Shelby Covert

November 14,2016
5th hour
Major Essay # 3 Rhetorical Analysis

Budweisers Approach On Anti Drinking and Driving.

When a company such as Budweiser is able to advertise their product

to potential consumers they utilize this opportunity to have the main

component be their product. Many Americans know Budweiser as The Beer

Of Kings and were in disbelief when the company produced two anti-

drinking and driving commercials. In the commercials Friends are waiting

and Simply put, they advertise their product of beer along with a public

service announcement to never drive while under the influence of alcohol.

These commercials both promoted the same products but used different

ways to get the message across such as different target audiences,

historical context, media choices and composition of ads, and rhetorical

appeals. Budweiser created two ads promoting the same things but at

different periods in time.

When Friends are waiting aired in 2014 it tugged on a countless

amount of Americans heartstrings. The bond between Nile Sarkisian and

Cooper is undeniable and has animal lovers falling head over heels when he

brings puppy Cooper in through the doorway of his new home. They utilize

the dogs depression and forlorn face to hook animal owners and parents.

This makes the target audience picture how their animals or children would

feel if they never returned and left them waiting for an eternity. According to

the Budweiser advertising team this particular ad was intended for adults 21-
27 years of age who are very well connected on social media. Social media

spread the message at a exceedingly fast rate reaching everyone with a

smartphone or laptop. Using a young male to portray the responsible adult

was intended to target young adult males who go out with friends to drink

and have a good time. They chose him to make the responsible decision to

prove to audiences everywhere that there is a 100% way to prevent driving

under the influence of alcohol. After its big day buet on social media,

reaching over 10 million people in only four days, it aired for the first time on

tv for global beer responsible day. This advertisement soon aired on sports

channels, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and USA today reaching a broader audience.

ABCs target influence is families therefore exposing more juveniles and

parents to the dangers of drinking while intoxicated. Networks like CBS, NBC,

USA today and FOX targeted not just one class, race, religion, and custom

but for all.

In 2014, the same year the commercial was released, there was 9,967

people who died in relation to an intoxicated driver, according to madd.org.

By broadcasting this commercial they hoped to decrease this death toll

drastically for the following years to come. A main reason this commercial

uses a man instead of a female or family is because in 2014 around 532,384

people were arrested for driving under the influence and three times as

many males were arrested than females. The advertising team set out to

influence young adults because the same year the highest percent of drunk

drivers were 21 to 34 years of age making up 59 percent. His character has

many relations to single young adult males from his bond to his dog, his

activities, and attire.

The producers of this impacting commercial made precise decisions in

order to captivate its audience. In order to recreate this significant

commercial you would need to find multiple dogs, two 9 week old puppies,

one at seven months, and two seven year old labs. The reason for employing

all these dogs is because the director captured all of the stages of the dogs

life and if he were to use just one dog the commercials impact wouldnt be as

significant. Allowing the audience to feel like they were a part of the

development of Cooper and his owners unbreakable bond, hooks their

emotions. In addition to the dog we would need a young adult male that can

create a passionate bond with animals. Without some sort of true connection

the dog would not be able to experience the true heartbreak when the man

did not return that night and the commercial would not reach its full

potential. Throughout this commercial Dan Rodriguezs song When You

Come Home is essential to the plot. At the beginning when Cooper is

brought home and is experiencing life with the man the song is uplifting

using lyrics like, You and me were made for love. A lifetime is not long

enough To show you what you mean to me.. These lyrics and the activities

being shown is what creates that inseparable bond. When the man does not

return home the songs tone changes using the words, I'll be waiting for you

when you come home, to me. as the man leaves with friends and beer. The

audience already has their mind made up about what events will occur but
we still wait, like Cooper. The music picks back up when the man bursts

through the door. This is how we can flourish on the internet and tv.

Budweiser is well known for having animals to promote their products

such as clydesdales and labrador retrievers. Using animals as their pathos

affects Americans of all ages who are pet owners. Consumers or non

consumers of budweiser that see this advertisement will share this with

friends, family, and all their other social media followers because in some

way it touched close to their heart. From the start when we saw the loving

puppys face, audiences everywhere fell in love with those big brown eyes.

Watchers were so captivated by the dog and the owner that it broke their

hearts to think that the relationship between them was threatened. This was

suggested because we knew the man was consuming alcohol and the text on

the blank screen that read, For some, the wait never ends.. The audience

thought the worst and tears were shed when the thought of the dog being

the one who will always wait was a possibility. Watchers flushed with relief

once we saw the four impactful words onscreen, But we can change that..

The man burst through the door and the dog moved as quickly as possible to

greet him. He then tells the dog that he decided to stay at his friends house

because he did not feel it was safe to drive. Budweiser hoped to influence all

consumers of alcohol to make the responsible choice and to not drive while

under the influence because someone is always waiting for you to come

home.
 After the huge reaction to the Friends are waiting commercial

Budweiser released another advertisement, switching their techniques.

