The Feelings Behind a Bud Light Commercial

All commercials have their target audience who they have specifically designed the ad for. And of course they are selling their product. This is a multibillion dollar industry and the advertiser’s study all the ways that they can attract the person’s attention. One way that is used the most is the use of humor and sex to sell products. For me to analyze this advertisement I used the rhetorical triangle, as well as ethos, pathos, and logos.
People will do anything for something they love no matter how dangerous it may be. The dedication and loyalty is shown for that person, place, or thing through this action. I found a hilarious commercial on YouTube that shows just how far someone would go for something that they love and cherish. The commercial is advertising Budlight. This commercial was used during the 2006 Super Bowl. There are lots of beer commercials, but this one stood out the most by far. The way it incorporates rhetoric is quite interesting. The audience for this commercial is college students over the age of twenty one and they usually drink beer. They could also use this commercial to look for future buyers that are nineteen and twenty. This Bud Light commercial shows the argument of the risks and powers of drinking Bud Light.
This commercial uses many strategies to present their argumentation. Although there is no direct narration in the commercial, there’s a story that is told. There’s dialogue between the two friends running down the hill away from the bear. Comparison and contrast were used to compare how scared they were when they were running from the bear to when the guy put the beer on the rock; the other guy gained the courage to go take the beer. The bottle of Bud Light was used to illustrate the powers of the beer. It showed that the guy supposedly saved himself from the ferocious grizzly bear by using the beer. That shows how this beer would affect someone’s judgment and thought process when faced with a life or death situation. He could have done a number of things to try and get away from the bear but instead he tried to bribe the bear with a Bud Light. The product was used as a survival tool on a camping trip in this situation. Then when he thought he was safe, his friend ran and took the beer. This shows that he was willing to risk his life and sacrifice his friend’s life for that one beer. All these strategies put together present the actual argument of this commercial.

That argument is the risk of drinking Bud Light. They are saying that Bud light is so great that anyone would risk anything even their own life or a friend’s life to have one. The taste of Bud light would have anyone who tried it craving for it. The two men in the commercial look young and aren’t that smart. In the beginning of the commercial as they were running from the bear, the blonde haired guy said “save yourself”. He was willing to risk his life for his friend. The blonde haired guy was eventually cornered by the bear and he opened up a Bud Light to try and save his life. The bear stopped growling when he twisted the bottle cap off. Just went he thought he was safe, his friend ran through and grabbed the beer for himself and started cheering. The slogan and a pint being poured of Bud Light flashes, then the narrator says “refreshingly smooth Bud Light, always worth it”. The commercial flashes back to the story with the guy sitting on the rock bragging to the blonde haired man about his moves when he took the beer and ran away. The other guy looks like he was clawed by the bear because his clothes are all tore up and he was also limping.
Pathos is the main part of the rhetorical triangle used in this commercial to appeal to the audience. This commercial is trying to appeal to your feelings as well as your humor. At first you feel sympathy for the two guys because they are running and about to be killed by a bear. The blonde haired guy says, “I don’t think they can run down hill”. This stupid comment makes the audience thinks these two guys aren’t the brightest so they are not going to get away from this bear. For a split second you stop focusing on the bear and just think about that comment he just made. After the brown haired person left, you start to focus on the other guy about to be eaten by the bear. The audience is sitting, waiting to see what is about to happen because it does not become clear that it is a Bud Light commercial until this part of the commercial. Then out of nowhere the brown hair guy runs in and snatches the Budlight and runs off into the sunset. This part of the commercial is the funny and the surprising part and you stop caring about what is going to happen to the blonde haired guy. This scene in the commercial was so unexpected. After the slogan it cuts back to finish the story and I took the side of the brown haired guy bragging. He reminds me of how I act sometimes because I am arrogant, and sometimes I only think of myself. Another person watching the same commercial could take the other guy’s side and dislike the one bragging. This person would feel sympathetic to the blonde haired man.
Logos and Ethos were used in this commercial they aren’t as blatant as pathos in this commercial however. The fact that was used when it went to the slogan is biased to persuade the audience to buy this type of beer. You can’t also look into ethos because it is an advertisement about one certain product. They did not advertise the opposing beer because that would be bad advertising.

Bud Light holds the title for the most common light beer in America. Bud Light is a type of beer derived from Budweiser. Bud light was “introduced nationally in 1982” then Budweiser has grown into one of the hugest beer names in our country and Budweiser commercials is what made it into what it is today. One of the largest producers of beer in the world is the company Budweiser. Headquarters are in St. Louis, Mo., U.S. Its origins can be traced to a small brewery founded in 1852 and bought in 1860 by soap manufacturer Eberhard Anheuser.
Budweiser is one of the major breweries that emphasize humorous advertising campaigns. Some Bud advertising campaigns have entered the popular culture in the United States. The commercial relies mostly on the story and the visual aids. They use the commercial to show the complete dominance that Bud Light has over any other beer, and why beer enthusiast should try their products by enticing them with these commercials. The commercial itself shows that once a consumer tries the product they would be hooked. The beer would have a hold over the consumer as if they were addicted to the refreshing taste. What appeals the viewer about this commercial is the pathetic yet brilliant comedy showing pathos. The comedic part of the commercial puts the viewers into a joyful mood. Which loosens up the viewer and judgment towards the actual refreshment of the product is over looked.

Works Cited
Bud Light. Advertisement. Super Bowl XL. FOX, St. Louis, Missouri, 6 Feb. 2006. Television.

Cited: Bud Light. Advertisement. Super Bowl XL. FOX, St. Louis, Missouri, 6 Feb. 2006. Television.