Logos in the Ads of Beer

All advertisements must use logos to appeal to any viewer, to appeal to the logic of the targeted audience and essentially get into the viewer's head. Beer advertisements are no exception to this trend, and logos can be seen in all of the sources here. First of all, Budweiser's advertising slogan is "King of Beers," appealing to the reader or viewer to have them assume that it must be the best beer, or otherwise it wouldn't be king. It sounds silly and strangely worded, but I believe that is the intent behind the ads. The Bud Light ad with the swear jar uses logos in a similar way: people want this beer so badly, and are so excited to hear that the money from the swear jar goes toward Bud Light, that they are willing to swear in every sentence to contribute money towards the beer. Given the excitement of the entire office towards this beer, it is assumed that the beer is just that good. The Budweiser video ad from the 1960's also uses logos, by bragging about how they put their ingredients right on the label, like no other beer does. Since they are talking about how they put the ingredients right there for you to see, logos is used by assuming that they have nothing to hide, and the display of ingredients makes the beer more distinguished and worth drinking. Logos is consistently used in advertisements, and beer ads make use of logos to convince the viewer that their beer is the best, for various reasons.

Budweiser Ads in the 2000's

Three woman laying on a towel in bathing suits. If that doesn't catch anyone' attention in an ad, then I don't know what will. The ad is obviously promoting the beer in a provocative way that would attract a certain audience, this time young males, to drink their beer. The three girls symbolize the sexual aspect of life and how their poses are linked to advertising Budweiser. It gives the audience a false sense that if they drink the beer, they will be able to win the girls over and be awesome. The ad also gives a vibe of relaxation and a good time, which is always related to beach or poolside settings. They are enjoying the sun and water while cooling themselves off with Budweiser. The girls are pretty and have what the world defines as the "perfect swimsuit body". As I've mention in an earlier post about present-day beer ads, the main focus for ads nowadays is desire and anything that can be associated with the feeling. Seeing these girls laying as they are, another type of sensation that compared to 1960's ads, is more sexualized and forbidden. 

Budweiser Ad and Style

The Budweiser advertisement from the 1960s is a printed ad with a very distinct style. When you first look at the ad, your eyes are immediately drawn to the beer that is being poured from the ordinary beer can into a more luxurious glass cup. You then look at who is pouring the beer, and are then drawn to the man and woman who take up the majority of the ad. These two figures are close together, representing a traditional, familial relationship. The way the ad is designed represents its two main ideas: the importance of the traditional family lifestyle, and the desire for luxury. Even the words on the ad reflect these ideas. Directly under the Budweiser name it says "where there's life...there's Bud" which suggests the use of this product in everyday life. In the right corner is another written excerpt that beings with "the King's credentials," suggesting royalty and luxury. Advertisements are designed in strategic ways that use important ideals of the time to draw an audience in. Based on the style and composition of this advertisement, the ad is suggesting that the ideals of a luxurious lifestyle and the importance of the family were very important to the American public in the 1960s.

Ethos and the 1960's Budweiser Commercial

The Budweiser commercial from the 1960's features Joan Kemp. Kemp was a very prolific model, actress, and director during the 60's era. By having Kemp as the main element of the commercial, Budweiser is able to appeal to the ethical values of the audience. At the time, onlookers believed that drinking Budweiser was trendy due to the idea that Joan Kemp drank their beer. In the video, she is singing a jazzy tune about the special taste of the beer. Since she was an icon during the time, the audience believed that Budweiser was something shared amongst the stars. In addition, Kemp appears to be in a light mood. The images of a beautiful, happy and well-known woman in a Budweiser commercial sends a message to the audience that the beer can put them in high spirits and make them feel as though they have something in common with celebrities. Therefore, the credibility of Budweiser is evident to the audience due to the company's use of Joan Kemp in the advertisement.

Sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAPGIKOaRmk

Beer Photo Advertising Audience Analysis

For this post I will be focusing on the audience in beer advertisements once again, but I will be looking more at the photographic advertisements used in the 1960's and ones used in more recent times. The photographs, or ones used as posters or magazine pages, convey messages differently than the video ads do, but still use nearly the same tactics and show the same evolution in marketing techniques to their audience. 
The ad from the 60's for Budweiser with the women hanging over the shoulder of the man shows the man holding work tools and almost seeming surprised, but very pleased, that the woman is pouring this beer for him. The woman looks almost unnaturally happy, and seems to be pouring the beer to say, "Here, relax, have this," surprising the man in what seems to be the middle of his work. The case can definitely be made that the portrayal of the woman and her role in this ad is controversial, as it seems to objectify her, but not to the point of the ad from a magazine in the 2000's. The 2000's ad displays three women in bathing suits, that lying together put together the Budweiser logo. The 2000's ad shows a drastic change in the attempt to appeal to a certain audience, that of males that would be reading the magazine. I would guess that this picture appeared in a Sports Illustrated issue or ESPN Magazine, which appeals to a demographic of young men who would be interested in sports. The ad from the 60's does attempt to appeal to men, with their portrayal of the beer being a way to relax, but the image from the 2000's is a much more blatant attempt to appeal to men, and also does not appeal to a sort of relaxing atmosphere, but rather an atmosphere of having a good time.

Bud Light and Style

The 2010 Bud Light commercial had a modern and comical style. The commercial starts off in a modern-day office setting: cubicles, ringing telephones, computers and busy workers.
"What's that?", asks a man walking by his co-worker's desk.
"That's a swear jar", she replies casually.
Many people in the 20th century are very familiar with 'swear jars', but the woman goes on to explain that every time a person in the office swears they have to put money in the jar - an exercise meant to prevent people from frequently letting things "slip out". Once the jar was full, she went on to explain, they would use the money to get something for the office (which seems like positive reinforcement for negative behavior).  "****ing awesome", the man responds immediately following her explanation, and proceeds to add his payment to the jar. Viewers can immediately sense the playfulness of the commercial because it's obvious the jar is going to be used for the exact opposite of its designed purpose. The remainder of the commercial is full of clips where other workers around the office swear left and right, doing so intentionally. There was an incident that took place in a meeting, where a woman asked a man to borrow a pen. The man would not loan his pen to the woman until she asked for it properly - by swearing first.
The commercial was smart in the sense that it was so relatable to such a large audience. Every day people could identify with the humor whether they worked in an office or not. The situation -being so common and farcical- made it entertaining to watch. While making the audience laugh, the overall message was still present: people want, and will do anything to get, a can of Bud.

The Budweiser Ad and Pathos

This ad for Budweiser beer appeals to Pathos in many ways. Starting from the saying, “where there’s life…there’s Bud,” this ad presents the beer as a necessity to a good life. Everything about this ad then supports the idea of what a good life would look like, and therefore it is appealing to people’s emotions and imaginations. The typical husband-wife relationship is pictured, with the man doing his work and the woman pouring the beer for him. The fact that the woman is pouring the beer from a can into a nice glass is also an appeal to pathos, because it implies that by drinking this beer, the couple is living a luxurious lifestyle. The woman is also showing affection to the man while he sits looking content with himself. Everything about the picture portrays happiness, thereby suggesting to the audience that drinking Budweiser will create happiness and an overall good life.