Simply Put aired this year during super bowl 50 starring the famous

actress, Helen Mirren. Budweisers main targeting audiences were sports fans

and Helen Mirrens fans who consume alcohol. Being aired as one of the

super bowl commercials means big publicity by every sports fan watching

the game and drinking a nice cold beer. Airing this early in the game allows

the audience to hear the warning before they become to intoxicated and

decide to leave the party by car. Helen Mirren was once considered a sex

symbol by males. Having her star in this ad is a very strategic decision

because she is recognizable to males and can influence them more than just

words on a screen. This commercial also has a way to spread the word on

social media by creating the hashtag #GiveADamn and saying for every use

of this hashtag budweiser will spend a dollar on safe ride programs.

According to madd.org about one third of all drivers arrested or

convicted of drunk driving were repeat offenders. These statistics show that

driving while intoxicated is an ongoing occurrence and its not decreasing.

Airing this on one of the largest nights of a football fan's life is very

appropriate because over 111.9 million americans were watching. Beer,

wine, and other forms of alcohol are adults number one choices to drink at a

super bowl events, so much so that some consider it to be a beer holiday.

Besides the waiter that serves her the beer, burger and fries Helen Mirren is
the only one present. This allows the audiences to listen and focus onto her

commanding and compelling words.

In order for us to create this advertisement we would need to require

an empty restaurant and one single booth. The restaurant should be lightly

dimmed and a well known actress with a commanding and frank voice and

personality will be sitting in the center. In the beginning a waiter brings out a

Budweiser beer, hamburger, and french fries. Once the waiter is out of our

view the compelling voice of the actress is the only thing that is heard. She

starts by saying that she is dumbfounded that people still drink and drive,

following this she insults everyone who drives while intoxicated. She then

ends on a more positive note saying that if you chose not to drink and drive

everyone thanks you. The camera must be zooming in on her face at a

constant rate the entire time she is speaking. In order to reach out to millions

of Americans we must chose a televised major event and air it in the

beginning.

Contrasting to the emotional appeal concept of Friends are waiting,

Simply put takes on a more blunt persuasion. The producers choose to

have Helen Mirren as there etho and insert the persuasive technique of name

calling. In the commencement of the commercial she introduces herself as a

Notorious, frank and uncensored British lady.. By these words we know that

Mirren is a well known actress that is raw, open and honest. Knowing who

she is it does not surprise the audience when she comes directly for the

people of America that drives while intoxicated with insults. The names she
calls them are short-sided, utterly useless, oxygen wasting, human form of

pollution, a Darwin-award deserving, selfish coward. These names are quite

harsh but Budweiser hopes that they will get through to those who they

could not reach any other way. Celebrities have a lot of influence over their

fans and what trends they follow, so having Mirren publically support anti

drinking and driving should have a positive impact of her supporters. Her

tone changes and she says for people not to be a pillock, which is a British

term that means stupid person. She then tries to bring a little emotional

appeal by saying that if they do not drive while under the influence of

alcohol, Your friends and family thank you. The friends and families of other

drivers thank you, your future self thanks you.. As soon as she brought

others into the equation it created an emotional appeal because no one

wants to be responsible for death of another. She then picks up the beer and

says, This is suppose to be fun. Cheers. Nice and cold.. This is the part of

the commercial where the audience's full attention is on the budweiser she

holds but never drinks. This directly advertises their product and uses a

glittering generalization, nice and cold.

In these two commercials Budweiser promotes the same product and

public service announcement using different appeals, audience, and media.

The commercial that is more successful at promoting the product that is beer

is, Simply Put but if we focus on the public service announcement,Friends

are waiting dominated. Simply Put starts with a Budweiser beer on the

table in front of Mirren allowing the audience full view of the beverage. They
also add a hamburger and fries next to it, making many hungry Americans

look down at the delicious food and they forget what the meaning of the

commercial is truly about. Now all that's on their mind is that they are

craving a burger and a beer. As the camera zooms in on Merrin the beer is

almost out of our view and then she quickly picks it up and exclaims that it is

nice and cold before she stimulates taking a drink. This takes importance off

of the public service announcement and places it on drinking for

entertainment purposes. In the advertisement, Friends are waiting there is

very little signs of direct advertising and involves almost entirely on not

driving while intoxicated. The fact that it targets the young, old, consumers

and non-consumers means it can influence a larger amount of Americans.

When this advertisement was released on social media it was named

number one for the best public service announcement, according to

guardianinterlock.com. Alcohol consumers that watch this ad will now

remember the look in the dog's eyes if the owner never returned. This

reached the younger and more impressionable generations as well, maybe

when they grow up into young adults they will also remember his decision.

What this means is that using pathos and emotional appeal can get a point

across more effectively than name-calling and bluntness.