Budweiser: “The Clydesdales: Brotherhood”
The product that is advertised is Budweiser, a popular lager produced by Anheuser-Busch. Other than the alcoholic product, the company is also marketing its group of horses, the Budweiser Clydesdales, in the advert. It’s relatively easy to figure out what the product being advertised is since the main Clydesdale appears throughout the advert.
The general mood of the commercial is a nostalgic one. This mood is effectively used to catch the attention of the audience. The product is portrayed in a positive light in that the horse eventually runs to his owner after failing to see him for three years. This shows how strong their friendship and brotherhood bond was.
The soundtrack used in the advert blends well with the ad and helps in enhancing the nostalgic mood. The singer’s lyrics and soothing voice make the soundtrack fit the advert and makes her a perfect fit for the role.
Since horse rearing in America is more done by whites, the actors playing the characters make the commercial realistic. If the gender of the main human character were changed, the whole commercial would seem queer since the audience would be left wondering whether the relationship between the horse and his friend was a romantic one. The characters’ mode of dressing also reflects how horse owners dress. Any change in dressing would alter the mood of the commercial.
The commercial also catches the attention of the audience by presenting it as a touching story. From a young and feeble foal to a strong stallion, the advertisers ensure the audience is glued to the screen to see how the horse and his owner end up. At the end of the commercial, the advertisers prompt the audience to give a name for the young foal appearing at the opening seconds.
This tactic effectively ensures that the audience also participates in the commercial. The commercial was aimed towards a sentimental group of people. People who are fond of soap operas where protagonists part and rejoin later would connect the most with this advert. The advert wouldn’t have been as effective if the advertises presented it as black and white text on the screen. Lack of color and the all-important soundtrack would have totally failed to deliver the intended message to the audience.
Ram Trucks: “Farmer”
The advertised product is the Ram Truck, a brand of Chrysler Group LLC’s pickup trucks. It’s not possible to discern the product being advertised. One has to wait until the very end to realize that it’s a truck. The general mood of the advert is a somber one. As the narrator tells the story of the farmer, a sorrowful feeling is generated by the audience. The narrator uses the Bible story of creation to show how important the creation of the farmer was to humankind, hence portraying the product being advertised in a positive light.
As far as the soundtrack is concerned, the advertisers have used a voice over which seems like a preacher’s voice. This makes the audience feel like they are a congregation, effectively generating a somber and suspenseful mood within them. If the narrator is a female rather than a male, the mood would not have changed as long as the female is narrating the farmer’s story as a preacher.
The actors fit well for their roles. Not only are they dressed like farmers, but they also seem to handle the trucks and other farming machinery with finesse. If the characters were dressed differently, they wouldn’t seem to fit their roles well. This would lead to a distortion in the mood of the commercial.
The advertisers try to get my attention by using still pictures instead of the usual video clip. The advert is mostly aimed at farmers who use trucks for their agricultural activities. It is also aimed at making people feel empathetic to farmers and the tiring work they do which at times goes unnoticed an unrewarded. The still pictures do play a part in bringing out empathy. However, I strongly believe that the advertisers should have produced the advert as a video clip. That way, people who are privy to how farmers use the assorted types of trucks would have gained such knowledge and actually realize how strong and helpful Ram Trucks are.