Program UP

    Program Up 

One business I chose is a small business known as Program Athletics by an online influencer named Christopher David. I think Chris/ Program Athletics does a very good job at communicating both on his online website and social media platforms in several ways. He makes Instagram reels not only to show off his merch but also inspire people to keep on going at whatever life throws at them. He always has a saying in his videos, "stick with the program" or "program up". That is a reminder and type of motivation in a way to keep going. Some of his merch even says on it "show up every day". On the website to buy the merch, when you scroll all the way down to the bottom where it says "about", it mentions that they represent people who show up every day "NO MATTER WHAT". On the website, at the very top it thanks you for showing up every day and then has its logo underneath it that says Program Athletics. In the middle, it shows all of the different merch they have created such as hoodies, hats, T-shirts etc. At the very bottom it has the contents of the website such as "Home, Products, About, Contant information, and Cart" and that the website is powered by "bigcartel". The reason I think that they have it organized this way is to try and relate to the audience or provide a sense of motivation within their merch. As I was looking through the readings for module 6, it said that the definition of rhetoric is "'the planned use of symbols to achieve goals'" (A Rhetorical 1). It was explaining how people use many different types of symbols to reach their goals such as though written language and verbal communication, nonverbal communication, pictures etc. In this case, Program Athletics using phrases of motivation to try to get their audiences attention to reach their goal of people buying their products. I think it is effective because personally, after looking at the "about" section on what their goal is and reading their motivational phrase, it made me reflect on how hard I have tried in different aspects of my life whether it be for school or reaching my own personal goals. It reminds you that you have a purpose in life. Always show up for yourself. 

    This business does have an identify that they communicate to their viewers online. When they talk about showing up every day, the way they identify themselves is someone who shows up to work out, eat right, do cardio, and there are even some places that they show off their merch in front of local places as a way to show what they have around them and who they are as an influencer. It is obviously different for everyone, but they post themselves in a way where they represent how they show up every day to influence those who want to do something for themselves. One thing I think they could do to improve their online communication is to give more of a variation on how showing up looks life for everyone. I feel that if they post more what it is like for different people they would get more buyers. Another thing would be to show struggles. A lot of people when they see someone succeeding online, they tend to lose motivation. If the reels show struggles and then a transition to success, it would be more relatable to the viewers. 

Works Cited 

A Rhetorical Perpective. Canvas. https://canvas.oregonstate.edu/courses/1999311/files/111038584?wrap=1 Accessed 11 May 2025.