customers.  A reason I will use to back this up are the use of spokespeople as an appeal to ethos.  Also, the use of emotions (“a helpful smile”) as opposed to logic in their ads signifies the importance of pathos in their campaigns.  The visual aids I will use for this speech include the commercials and print ad.  I will include these in a power point along with a quote from the outside source.