https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56b09ZyLaWk
My favorite ad has always been the Budweiser “Someone Waits for You” ad that discourages drinking and driving with an emotional pull of a dog and an owner that almost doesn’t make it home. The idea of “man and his best friend” always has seemed to be a good way for any company or product to get the US to pay attention to their advertisement, because they want to ensure the relationship remains intact and positive. The Budweiser ad starts with the dog as just a puppy when the owner first picked him up, to show the immediate connection that began early on. It goes through them spending time together and playing, both making them happy. The footage they use is purposely relatable for anyone who has ever owned a dog. Though one night, the owner leaves with his keys for a night of drinking with his friends, and does not return home even though he told the dog (for some reason like it was his wife) that he would be home later that evening. When he doesn’t return home, the dog becomes extremely upset and worried, convincing the audience the owner died in a drinking and driving accident and leaving his best friend behind. However, it is revealed at the last second that the owner in fact spent the night at a friend’s house so he did not have to drive under the influence, therefore allowing him to return safe and sound to the dog and best friend.
The idea of having a dog who you can call your best friend that cares and watches out for you in my mind relates to the idea in Huff’s reading that there is often a skewage caused by purposely confusing “normal” and “desirable.” Through the creation of advertisements or the spread of information to the consumer, Huff states that the readers tend to miss the important figures or numbers that somehow disappeared in the process. Rather than include the scary and disheartening statistics of drinking and driving and the deaths related to it, Budweiser chose to completely side step and the scary side and instead show a loving story of best friends reunited after one decided to not make the decision to put his life in danger.
I also love this ad campaign! I think it has appeal to even to people without dogs because I’ve never had a dog, but it still makes me sad to think about a dog whose owner never comes home. I feel like this ad works because it tugs at the hearts string to appeal to people.
I also enjoy the Budweiser ads; they always leave you feeling different by the end of the commercial. They really use the emotional pull of animals, especially dogs and horses, to get their messages across. Not only are they marketing their product really well, but also portraying a good message of not drinking and driving that people will remember when drinking this beer.
I really liked this commercial and the emotional appeal it had. You shouldn’t drink and drive because you’re not only hurting yourself but rather the people that love you and the people that love the person you crashed into.