In a consumer driven society, there is an excessive amount of marketing strategies used by different companies, trying to get people to buy their product. When it comes to persuasion, the variety of tactics that one can use makes it difficult for two marketing campaigns to be exactly alike. However, when it comes to creating a brand, and being successful at persuading your target demographic, some companies do it better than the rest, regardless of whether their product is better or not.
I have determined that Budweiser has mastered the art of persuasion, and can sell their watered down beer to an alcohol connoisseur if they wanted to. Their commercials and advertisements have absolutely nothing to do with their product, yet by the end of the 60-second ad, you want to go drink a Budweiser. How does Budweiser do this? How can they be so successful, when the beer is not half as good as some less expensive, more local breweries? Like I said, it is all in their marketing plan. The beer company has mastered the art of emotional appeals in their commercials. It creates a brand that consumers want to be a part of because of their sweet, heartfelt advertisements.
1. The Clydesdales
Budweiser is famous for their mascot. The first commercial that really showed this was when it showed the owner raising the horse and then having the horse go off to work, only to remember his owner when the Budweiser Clydesdales came into town. The horse started galloping down the street towards his owner after an extended amount of time and separation, and they shared a happy moment together. The beautiful, strong, animal is presented in all of their commercials in a loving way that cares about their job for Budweiser and loves what they do. They always show the horses on farms where it makes it seem like they live happy, normal horse lives, where their owners love and feed them, and they pull Budweiser carriages for fun in their free time. Obviously, this is not the case, and the horses that are used in the commercials are not treated in this manner. As much as I would love for the gorgeous horses to live this type of lifestyle, I know it is simply an emotional appeal. Showing the horses in this light paints the beer company as a lover of the animal, and that purchasing the product means you are a participant in this loving, family-like atmosphere that is presented on the commercials.
2. The Puppy
If Budweiser hadn't already mastered the art of emotional appeals with the family connection and love of the horse, their marketing team had to bring in America's favorite pet to further the public's emotional connection to the beer brand. In this commercial, the beloved Clydesdales meet a sweet little, yellow lab puppy, and they become the best of friends. The puppy always sneaks away from his farm just to hang out with the Clydesdales. If this wasn't cute enough already, the owner of the puppy ends up falling in love with the owner of the Clydesdales.The cuteness is out of control.
3. Baby Clydesdales
In the latest commercial that has been trending as of late, a baby Clydesdale is trying to pull a carriage by himself, but he is not strong enough. When the older horses see that he is becoming upset with himself over his inability to be like them, they crawl behind the carriage and push it with their heads as the baby pulls in the front. The baby does not know that he is getting any help and is proud of himself for overcoming his struggle.
There are multiple commercials that Budweiser produces that display these elements of love, family, and romance. When viewers watch these commercials full of love, they associate Budweiser with love. It paints the Budweiser brand in a great light and attracts consumers simply because they love the messages that the commercials send, even though the commercials have nothing to do with beer. Don't get me wrong, I love the Budweiser commercials, and I watch them on repeat because they just put a smile on your face. Does that mean I should buy their beer? No. The marketing department at Budweiser knows what appeals to the public, so the play into that, but we still know nothing about the taste of the beer based on the commercials. Keep that in mind the next time those sad puppy eyes make you run to the grocery story for a six-pack of Budweiser.
