All ads have specific intended audiences whom advertisers try to appeal to in order for them to buy products. Beer ads, in this case the ads of Budweiser and Bud Light, are no exception. The audience for these beer ads has changed over the years. For example, in the 1960's, as seen in the commercial, the ad seems to be directed more toward a wide- reaching audience, making the beer appear to be classy and something for everyone. Given this, the ad still appeals mostly to men, using the attractive woman singing and the slow music in a use of pathos to appeal to the minds of males. It also makes the beer out to be very sophisticated; something you drink when you sit down to have a fancy meal with people. It does not necessarily appeal to the party or bar atmosphere, but more of a "sit down, relax, and enjoy yourself" message. The picture ad from the 60's also implies the same thing. The ad has a message like "take a break from work and relax with this beer," mostly appealing to males with the girl hanging over the guy's shoulder and pouring his drink.
In the more modern example, with the Bud Light super bowl commercial, the intended audience is definitely a young male demographic. The commercial was also played during the Super Bowl, for which the audience is mostly a young male one. The audience for the commercial lines up with the program's audience perfectly by no accident, and appeals once again using logos to make a memorable, recognizable commercial. When people see the beer, they think of the funny commercial they saw for it, and are more likely to buy the beer with a funnier ad. The latest commercial also appeals greatly to the party message, as seen in every other commercial for the product. It should also be pointed out that in this modern commercial, it is very visible that every person in the ad really wants this beer more than anything else, an appeal to logos not present in the older commercial, implying in a way that, "everyone wants this beer really badly, so it must be amazing and be fun!" The modern picture ad is the most blatant appeal to men, as the bathing-suit clad women are meant to have men remember the ad and purchase the beer. The modern ads are up the right alley for the intended audience of men, using common humor instead of a sophisticated feel in the advertisement of beer.
Its interesting the way advertisements have changed to more blatant appeals to our interests. I honestly do find myself listening to the ads that are funnier and therefore more memorable
ReplyDeleteThis is an awesome comparison. It is so interesting to see the differences in beer advertisements in meaning and audience from the 1960's to now. It will be cool to see the different comparisons and rhetoric that is used for drinks from then to now.
ReplyDeleteIt's cool to see how advertisements change when the values of their audiences change. People in the 60s obviously wanted to relax with their beer, but in the advertisements today, they try to appeal more to the party message.
ReplyDeleteI like the way the advertisements have changed from the 1960's to today. I do think that the way beer is advertised today with more a fun party approach is more effective because typically when people drink they do not do it to relax, they do it to have a good time.
ReplyDeleteAll of the ads your group chose, as you pointed out, are geared towards guys. I wonder why beer, as opposed to any other alcoholic beverage, is targeted more to males than females. I'd be interested in further analysis on why young men are Budweisers' intended audience if you have any extra ideas.
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