Actors: All male, rugged, big beards, out doorsey, jumping from cliffs, hang gliding skiing, cowboy stuff. Mostly white guys, not working, or shown finishing work - playing hard.
Music: not quite country, but up beat, something you may hear in a John Wayne or Clint Eastwood western as they're getting ready to save the day. repetitive "taste the high country - taste Coors". insinuates that the rocky mountains is the only place to brew a suitable rugged beer.
Dialogue: Narrator sounds rugged, says "once you taste the high country no down stream beer will do..." "its no down stream beer, its no city beer".
Targeted Audience: mid-20's to early 40's - rugged type guys, or those who want to be perceived as rugged and manly.
Budweiser 1979 - This Buds for You
Actors: Busy, hard working, people "average American's" hard at work at what could be any viewers job. Industrial work, construction, fishermen, secretaries, lawyers, athletes. Mostly men and one woman working, another woman is present, but she is playing the role of good wife and serving her hard working husband a beer. Many different races portrayed to really exude the all inclusiveness of hard working people.
Music: Sounds up beat, more like something you'd hear in a Dirty Harry or Rocky movie as they're working hard at chasing down the bad guys or getting in shape for a fight. Repetitive "this buds for you, for all you do...."
Dialogue: "To everybody who puts in a hard days work" deep voiced narrator sounds hard working & authoritative but not bossy; someone who you work with not for. The last line in the ad is a smooth sounding "Heeeey this Bud's for you." the voice sounds cool and relaxed- and maybe it implies that he's already had a Budweiser after a long day of work and is passing on this great drink to help you unwind.
Targeted Audience: Working American's. Probably aimed at mid to late 20's to mid to late 40's workers; there is one woman in the ad, so they don't want to exclude women (especially in the time where equal opportunity is starting to kick off.) but it is mostly aimed at guys, maybe on the grounds that guys enjoy beer more than ladies.
Pabst Blue Ribbon 1979 - Patrick Swayze
Actors: Patrick Swayze- well groomed, Hollywood actor, young and hip. Gorgeous blonde girl, lots of young hip people enjoying them selves at a disco.
Music: young and hip disco sounding - repeating "I've got Pabst Blue Ribbon on my mind." song implies more of an evening out having fun partying at the latest hippest clubs.
Dialogue: Narrator sounds young and hip, tells you it's naturally good & it's premium beer - catering to a younger crowd that maybe wants the newest and best stuff. Later says "a lot to look forward to" implying that it's a beer that will stick around with you and you can enjoy later in life as well.
Targeted Audience: late teens and early 20's - mid 30's, definitely targeting a younger demographic that is really into going out and partying at night clubs.
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Adrienne Allen
ENG 101
4 December 2014
In the adult world there
seems to be three companies that dominate the beer scene, and depending on who
you ask, the go to beer is going to be one of these: Coors, Budweiser, or Pabst
Blue Ribbon. What’s even more interesting is the type of people that drink each
beer. While there are some exceptions, it seems to be that Coors drinkers are
typically the outdoor adventurous types; Budweiser is the brew of choice for the
hard working blue collared individuals, and PBR seems to be the go to for young
adults who still like to party. How is it that we’ve fallen into these niches’,
and almost naturally stay in them? The answer lies in the advertising world. In
the late 70’s beer advertisements started to become more televised and thus a
larger audience could be targeted by the various breweries. While it would be
nice for each company to completely control the beer scene; it is rather impractical,
partially because of location but also due to the consumers varying tastes. Instead
it would be easier to target specific audiences with their ads thus ending up
with a demographic of devoted consumers and a peripheral clientele that could
be swayed into their brand from time to time. Taking a look at three commercials
from 1979 we can see each brewery take a bite out of what would eventually
become the cliché for each demographic.
Coors brewing company,
based out of Golden Colorado, is nestled right at the foothills of the Rocky
Mountains. Having already cornered the local market it seemed only natural to keep
their advertisements in line with what could be considered a typical Coloradan.
