budweiser designated driver commercial video

BeWiser Designated Driver: Analyzing Advertisements

The first word teens think of when mentioning college is fun. Growing up I would see movies about fr a ternities and epic parties. Of course, one of the main things being presented at the parties was beer. The actors doing everything imaginable to experience the party lifestyle and demolish their reputations to prove to others that they are cool. Beer being tested as a nontoxic dare, but it has more consequences than you would expect. Although, "Budweiser designate a driver" commercial is roughly 31 seconds, you cannot say it lacks a moral. The purpose of the commercial is to advocate liable drivers for irresponsible drinkers. Considering that teens are more likely to get behind the wheel while intoxicated which leads to more deaths. Although, I am not a drinker, the commercial effectively gets the message across using Cedric the Entertainer, music, humor, and motions.

As consumers are growing, behaviors are changing, and manufactures are doing everything possible to stay up to trend with consumers. As competitions are rising with other brands, advertisements are becoming one of the ways to get consumers attention. Known for being the classic American beer, Budweiser sells have declined over the years as consumers taste have changed. Since the decline, Budweiser has been on a quest to reclaim its crown. Budweiser uses its advertisements to remind people of its iconic status which lead to its creativity. The "Budweiser Designate a Driver" commercial features young, upbeat 20-somethings who appear to have been drinking. However, it could be directed at catching the attention of the millennial market. The commercial does not show anyone consuming the alcohol, but it does show the Budweiser bottle. In the article, "Alcohol advertising and youth: a focus-group analysis of what people find appealing in alcohol advertising" by Waiters, Treno, and Grube, it states, "Television advertisements for alcoholic beverages have been shown to include elements that hold particular appeal for young viewers. These include the use of humor, celebrity endorsers, animated characters, animals, and youth-oriented music such as rock and rap music" (par 5). The tactic is to focus on how to get new generations to fall in love with the brand the way generations before have by also incorporating a way to promote responsible drinking.

You've probably heard the saying, "Laughter is good medicine," and there is principle to that. Humor, not spiteful sarcasm, eases the mood and strengthens the connection. The commercial uses Cedric the Entertainer, a well-known actor and comedian, to play on the message the commercial is trying to get across. By the looks of the crowd in the commercial, Cedric is probably the oldest person at the party implying that he is wiser than the younger people in the video. A younger man calls Cedric's name from across the room to motion him to come over and drink. Cedric yells back, "I'm the designated driver." The younger man looks confused and acts as if he can't hear Cedric. Cedric then starts doing a motion as if he was driving a car and as he is doing this the song in the background is saying, "Make the body rock, make the body rock…" The commercial then pops up with the caption, "Designate a driver. Everybody's doing it." Cedric then makes a motion as if he was saying no and he then jingles his keys in the air with a serious face. The commercial ends and the Budweiser slogan appear, "Responsibility matters." Even if Cedric didn't realize it, Cedric had created a dance move that everyone was doing behind him. In the article, "Why, when, and how much to entertain consumers in advertisements? A web-based facial tracking field study," by Teixeira, Picard, and Kaliouby, its states, "To the extent that humor is a representative class of entertainment, prior research has shown that it acts by putting the audience in a good mood and reducing their resistance to being persuaded. Through a process of conditioning, humor also transfers positive associations between the ad and the product" (par 18). Nobody wants to be instructed on how much to drink, but it can be shown in a fun way. The message is there for people to determine their own choices.

Music is what makes the world go around. Engaging multiple senses is used to influence consumer preference. Today, you see most people walking around with headphones in, blocking out the world, and using minimum interaction because there too caught up in their own thoughts. In the article, "Searching for Music With Emotions," by Hrckova and Macko it states, "Cataloging music according to its metadata and content is a long-term practice of cultural institutions. Today, the automatic detection of genre according to music tempo, rhythm, melody, harmony, tone, and other aspects is a given and is part of the algorithms of the commercial information systems for music information retrieval, such as Spotify and YouTube Music. These tools are also able to recommend similar music to users with similar taste" (par 3). Imagine previously seeing the Budweiser Designate a Driver commercial and then one day you're in your car driving and you hear the song that is being played in the background of the commercial. The music is upbeat and uplifting. You will automatically associate it to the commercial and maybe even start doing the dance that is shown. The emotions viewers feel while watching the commercial relate to how effectively they remember the product, Budweiser does a good job at conveying this. Sound not only influences what we hear but what we see as well.

While the commercial is effectively illustrated, I wish that it went more in depth with understanding the consequences of drinking and driving. Budweiser gets its message across to drink responsibly, so why stop there with the commercial and not continue with an aftermath. However, I know that time is limited and may lose the audience's attention, it's a thought to consider. We all know or have known about someone that has had a tragic experience while drinking and driving, perhaps even yourself. As authors Voas and Fell stated in their article, "Preventing impaired driving opportunities and problems," "The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated that impaired driving resulted in more than 14,000 deaths and 500,000 injuries in 2000 and cost society $51 billion in that year […] Each year, more than 1.4 million drivers are arrested for DWI or DUI in the United States" (par 2). People don't think about the price they will pay when hopping behind the wheel. The commercial has more of an effect when you relate it to people's everyday lives. For example, it shows a designated driver but what happens if you don't have one. The consequences are more deadly than just a hipster video of people enjoying the beer. Many scenarios can affect this situation.

Budweiser "Friends are waiting" commercial does an excellent job at illustrating this. The commercial starts with a young man bringing a puppy home and the song "When you come home" by Dan Rodriguez playing in the background. As the commercial goes on the bond between the owner and puppy grows and the puppy is no longer a puppy, but an adult dog. The commercial continues with the young man drinking and enjoying a day at the lake with his friends, and of course the dog is present. After the lake scene, they return home and it shows the young man heading out the door, to the car with a case of Budweiser in hand. To build suspense, it shows it getting dark outside and the dog is laying on the floor looking sad and lonely. A car passes by and the dog perks up thinking it's his owner, but it's not. The caption pops up, "For some the waiting never ended. But we can change that." Morning comes and the owner walks through the door, the dog is content. The commercial captivates people who value their relationships with others to express the message to not drink and drive, but to practice safe driving and enjoy responsibly.

The "Budweiser designate a driver" commercial does a good job at effectively getting the message across. While the commercial is directed at the ages of 21 and older, it is also able to draw the attention of the millennial market. By using Cedric, the Entertainer, it played on the humor element and the motions. The motions portrayed a chain reaction, if one person is doing it then others will follow. The music was used to provoke viewers feelings and to show how well they recalled the product. And in all, it was shown in an entertaining approach to promote responsible drinking.