Who does not want to be given the opportunity to drive an exquisite sports car that can speed up to 205 mph? Better yet, who would not "choose the moon" by taking a trip in a rocket ship? Making its debut appearance during Super Bowl 50, the Audi R8 commercial entitled "The Commander" immediately grabs the audience's attention and begins to knead their emotions. With the intent of selling the newly improved Audi R8, the company portrays the story of a retired astronaut reliving his glory days by driving the Audi R8.  However, a reader who takes a critical look may question whether there is really a connection between what the commercial advertises and the product's actual capabilities. The advertisement employs ethos and pathos appeals to promote strong emotional associations, but there is speculation as to how much substance (logos) there is in the rhetoric. 

There are multiple examples of pathos that stand out in the Super Bowl 50 Audi commercial. The commercial begins by presenting "The Commander" and his memories from his days as an astronaut during the Space Race of the 1960s. Mourning the loss of his life once lived, the elderly astronaut is too grief-stricken to eat his dinner. This automatically grabs the audience's attention due to the interesting storyline. This man's home is covered head to toe with newspaper clippings and photographs that all pertain to his days as an astronaut. This is when the retired astronaut's son shows up and asks him if he would like to take his Audi R8 for a spin. With a gleam in his eye the elderly man and his son walk up to the Audi R8 while David Bowie's "Starman" begins to play in the background. This was Audi's way of paying tribute to David Bowie's passing. It is enough to make anyone tear up just a little. As The Commander takes the wheel he becomes the young astronaut again, preparing to take off in his rocket ship. "Starman" continues to play while progressively pulling on every viewer's heartstrings. The faster he drives the more elated he becomes as he relives the memories that he holds so dearly. The touching addition of "Starman" and the retired astronaut's recurrent flashbacks could persuade any person to at least want to buy the car.

In addition to evoking a strong pathos appeal by sharing the story of an American astronaut while playing David Bowie's "Starman," Audi creates a sturdy ethos appeal by associating the commercial with the company. The tested maximum speed for the new Audi R8 accumulates to 205 mph. Any sane person may ask, "Who needs a car that can go that fast? And how could I possibly afford it? Would I have to sell my house to pay it off?" On the other side of the spectrum one could simply argue that lifting the Audi R8's appeal among the millions of people who will never afford one could increase the appeal to those few elites who can go out and buy one if they so please. Audi tries to make the R8 seem like the perfect example of a true American's car by referencing to the 1960 Space Race along with an elderly man that was once an astronaut who helped prove to the world that America was greater than any other nation. This is Audi's way of saying that anyone can drive the Audi R8 (just as long as they can afford it).

How, then, does this commercial entice the audience? It definitely does not give a strong logos appeal since neither the storyline nor the actual ad for the car gives anymore information other than the fact that the Audi R8 can speed up to an insane miles per hour of 205. Rather, the commercial mainly relies on ethos and pathos. It offers an emotionally gratifying storyline with a song performed by the late David Bowie. This Audi commercial is rhetorically persuasive in the way that it creates the perfect scenario that gives the illusion that driving an Audi R8 is just like riding in a rocket ship, making any person want to go out and make the out of this world purchase. In addition, the father and son are bonding when they are taking their joy ride. Similarly, many viewers were bonding with their families while watching the Super Bowl when they originally saw the commercial. The connection could quite possibly spark some desire for the Audi R8 in hopes of creating a closer nit family. However, any person in their right minds with a limited bank account could only dream of indulging in that pricey purchase. So, instead, we will keep on humming "Starman" to ourselves while we pretend that our less than average transportation even remotely resembles the Audi R8 or a 1960s Space Race rocket ship.

