Figure One: 2015 Budweiser Super Bowl Commercial
Source: Budweiser.
(2015).
Figure one shows a marketing campaign
that was produced for Budweiser that was within the super bowl adverts.
Budweiser is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev and is a pale ale that generates
millions of pounds revenue each year.
Within the United Kingdom the
consumption of alcoholic beverages including ales is seen as a socially acceptable,
often done when meeting up with friends either in the comfort of your own home
or at an event. This array of social situations where alcohol is consumed
displays how large the industry is within the UK.
Figure Two: Average weekly consumption of
alcoholic drinks by gender and age within the UK
Source: Institute of Alcohol Studies. (2013).
Figure two indicates that within
the United Kingdom the main target market for beer drinkers is males between
the ages of 25-44, another high target market is between the ages of 16-24.
These age ranges statistically are Budweiser’s core target market, as the units
undertaken by females is considerably lower, meaning that Budweiser would
potentially maximize their revenues by aiming their marketing campaigns at men
between these age groups.
The advertisement aforementioned
features a small dog that climbs into a lorry and begins its adventure to get
back home. Meanwhile the animal’s owner is beside himself worrying and putting
up leaflets for his lost puppy. It then goes on to depict a wolf cornering the
puppy, and a final climax of the horses breaking out of the barn to save the
puppy from danger.
This advert could be argued to
show a theme of togetherness through a variety of underlying messages and
techniques. Togetherness is symbolised in two different ways; the first being
that the horses, fellow animals, came to the rescue of the puppy connoting a
spirit of connection in the animal kingdom in which all animals have a
protective attribute, similar to human nature. This feeling of belonging and
having a friend to protect you is parallel to the social event of drinking that
is typically done in a group, surrounded by friends whom would protect another
if needed. Another subtle technique is the choice of the animal being a dog,
often referred to as mans best friend, when the dog is returned to his worried
owner there is a sense of relief in finding what he has been looking for. To
some degree I believe that this dog is a metaphor for the product Budweiser,
therefore attaching this sense of relief and togetherness with the beverage.
This is my chosen advert for the
worst advert of 2015 so far due to a number of reasons. As previously stated
Budweiser’s’ core target market is men aged between 16 and 44, yet in this
advert there is an emotional and empathetic view required to fully appreciate
the theme of togetherness. I do believe this advert to be more so befitting of
the female target market with the use of a small, Labrador puppy and sad
storyline. Also misrepresentation can be seen in this advert as the ale does in
fact not feature anywhere in the advert. If a person was unfamiliar with this
brand and what they produced it would be hard to infer from the storyline what
the product was. Budweiser does not feature their product once within this
advertising campaign, which is another reason why I believe it to not be a
successful advertising campaign.
Figure Three: This Girl
Can Advertisement
Source: This Girl Can.
(2015).
The second advert shown in figure three was created by sport
England, it is extremely uplifting and very powerful. It was created to enhance
the number of women taking part in regular exercise within the United Kingdom.
Figure Four:
Participation In Moderate Intensity Sport
(Source: Zhang, D. (2014)
Figure four indicates that within the
United Kingdom participation in sport has increased over the years, however
according to Parker,
O. (2015). 2 million fewer women are regularly participating in sport or
exercise than men, despite 75 per cent of women aged 14 to 40 saying they’d
like to do more. Therefore this advert is used to promote physical activity in
women in the UK, and provide inspiration and motivation.
The second
advertisement features an array of women from diverse backgrounds, showing a
variety of ages, different body types and limitation being overcome by women
through sport, such as disabilities. All of the individuals are taking part in
some form of sporting activity.
Admap. (2003). Notes
that music's main contribution to an ad is to increase interest and enjoyment. This
reference indicates how important the choice of music within an advertisement
can be, and within this advertisement I believe that the song choice is a vital
part in its aims. The song chosen is upbeat and loud, suiting the topic perfectly.
Another reason for this advert being the best within 2015 is because it is a
socially effective advertisement, which can be used as a tool to motivate women
of all sizes, ages and backgrounds to participate in sport. For an
advertisement to feature a spectrum of different females or males is extremely
rare, and undoubtedly powerful within this advert, as it promotes all women
coming together to push themselves and most of all enjoy themselves. A message
of anyone reaching a goal if they put their mind to it is present also. The
utilisation of bold and empowering words during the clip is also poignant when
discussing the strengths of this advertisement, the hard hitting lines are
chosen to boost women’s confidence in taking part within sport. The truest positive
regarding this advert is that it confidently opposes the idyllic image of women
worshipped within the media. It focuses on real women with real aspirations whom
participate in sport and feel good about it. This promotes the real meaning
behind the advert that is to increase the numbers of participation in sport
within females.
References
Admap. (2003). Best Practice: Music in
advertising. Admap, 438 (1), 12-13.
Porteous, S.D.
(2001). Counterfeiting MENACE. World trade. 14 (11), 28.
Budweiser.
(2015). 2015 Budweiser Super Bowl Commercial “Lost Dog”. Available:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAsjRRMMg_Q. Last accessed 1st May 2015.
Institute
of Alcohol Studies. (2013). Alcohol consumption Factsheet. Available:
http://www.ias.org.uk/uploads/pdf/Consumption%20docs/Alcohol%20consumption%20factsheet%20August%202013.pdf.
Last accessed 1st May 2015.
Parker,
O. (2015). This Girl Can advert: Scared of working out?. Available:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/11334935/This-Girl-Can-advert-Scared-of-working-out-Watch-this.html.
Last accessed 1st May 2015.
This
Girl Can. (2015). This Girl Can. Available:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN7lt0CYwHg. Last accessed 1st May 2015.
Zhang,
D. (2014). Sports and Energy Drinks. Available:
http://academic.mintel.com/display/710555/. Last accessed 29th Oct 2014.