In their 1979 “Taste the High Country” ad every actor is a rugged looking,
adventure seeking, hard playing man. It opens with an upbeat song, reminiscent
of something out of a John Wayne or Clint Eastwood western. A slurry of extreme
sports and activities, that perhaps only the bravest and most adventurous would
dare attempt, is shown to the viewer with an enthusiastic chorus of “taste the
high country” in the background. A peppering of action shots of bottles being
opened and mugs being filled joins these images. While the display of courage
and product continues a deep-voiced man smoothly begins to sing the accolades of
the illustrious mountain range and implies the only beer that could possibly compare
to their majestic reputation is the one and only Coors. The chorus returns to reiterate
our masculine singers point; “Taste the high country – taste Coors.” At this
point the ad is 40 seconds into its 60 second window and has created a strong
case for further associating their brand with a lifestyle that many people
have, or at the very least wish they had; appealing to an audience’s sense of
adventure is a bold, but usually highly effective and rewarding strategy, and does
just the trick to gain the loyalty of the like-minded audience. To earn the
stragglers and fence sitters of the demographic the commercial continues with a
narrator confirming that Coors is the superior beer and its ingredients are as
unique as the rocky mountain wilderness. The quintessential cowboy then proclaims
“It’s no downstream beer”, followed by his lumberjack-esq counterpart declaring
“It’s no city beer.” A handsomely rugged mountain-man completes the testimonial
with “It’s Coors.” In the tree seconds it takes to get this message across,
nearly every male that sees the ad can identify, in one way or another, with
these three men; they are each the culmination of man-hood in three diverse yet
relatable ways. The commercial ends with its resounding chorus and an action
shot of a bottle of Coors being poured into a tall frosty mug; the action is
enough to get any beer lovers mouth watering. Based on only the actors the advertisement
uses, Coors seems to be specifically targeting the late 20’s – mid 40’s male
population; their consistent use of adventure and ruggedness appeals to the
average male in the hopes of being viewed as all that is man. While there are
no women in this specific ad; I don’t believe that it was derogatory in any way,
they were just a smaller populous that advertising beer to may have been
useless.
In Budweiser’s 1979 “This
Bud’s for You” commercial, I believe they are appealing to a similar age group as
the Coors ad, but a different variety of consumers. Vice the masculine adventurous
approach, they angled more for the working and middle classed folks. Their
central theme is highlighted by the hustle and bustle of many hard-working men
and women and how refreshing an ice cold “Bud” is after a long hard days’ work.
Like the Coors ad, Budweiser starts with a catchy tune. This time sounding like
something from a Dirty Harry or
Rocky movie as they're working hard at chasing down the bad guys or getting in
shape for a fight. A narrator, that sounds like he could be the guy next to you
at the bar, jumps in with “Everybody who puts in a hard days’ work…this Bud’s
for you.” An array of laborious jobs, from industrial work and construction, to
welders and truckers, streams past the viewer’s eyes. A catchy chorus that that
is nonspecific enough it could be singing directly to each individual viewer,
but personalized enough that it instantly makes the audience feel appreciated
compliments the imagery. The assortment of jobs continues and every worker is
shown deep into their daily grind. A sense of satisfaction is conveyed as the
camera pans through their scene; a few of the people shown working look up and
smile at the camera, and others are so focused on the task at hand there is no
room for complacency. Budweiser uses almost identical product placement
techniques as Coors does; action shots of a bottle being opened and poured into
a chilled glass, mixed in with what could be considered the plot to the
commercial. As the ad comes to a conclusion the workers are obviously completing
their daily work and are sitting down at home, and in bars enjoying this “well
deserved” beverage. The last line in the ad is a smooth sounding "Heeeey
this Bud's for you." The voice sounds cool and relaxed; and maybe it
implies that he's already had a Budweiser after a long day of work and is
passing on this great drink to help you unwind as well. Throughout the entire
commercial the spoken parts sound as though they’re coming from someone who’s
just as hard working as the people being shown; he also sounds authoritative in
knowledgeable way without coming across as bossy; someone who you work with not for. This really
helps the viewer relate to the suggestions of making Budweiser the perfect end
of day drink.
The third and final ad is Pabst Blue Ribbon’s
1979 “Blue Ribbon on My Mind” starring Patrick Swayze. The targeted audience is
completely different from the previous twos’. They seem to be reaching for a
younger crowd that is maybe more carefree and hip. There is no implying that
the beer will make you manlier, or that after a long day’s work will be more
enjoyable. It starts with a poppy disco-era soundtrack and a gorgeous Patrick
Swayze obviously getting ready for a night out on the town. As he leaves his modest
yet stylish city apartment; lyrics that could be sung by any disco star begin. The
tune has an overtly catchy ring to it, and almost gets the viewer’s dancing in
their seats, and energized for a fun night out dancing. Swayze makes his way to
pick up an equally lovely girl at her house. As they head down the steps of her
place, disco themed lighting flashes across the screen to the beat of the song.
A poppy chorus of “I’ve got Pabst Blue Ribbon on my mind” begins as Swayze and
his date dace the night away in what could be any city’s hippest club. Again
the same product placement of Coors and Budweiser is being used, this time with
minimal descriptive dialogue to accompany it. The fact that they’re using a
Hollywood actor and a nameless gorgeous blond seems to be that PBR is trying to
target younger women and men who think if they drink PBR it may not only help
them pick up better looking partners, but they may have more of a fun time
doing it as well. The entire commercial really focuses on cutting lose and
shamelessly enjoying a fun night out.
All three of these companies through the years
have used almost the exact same techniques and targeted almost the exact same
populations as the 1979 ads. Whether it’s because they've gotten the recipe
right and don’t want to risk spoiling it, or because there are no more slices
of the pie to cut off I can’t be sure, but the bevy that goes with each brand
has rang true for over a quarter of a century.
