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Ad Critiques Project

Commercials are required to be persuasive and make the audience consider buying the product. However, the technique to this form of persuasion is not direct and use art forms to ensure engagement. It is not something that would appear as if there is a negotiation between the audience and the seller or that kind of persuasion. Taglines are used to convey a crucial message and create an influential association with the advertised brand. A clear and concise line matches with the overall message and elevator pitch.

The Super Bowl is a special event that attracts more than 300 million people who are actually willing to watch commercials. Although the Super Bowl is recording fewer viewers each year, Super Bowl commercials are attracting more views (Clevver News). The value that is generated despite the huge cost of running an ad on the platform is very significant, almost twice the cost, which is about $5 million for 30 seconds and lasts very long after the game. Budweiser has always been developing exceptional Super Bowl ads for years. The one that particularly stood up was a Super Bowl commercial that aired in 2015 that targeted Americans 21 years and older according to drinking laws. However, the brand potentially targeted an audience from the age of 16 who, in 5 years, would be a paying customer, so associating them with the brand early will yield for years to come. Not stereotyping, but the person in the commercial represents a certain demographic that is known to enjoy beer. His appearance says Budweiser is for hard workers, its for cowboys, etc.

The puppy being introduced evokes emotions that the ad continues to develop. The curiosity of the little puppy takes him to the horse that gives him this a little sound that appears to indicate a relationship between the animals (Lewis). The curious little puppy gets lost, and the use of pathos is pushed further. He is distressed, sad, homeless, and by the 23 seconds on the commercial, everybody is attached to the puppy, his owner, and the horse. The horse and the man are distressed, and the emotion of the animals introduces ethos because their emotion is legitimate. Somehow the puppy finds his way home, but before she gets there, a predator is introduced, but the horse hears him in distress and goes out and saves him. The message is that friendship is the most important thing and can be natured through sharing Budweiser, thus the reason for their use of the hashtag #BestBuds.

One interesting print advertisement was run by Lirandzo Mozambique for their condoms, whose description calling customers to avoid unprotected sex, especially in Halloween lest they made scary children (Addictive). The ad does ease the problem of addressing a topic as tricky as the importance of safe sex by introducing humor. The print ad featured famous horror film characters such as the creepy twins from the shinning and Samara, the little girl that induces goosebumps. The ad has a very clear call to action, and that is protecting yourself from children who can be really scary. The ad understands that the message needs to be passed across faster using the short time that the reader has for the ad.

The ad design of this condom campaign is one that stops a person on their tracks first because of the figures used. It plays on the fears of the target audience and makes them question whether whatever they are doing is right or how much they have prepared. The proposition on the ad is also somehow attractive to potential consumers. It is not something that directly asks for purchase, but every time the image of the grotesque kids will pop up, especially in the minds of people that are not ready to have children. From the beginning, the ad plays on the fears of responsibility that children bring, which has led to people referring to them as little monsters because of how much energy they require to manage them. There is also possibly the feeling that Lirandzo Mozambique may be the only product that will ensure that the little monsters do not creep into one’s life. So when a customer walks to a store inspired by the fear evoked by the ad, they will most likely ask for the brand.

The Pepsi “Live for Now’ ad mostly has negatives because of the backlash it received, forcing the company to apologize and remove it from popular sites (Tillman). One negative thing is that the ad had an improper execution of the message. For one, the introduction of Kendell Jenner who walks to a cop and hands him a can of Pepsi is very awkward considering the protests they were mimic in real life were against police officers. The casting of Jenner was also misguided because the ad pertained to the Black Lives Matter movement. In addition, the fact that the ad took advantage of such a sensitive issue to drive sales was problematic. The backlash and criticism meant the audience did not watch the message. Although the ad raked millions of views, there is a high chance they came from the controversy, and nobody cared for what Pepsi was trying to do.

The lessons learned from critiquing these adverts include one the importance of emotions to create a bond between the brand and the customers. Budweiser illustrates this in their 2015 Super Bowl ad discussed in this paper. It is also important to include an element that stops the audience for a few seconds to see what is said, just like the grotesque figures in the Lirandzo Mozambique print ad. In the same spirit, the call to action is short, not predictable like buy now but still clear.

Works Cited

Addictive. “Lirandzo Condoms – Scary Children – The Ring.” Addictive, 31 June 2019, adaddictive.com/lirandzo-condoms-scary-children-the-ring/.

Clevver News. “Budweiser “Lost Dog” Superbowl 2015 Commercial THE FEELS.” YouTube, 29 Jan. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWeKtqWc2EA.

Lewis, H. “Super Bowl: Watch Budweiser’s “Lost Dog” Commercial.” The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Jan. 2015, www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/super-bowl-2015-budweiser-lost-767873.

Tillman, L. “Case Study: PepsiCo & Kendall Jenner’s Controversial Commercial.” Astute, 21 Feb. 2020, astute.co/pepsi-Kendall-Jenner-commercial/.