Runners, joggers, and dead bodies?

This ad confused me when i first glanced at it. My attention was immediately drawn to the words "dead bodies". I was wondering why runners would be associated with dead people, and also if people would be persuaded to do their "civic duty and run" after viewing this ad. Am I suppose to be running so that i can help solve a crime? Maybe if i wear those dirty black shoes with hints of bright orange, then i can be just like detectives Benson and Stabler on Law and Order SVU!
Since I dont run, i kind of wanted to brush aside the ad. Why would it be important to me? However, i was curious to see what kind of point Pearl Izumi was trying to make. It seemed like he calling joggers weak and runners strong, which is a pretty blunt and potentially offensive statement to some people.
The background of the ad is black, which reminded me of death, and the text is white, which i thought could be an reference to life. The contrast of these two colors is eye-catching to viewers. If the background was white, and the text black, people probably wouldn't have glanced twice at it. The image of shoes in the ad shows that when you wear these particualar shoes, you will go through adventures and get a little dirty on the way, but in the end it'll be worth it. The light shining on the shoes reminded me of a halo effect, like the shoes are angels, or the person who wears them will be a hero. By alluding to television forensics shows, the ad draws people in, since much of the population watch t.v. Also, there are so many crime investigation shows that people are bound to have flipped through them at some point. Plus, if YOU wear the shoes, YOU might solve a crime! The ad used a cause and effect argument. It demonstrated that if you wear these shoes and run then you will live an exciting lifestyle and always be on edge.
The value of determination is promoted in this ad. The dirty shoes show that if you work hard, it will all be worth it in the end. The ad discourages being lazy, and taking the easy way out to do things.
Pearl Izumi draws attention to both the runner and the jogger in this add, and does alienate the "jogging" population. He makes a point to say that joggers are ordinary and dont take chances. This could be an advantage to encourage joggers to start running, but i see it more of a detriment because a lot of people could be offended if they were called ordinary or boring. Some people have body issues and can't run, so what are they suppose to do?
The appeal of Pathos is most strongest to me in this ad. After reading the ad, i felt rather shunned because i'm not a runner. But then again, the ad made me laugh too because of how serious and intense the colors, images, etc. made it.



If i could choose only one ad to run in a magazine i would choose the "I am what I am" ad. This ad is not as time consuming to read, and gets straight to the point. The first ad was far more interesting to me though, but people on the go dont have time to read a huge paragraph of information, then analyze it. This ad seems more effective because it appeals to everyone. It's not blunt, and doesn't excluding the jogging population like the previous ad. It emphasizes a calmer approach to running, and says to "run easy", not to run like a mad man to find dead bodies. I believe that far more people could relate to this ad than they could the other.