Introduction
Advertising is often considered to be a way to make people go out and buy something. The process of advertising has a long history all over the world and its strategies involve competition in the sphere of goods promotion. People are aware of methods of advertising but do not want to realize the impact of television or billboard images on their actions. “Despite its importance and wide implications, evaluating the effectiveness of advertising is very difficult” (Tellis 5). One should know the genuine purpose and effect of advertising to dispel myths about commercials as a kind of psychological weapon and attempts of advertisers to influence consumers’ consciousness.
The advertisers’ main purpose is to create an attention-catching image and to increase sales of a specific product (Petley 4). All types of advertising are effective in some way because they are targeted at different people taking into consideration age, occupation, income, and social class. Some countries prohibit advertising which can affect children. One can be sure about the effectiveness of a specific commercial only after having read a scope of literature concerning methods and goals of different types of advertising (Tellis 5-7).
Bud Light: Not Too Heavy, Not Too Light
As the main purpose of the current essay is to prove or refute the idea of the effectiveness of one type of presently running commercial, it is necessary to tell the readers about the effectiveness of Bud Light commercial blocks. As the main purpose of advertising is to increase sales, Bud Light is advertised to make people aware of the advantages of this sort of beer and the reasons why buyers should prefer Bud Light to other sorts of beer. These kinds of commercials are extremely exciting and make people smile. These commercial blocks can be considered entertaining and light, though the slogan of these ads tells, “Not too heavy, not too light”.
In order to make the commercial effective, the advertisers engaged people in their spot. If you watch the Bud Light Paintball commercial, you will see two guys playing paintball. The first effective aspect of this commercial spot is the plot. The plot suggests that observers should imagine that they are in the wood or in the jungle. In fact, people are playing an exciting game and it seems interesting to know what comes next. One guy lies in ambush and, suddenly, another guy appears. Which one do you support? The commercial presupposes emulation between two guys and, like during the football match, you should support one team. An interesting game depicted in the Bud Light Paintball commercial spot presents competition; the observers are likely to watch it till the end because people want to know who won in the end.
The next effective aspect of the Bud Light Paintball commercial spot is the tension that appears at the beginning of the ads; people want to know what would happen next; it keeps the audience captivated with the randomness of the first scene. When you see the ‘light’ part of the commercial, you want to know what the alternative is. When the ‘heavy’ part starts, it is unlikely that it can be cruel or bloody; people inserted a good pinch of humor into this advertising. When watching this commercial for the first time, your imagination suggests possible variants of succession of events. It is possible that the guy who lay in ambush could gather other guys who gave him a helping hand. However, when we see the second guy appears in the ‘heavy’ part, the first one calls the backup on the radio and the fighter-bombers appear. They do not fire with real missiles at the second guy; the fighter-bombers fire at him with the blue paint; the last projectile looks like a huge ball filled with the blue paint and it smashes the second guy.
Another effective aspect of the Bud Light Paintball commercial spot is a memorable slogan. It is easy to remember a rhymed phrase, which presents the essence of the advertising. “Not too heavy, not too light” is the slogan which means that the promoted product is sure to fit the demands of even the most hard-to-please customer. An attention-catching slogan is an integral part of short advertising; it should be interesting and easy to remember. The Bud Light commercials have all features necessary to succeed: a memorable slogan, bright ideas, and interesting stories. The slogan gives the idea of a middle ground which is a significant element because it is difficult to choose the most appropriate sort. “The difference is drinkability”, this part of the slogan suggests a logical conclusion; people would not want to drink other sorts of beer when they try this one.
Conclusion
Advertising became an important part of our lives and broadcasting; it is difficult to imagine a TV program without commercial blocks. Moreover, innovations in the sphere of modern information and communication technologies have reached the area of goods promotion. Goods should be advertised to be sold. Ads are aimed at increasing sales; the more the goods cost, the more costs can be spent on advertising. Thus, the Bud Light commercials can be considered effective taking into consideration the original ideas, bright images, and captivating stories. Even if one has already seen a particular commercial block promoting the “Bud Light” beer, this person would not refuse to see it again. Slogans are memorable and humor is light, though striking. These commercials are effective because are not aimed at reaching a specific target audience; people of all ages can enjoy Bud Light commercials.
Works Cited
Petley, Julian. Advertising. London: Black Rabbit Books, 2003.
Tellis, Gerard J. Effective Advertising: Understanding When, How, and Why Advertising Works. London: SAGE, 2004.