Every time I see this commercial, my eyes start to tear up.
Now, I know I’m not supposed to cry at a Budweiser beer commercial, but how can
you not? You get to see the life of a baby foal and the emotional connection he
has with his trainer! While none of that is true, and the trainer is most
likely just another actor, it’s touching. On top of that, you have the song “Landslide”,
performed by Fleetwood Mac, going in the background. The lyrics to that song,
even without the video, are enough to make some people cry.
“Well, I've been
afraid of changing
'Cause I, I built
my life around you But time makes you bolder
Children get older
I'm getting older too
So, take my love, take it down
Oh climb a mountain and turn around
If you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well the landslide will bring you down”
Touching,
right? Budweiser was very smart in creating this commercial. It reminds me of
the SPCA commercials. You know, with the sad-looking animals and the dramatic
music playing? This appeals to people’s need to nurture. Watching the small
foal growing up really touches your maternal instincts and makes to feel an
emotional connection to it and its trainer.
This commercial also uses the advertising
technique of patriotism. This is the suggestion that using this product will
show a love of one’s country. In the commercial, the setting is on a ranch in
what seems to be the lower Midwest or the South. The trainer is a man wearing
boots, jeans, and a baseball cap. He is used to represent a modern-day cowboy.
He looks trustworthy, caring, and very hardworking. These are traits that
people in America want to be associated with, as well. By their choice of
setting and actors, Budweiser has created a scene that appears to be a
stereotypical ranch in the United States. By using this to sell their product,
they are associating Budweiser beer with what American people want themselves
and their country to be like. They begin to believe that Budweiser is how you
achieve that.
I think that this commercial was
very effective for Budweiser. Not only did they achieve an emotional connection
with the viewer, but they also got the viewer to remember the commercial for a
long time. The first time I saw this commercial was during the Super Bowl, and
every time I see a Budweiser product, I immediately think of the commercial.
Any commercial that can do that, is doing something right.
(5-5-13)
I haven't seen this commercial, but just your description of it makes me want to go and buy some Budweiser. Okay, no, not really. But we all know that there's something about baby animals and heart-wrenching songs that bring out that emotional, irrational side in us. Maybe Budweiser realizes that, at this point, the only way we'll buy their product is if we're being completely irrational. Regardless, I agree that this is an effective method, no matter how much I hate advertisers for doing this to my poor heartstrings.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how effective it was for the product because I didn't even see the name until the end and even then I would not place that commercial with the product. I would think that there would need to be a little more Budweiser in the commercial for it to work out. There wasn't a drink or anything in any of it. Sure it pulled my heartstrings but no part of that commercial ever screamed the product. I felt as if it could have been a commercial for animal medication or for a car or something, because the horse ran along a car and he saw it through the rear-view mirror. So I hate to disagree, but I don't think the commercial was as effective as it could have been (maybe they should have had a beer together?).
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