Introduction
It is no secret that the primary function of advertisement of any type is to promote a company’s products and services to the target audience. Since the advent of the advertising industry, advertisers have developed many diverse and practical approaches to convince one that they need what the business organization offers to them. Technological progress has also significantly contributed to its development; ads today are present in all major communication channels, including TV, online space, and radio. Nowadays, the industry has become so complex that the production of TV commercials requires advertisers to apply a variety of different techniques from various fields such as marketing, moviemaking, cinematography, and storytelling. Analyzing successful examples helps advertising students understand how to use those techniques to create efficient and memorable TV commercials. In this paper, an analysis of Last Year’s Lemons TV ad will be presented.
Description of TV Ad
A short description of Last Year’s Lemons will be provided at first. The TV commercial starts with a group of friends discussing the new Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade and that 2020 was a terrible year (Bud Light). Then the audience is shown various short scenes with people caught in the lemon rain (Bud Light). The video ends where it starts, at the outdoor party. Mark walks over to grab a can of beer, mentioning the famous saying about life and lemons, and one of his female friends stops him (Bud Light). Then the advertised product is shown, and a voice-over briefly describes it and says its slogan.
Target Audience
After watching Last Year’s Lemons, one can see who the target audience of the new Anheuser-Busch beer is. The video includes all major racial and ethnic groups living in the United States (US) (Bud Light). The company is promoting its new beer for both men and women. Moreover, viewers are shown people of different social and economic backgrounds during short scenes (Bud Light). There are people of various ages in the TV commercial, but most are young adults and middle-aged individuals. In just a one-minute TV ad, advertisers have masterfully encompassed all social segments allowed to drink alcohol under US law.
Central Theme and Rhetorical Method of Appeal in the Discussed TV Commercial
The Meaning of Lemons
Lemons are the centerpiece of the discussed TV commercial; the very title indicates it. They are present or mentioned by the characters in all scenes of the video (Bud Light). The main reason for such a narrative decision is the need to indicate the distinguishing feature of the product offered, which is lemon flavor. Lemons also serve as a metaphor for all the things that were ruined by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Traditional ways of working and recreation, air travel, the news, sports events, and even weddings have been affected by it (Bud Light). The advertisers show that the best way to deal with these disasters is to accept them and relax with a new lemon-flavored beer.
Rhetorical Method of Appeal Applied
Knowing advertising and marketing strategies and tactics is not enough to create a compelling and memorable TV commercial. An advertiser must also understand the basics and nuances of rhetoric. The use of rhetorical tactics such as ethos, logos, and pathos can significantly enhance the intended effect of an ad. The creators mostly used the latter in Last Year’s Lemons. It is necessary to note that pathos “means to persuade an audience by purposely evoking certain emotions to make them feel the way the author wants them to feel” (“Pathos, Logos, and Ethos”). Experts also note that “authors make deliberate word choices, use meaningful language, and use examples and stories that evoke emotion” (“Pathos, Logos, and Ethos”). Simply put, appealing to viewers’ emotions is the primary strategy for capturing the audience’s attention in Last Year’s Lemons. As the like / dislike ratio and the total number of views show, it was the right decision.
Advertisers have tried to create the most relatable image to catch the viewers’ eyes and convince them to try their new beer. They showed so many scenes because some of the people watching the TV commercial have probably experienced them (Bud Light). The created emotional connection enhances the overall persuasive effect, increasing the likelihood that the target audience will buy the advertised product. The appeal to ethos or logos is practically absent in the ad’s message, mainly because these rhetorical approaches do not conceptually fit the idea of this TV commercial.
Conclusion
This work is an analysis of Last Year’s Lemons TV ad. The paper provides a brief description of the discussed TV commercial and explains who the beer company is considering as its target audience. Analysis showed that they are US citizens between 21 and 60 years old. Lemons are the connecting link between the advertised product, the story in the ad, and the metanarrative message. The authors made them more than just an indicator of the new flavor of the beer. Emotional appeal is the primary rhetorical tactic used by advertisers.
Works Cited
“Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade – Super Bowl LV – Last Year’s Lemons.” YouTube, uploaded by Bud Light, 2021, Web.
“Pathos, Logos, and Ethos.” St. Louis Community College, Web.