Budweiser Visual Analysis

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the methods of persuasion that are used in this commercial, and how the use of ethos, pathos, and logos has made the commercial from ASPCA persuasive and successful.

In 2010 the ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) came out with a commercial that would shock the advertisement industry. The effectiveness of this commercial is proven, simply by watching the reactions of the commercial’s viewers. For those who have never seen the video it has a very sad and morose tone to it. The commercial begins with showing pictures and videos of suffering animals with the song “Angel” playing in the background. While this is going on the narrator of the commercial (Sarah McLachlen) is softly talking about the suffering and abuse that these unfortunate animals go through. Through many different rhetorical techniques the viewers are many times brought to tears after watching this

The appeal logos, is probably the rhetorical strategy that lacks the most in this commercial. There are only a couple instances in the commercial that I believe Budweiser was trying to use logos to persuade the audience. Throughout the advertisement the producers of the commercial try to create an image of friendship between the horse, dog, and the man (the owner). They also portray the qualities of trustworthiness and pride through the golden retriever. By portraying these qualities through the dog, they furthermore reflect those qualities in the company, Budweiser. Since they used a dog as their spokesperson, they had to get the audience to appeal to the puppy in order to understand the message presented by the company. When the commercial

For this essay I will be using the commercial made by Budweiser for the 2015 Super Bowl, “Lost Dog.” This advertisement is about a tiny lost puppy getting far away from home and most importantly, the friendship between this puppy and some Clydesdale horses. In the beginning of this commercial, the puppy is shown hiding under some hay, and then he proceeds to jump into a random trailer which initially gets him lost far from home. There is no dialogue in this commercial aside from the music in the background, but the advertisement shows the distress of the owner through facial expressions and scenes where he puts

Because the advertisement was aired five months after the September 11 incident, there were intense emotions among the American citizens. Budweiser was aware of this and created a commercial with strong emotional appeals. With pathos loaded, the advertisement seems to appeal to the viewer’s emotional senses. In the beginning, a character in the form of a man is fascinated by the horses. The image of the horses is reflected in the glasses of the windows. Business takes place in this area, but he takes a break from all the activities to watch the passing horses because of the awe factor that the Clydesdales stimulates. Thus, as an audience, I will resonate with the man by showing the same reaction. The behaviors of the man are expected to the audience how they should react as well. They are expected to stop every activity they were performing and understand the powerful message conveyed by the majestic creatures.

Advertisers all have one goal in common, that is an ad that is catching to a consumer’s attention. In today’s fast paced society there are so many selling products and charities. As I exam the advertisement for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty for Animals (ASPCA), I will show how they use the pathos, ethos, and logos – also known as Aristotle’s Theory of Persuasion.

The commercial appeals to the audience’s pathos more than anything. Animals, especially dogs, have a way of pulling with human heartstrings. “...they can be used to transfer desired meanings to the products with which they are associated” (Phillips 1). In other words, using animals in advertisements can link advertised products to the feelings that are associated

Pathos is the main rhetorical device used throughout this commercial. Pathos is a quality that evokes emotions. It all begins with the puppy coming out from under the hay and the audience falling in love. Pathos is then used to tug on emotions when the puppy gets lost in the back of the truck. We soon see the emotion of the owner, but also the horse. Then we see the puppy all alone in the rain trying to take shelter. Towards the end, the puppy tries to find a home, but gets himself in trouble with the wolf. We then see the ending, we want, we see the puppy is saved and returns home to end the commercial with the owner enjoying a Budweiser. Throughout this commercial pathos creates a sense of happiness, pride, worry, and then happiness all over

The Budweiser commercial, “Born the Hard Way”, which I will refer to as “the text”, begins with a medium shot of the protagonist, Adolphus Busch in a bar. A person nearly off the right side of the frame comments (in an accent) that the protagonist doesn’t look like he’s “from around here”. The commercial then uses flashback to show the journey the protagonist has taken to get to the, as yet unspecified

The persuasion industries are researching and refining methods to reinforce an emotional attachment between Americans and the brands they buy (Roberts, "The Magic Connection"). The heart-touching Budweiser USA commercial, "Puppy Love," aired during the halftime performance of Super Bowl XVIII. Budweiser obviously attempts to establish this emotional connection with the viewers, and is very successful in doing so. The reinforcement of the emotional branding connects the viewers to the brand; companies are refining this method to increase product sales.

An example would be in 2013, they told the story of the bond between the horse and its trainer. The next year, they added a puppy. Budweiser’s “Lost Dog” relies heavily on connections for conveying its message and appeals strongly to the emotions whether it be the music, the idea of a lost puppy, or in through the powerful friendships. Throughout the entirety of the commercial, Budweiser does not seem to go out of their way to advertise for their beer.

Budweiser’s Commercial “Puppy Love” Budweiser’s commercial “Puppy Love” aired during the 2014 Super Bowl had such a powerful attraction to the audience that were watching. I look at the type of advertising strategy’s Budweiser used to grab the attention of many viewers. With all the attention, this commercial was getting that it become one of the most viewed ad during the 2014 Super Bowl.

Two pictures sit side by side. In the first picture, a balding, gray haired man stands alone at the beach. He wears an outdated blue knit sweater and blue jeans. Weeds and dying grass grow at his feet. He shoves his hands in his pockets and looks down to the side. Gray storm clouds loom over murky water, which looks cold and uninviting. Next to this picture, sits the exact same picture; however, one thing changes. This time, a dog sits next to him. Handsome and shiny, the brown dog stares adoringly at his owner. Above the man sits the words, “A dog makes your life happier. Adopt.” Pedigree, a dog food company, created this advertisement to bring awareness to the dogs that need adoption. Instead of creating an advertisement with bright colors and idealized settings, they approached this advertisement from the angle of the fears humans have. This Pedigree advertisement tries to convince people to adopt a dog by

In Budweiser’s advertisement, “Friends are Waiting,” they try to send a message to all the drinkers out there in the world. The commercial aims its focus on people that are over 21, but it can also effect people who will be 21 in the future. It gets the watcher to think about his or her decision-making skills. It makes them think that Budweiser is a company that cares about its customers and that it’s different from those other companies who just want them to purchase their product. Budweiser uses ethos to prove to the customer that they are a reliable brewery. Pathos is strongly represented in this commercial because it sends the viewer on an emotional ride. It makes you go from feeling all warm and happy, to feeling depressed and

In the age of new technology, advertising companies have been forced to find new ways to make their commercial be powerful and memorable while still being able to sell a product. A quarter page ad in the newspaper is no longer a productive way to sell a product or deliver a public service announcement to the general population. Instead these advertising companies have been forced to find new and innovating methods to get their message across. The Budweiser company joined this movement with their “Friends are Waiting” commercial because they wanted to stand out from all the other campaigns against drinking and driving. They were able to effectively standout from similar commercials by using a dog as the main companion, remaining upbeat, and by their use of music.