Week 12: Media Literacy of Beer Commercials

There are many different types of beer advertisements. Beer companies know that the cost to the consumer of brand switching is very low, and many people will switch back in forth between what their favorite beer is. For example, I usually drink premium beers from local breweries such as Harpoon or Blue Moon, but every now and then I get the urge for cheaper beer so maybe I'll buy Coors Light. Then again, maybe I'll buy Heineken. Eh, I kind of feel like Bud Light Lime this time.

Picking what beer to buy can, at times, be a dilemma. When I'm stuck in the beer aisle, dancing around figuring out what brand of beer I am going to buy, it sometimes comes down to which beer commercial was the funniest.

I believe there to be three main types of beer advertisements: those that appeal to having fun/being funny, those that appeal to having taste, and those that appeal to sex. Many beer companies use one of these types of advertisements and make an entire advertising campaign based around it (see Budweiser's "Bud-Weis-errrr" frog commercials from the 90s). And, other beer companies make commercials that appeal to all three.

Here are some of the more recent commercials that exemplify this.

1. Heineken's Fridge Commercial- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rat7GOknhRM
This is Heineken's most recent commercial, and I have to say, it is by far one of my favorite beer commercials of all time. It is one of the funniest commercials I have seen in awhile. Heinken's main purpose of this advertisement is to convey to the consumer that Heineken beer is so good, it should be an everyday staple in a man's life (like shoe's and pocketbooks are in a women's life). Heineken's target market with this ad is males probably 21-40. I say 21-40 because you don't really see any older people in the commercial, which is advertising's subtle way of defining their market. The creative language used in this advertisement is the stereotypes that men put on women (as being obsessed with clothing and shoes). It provides the perfect undertone for the punchline that men are obsessed with beer. I think this advertisement will be universally understood, but more appreciated by men than women.

2. Dos Equis: The Most Interesting Man Commercial- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2SSZA0CjdQ
This is Dos Equis' most recent commercial, and is also very well done. It is one of the beer companies that incorporates the funny, the sexy, and the classy all in one commercial; and this is a perfect example of it. I think the main message of this commercial is that Dos Equis drinkers are classy because they wanted people to know that drinking beer, occasionally, can be classy. The target audience of this ad are males between the ages of 30 and 60. By using an older gentlemen in the commercial, that is still out socializing, it gives the target audience the feel of being classy. The creative language in the ad is in the first few seconds, where they show the man doing classy things such as playing racquetball instead of basketball, saying he once had an awkward moment just to see how it feels (comically implying that he has the power to determine his awkward moments), and saying he lives vicariously through himself. Also, the older man is always surrounded by young beautiful women (in one scene they are Miss America contestants). This makes the viewer feel like if they are more classy then they too will be surrounded by young beautiful women. I don't think anyone could misinterpret this advertisement,really. There aren't many different ways to interpret it. It's a classy gentlemen, that drinks Dos Equis, and whom is surrounded by beautiful women.

3. Bud Light Lime "Summer State Of Mind"- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1kbIBGpYUs
This is a commercial by the makers of Bud Light Lime from earlier this year. It is a good example of how beer is about fun. In this commercial, Bud Light Lime gives the person the feeling that it is summer. The makers are creatively associating the lime flavor with citrus growing in the south where it is hotter outside. So, wherever the person goes with a Bud Light Lime, he has a bubble of summer around him. And, in the commercial, people are partying and having fun, associating the Bud Light Lime name with having a good time. The target audience is younger beer drinkers that like to have fun. This message makes me feel like going out, buying some bud light lime, and having a barbeque with my friends. The lifestyle presented in this ad is having a good time but not over-doing the good time and being unsafe. The commercial is valuing the idea of having good summertime fun.


After viewing these three examples of beer commercials, it is clear that beer companies are competitively trying to get consumers to switch to their brand of beer using creativity and not slandering other brands. Dos Equis says "stay classy" but doesnt say "Budweiser is for cheap-os."
There are many assumptions about American life in beer commercials. You can see that sex appeal is very important in a beer commercial, as the men are always normal looking, and the women are always extremely good-looking (I can't recall a beer commercial that had an ugly woman in it). It always says that many males care about their image (as shown by Dos Equis). But, mostly, beer companies assume that Americans of all types drink, and love, beer.