The commercial is entitled “Budweiser: Lost Dog – the Bud Puppy Commercial You Can’t Not Love” which is identified as a Super Bowl Commercial. The commercial’s air time is in exactly one (1) minute and features a puppy who inadvertently got lost from a horse stable. The journey of the owner of the puppy in trying to search and locate for the puppy’s whereabouts was visually illustrated. Likewise, the travails of the puppy which faced challenges and dangers in an exposed environment were effectively showcased. The puppy was exposed to a supposedly harsh environment and had to find ways of safety: shielding itself from the rain, travelling far to return to the original stable, and facing a ferocious wolf. Moreover, the rescue of the puppy by a horde of horses from the stable where the puppy resides provided the appropriate climax to the commercial. In the end, the puppy’s owner, who expressed immense happiness at the puppy’s return bathed the puppy and was finally shown holding a bottle of Budweiser while seated pensively at the stable – a horse and the puppy playing by his side.
Is it a good or a bad commercial?
The commercial is definitely a good commercial since it highlighted lessons of love, caring for the animals, as well as animals caring for each other. As such, the commercial captured the emotions of the audience and elicited empathy, warmth, sympathy, as well as relief in the end. Likewise, from the accolades and positive response generated, is an indication that the message intended was effectively relayed and received by the audience.
Who is the target audience?
The target audience is supposed to be beer lovers – predominantly male, but could also be female. With the message that was relayed, it definitely captured the hearts of all who were fortunate to view the commercial. Thereby, the commercial intended to widen the target clientele through eliciting emotional response, traditionally expected from females.
Does it break current stereotypes or follow them?
One affirms that the commercial did not break any current stereotypes. Actually, the commercial and the message relayed confirmed that the use of endearing images (the puppy, in this ad), as well as the concept of being lost, effectively elicited the intended response from the audience. Tradition and best experiences have confirmed that using puppies, babies, or marginalized groups, have the ability to effectively entice emotional appeal.
Who may be offended by the commercial/what are some possible unintended effects?
One honestly believes that there could not be any person or group who could possibly be offended by the commercial. There could be some comments regarding questioning how the commercial could be a Budweiser ad when the product was very briefly featured (and some could even not see it) at the end of the commercial. As such, the unintended effect could be focusing more on the puppy and how finally it was safe with the owner’s domicile; rather than focusing on the attributes of the beer (Budweiser).
In retrospect, the commercial’s apparent failure to highlight the features and attributes of the product being advertised could be the weakness of this particular ad. Some critics could aver that by veering the attention from the product to the puppy, the product was not, in any way, advertised, as it is supposed to be. Yet, one of the comments stated that “the spot’s narrative has nothing to do with beer, but who cares when the viewer is left with such a positive impression of the brand” . Overall, the commercial is an effective commercial due to its ability to entice emotional appeal from the target audience.
Reference
Budweiser: Lost Dog – the Bud Puppy Commercial You Can’t Not Love. (2015). Retrieved from Superbowl Commercials: http://www.superbowl-commercials.org/35139.html
