Bud Light Commercial Review PDF

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Bud Light Commercial Review
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Bud Light Commercial Review

Department of English, Grand Canyon University ENG-105, English Composition Dr. Brody November 10th, 2020

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Bud Light Commercial Review Would you like to expand your knowledge on techniques used in commercials to subconsciously convince your brain to purchase a new product? This essay will further answer what techniques work or fail to work in the 2020 Bud Light Super Bowl commercial. This commercial, starring Post Malone, takes place in a convenience store; Malone has to decide if he will purchase the pre-existing Bud Light beers or the new Bud Light seltzers being promoted (Bud Light, 2020). Based on the evaluation of the plot, cast, and branding, the Bud Light commercial promoting the new hard seltzers should be made into a series. Plot In the Bud Light commercial, the plot seemed to be very hectic from start to finish and proved to be effective seeing as the attention was focused on promoting their new product. This marketing strategy was used to capture and maintain the attention of the viewers while directing their attention to their new product. According to Loewenstein et al (2011) of the American Marketing Association, “We suggest that the repetition-break plot structure provides a general recipe for generating surprising and engaging narratives” (Loewenstein, Raghunathan, & Heath, 2011, para. 3). Post Malone brought an abundance of energy to the commercial and executed Bud Light’s well-thought-out marketing strategies. As seen in this commercial, Malone seems to have people in his brain seeing what is happening second-hand (Bud Light, 2020). After Malone sips the seltzer being presented. and the monitors that look to be inside Malone’s brain that receive information from his taste buds, they begin to comment on the flavor and describe it to, "Taste great- no Bud Light- only hard seltzer with a hint of fruit flavor" (Bud Light, 2020). After Post Malone was seen enjoying the beverage, he had an internal disagreement between those who thought he should purchase the Bud Light Seltzers and those who believed he should simply

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purchase the original Bud Light pack (Bud Light, 2020). He then was controlled by them and thrown into the shelves of the convenience store due to the arguing; after a few moments of bickering, they decided he should get both (Bud Light, 2020). As previously stated, Bud Light implemented humor into this commercial to draw the attention of audience members and leave them wondering what was going to happen next. In conclusion, the plot in this Bud Light commercial proved to be effective because of its chaotic energy that drew in the audience to the new product, as well as the story-like events that occurred all throughout that kept the audience wondering. Cast The cast used in this commercial was effective because Post Malone, who has a very influential social media platform, was hired to star in this commercial which would allow this commercial to circulate throughout the internet faster. While Malone was having an internal battle while deciding which drink to purchase, a character in his head said, “We drink Bud Light, everybody knows that” (Bud Light, 2020). This quotation reiterates Post Malone’s fondness for Bud Light’s products while again, promoting the release of the new seltzers. Malone has been known for consuming alcoholic beverages; therefore, his distinguished positive opinion of this product will influence many audience members to think highly of the new seltzers without even trying it for themselves. This exhibits the attribute of ethos by utilizing Malone’s fame to benefit the Bud Light company. According to Gerard Kennedy from the communication assessment and learning lab, “The first level of judgment that is casted by an audience is targeted at a speaker’s credibility. Before a speaker even takes a stage to speak, the audience has already begun to analyze the speaker” (Kennedy, G.A., 2013, para. 3). Viewers who may be unfamiliar with Post Malone, such as the older generations, may believe this marketing strategy to prove ineffective.

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However, this commercial was presented during the Super Bowl which is known to have a younger audience who are more likely to recognize Malone’s true influence on their age group. Therefore, this criterion was noted to be effective at influencing the audience’s opinion on the product because it targets viewers who are familiar with the rapper and main character, Post Malone. Branding Branding was effective because the brand name was always seen or heard on screen throughout the duration of this commercial. Branding is vital to successful marketing because exposing audience members to a product name will trigger familiarity when in store which may influence them to purchase the product. Throughout the entire commercial, the Bud Light label was seen on screen and, if not seen, it was being mentioned by one of the characters. According to Jovičić-Vuković Anan (2018), “It is important for the place to be available and there must be a potential for easy connection with potential users” (pg. 9). Therefore, they used the setting of a gas station convenience store because that is somewhere their intended audience most likely visits periodically. From the beginning on the scene, the Bud Light label was seen on posters plastered on the walls of the convenience store behind Malone and all throughout the commercial such as on cans and boxes. Simultaneously, the words “Bud Light” were being repeated all throughout the commercial to somewhat engrain them into the viewers’ minds. For example, when he was falling into the shelfs in the convenience store, the viewers constantly heard “Bud Light Seltzers!” being shouted in the Post Malone’s brain (Bud Light, 2020). As previously stated, Malone had an internal argument over whether or not he should purchase the regular Bud Light cans or the new seltzers and he was seen being thrown around the store as a result of that. This was not simply meant to entertain the audience, but rather, it promotes both Bud Light’s

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new product as well as a pre-existing product. Although this may seem to do two things at oncepromote both new and old products- reintroducing older products seems ineffectual because it is already a very well-known product and it distracts from the new item being publicized. In this commercial, branding was deemed effective due to the fact that the company name was repeatedly seen and heard throughout the commercial and, creating familiarity with the new seltzers. Conclusion

Successful techniques used in this commercial to engage the intended audience included the plot, cast, and branding; this commercial should become a series due to the captivating storyline and humor of the piece. When one is to think of the company, Bud Light, they are more likely to imagine the classic Bud Light beer cans rather than the new hard seltzers being promoted, therefore, the company must continue exposing their audience to the new item, by creating a series, if they want sales to increase. Due to the entertaining and effective nature of this commercial, not creating a series out of this commercial could plateau the number of sales rather than increase them. In conclusion, the previously stated points throughout this paper allow readers to further understand the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of different marketing strategies used by the company, Bud Light.

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References Bud Light. (2020, January 29). #PostyStore - Inside Post's Brain. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsnnU3fJTWg Jovičić-Vuković, A. (2018). The importance and phases of the place branding process. Retrieved from https://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/1451-6551/2018/145165511802133J.pdf

Kennedy, G.A. “Persuasive Power: The Importance of Ethos, Pathos and Logos. Communication Assessment and Learning Lab (CALL) Blog, 8 Oct. 2013, Retrieved from https://ww.comm.lab.asu.edu/persuasive-power-the-importance-of-ethos-pathos-andlogos/.

Loewenstein J., Raghunathan R., & Heath C. (2011, September). The Repetition-Break Plot Structure: A Cognitive Influence on Selection in the Marketplace of Ideas. Cognitive Science, 33(1),1-19. https://loewenstein.web.illinois.edu/papers/Loewensteinetal %20JMark11.pdf...