As I was watching football, like I do most Sunday afternoons, I noticed that one of the first commercials I saw was for beer, specifically Budweiser. This got me thinking and I started to remember some other memorable beer commercials that I have seen while watching sports on TV and I couldn’t help but think of the famous “wassup” Budweiser commercial (link below). When it originally aired everyone adopted the “wassup” saying and it soon became the social norm. You would greet your friends or start talking to them on the phone with a long and over-emphasized “wassup”. Looking at the commercial now, there are several things that I noticed that I overlooked when the commercial initially aired. First, only the males say “wassup” to the other males, the females are either silent or not in the commercial. Second, everyone in the commercial is relaxing and having fun while watching the football game. Thinking about it this commercial made me assume that I could only say “wassup” to my male friends and not my female friends, and that in order to enjoy myself while relaxing or watching a football game I needed a Budweiser to make my experience complete. I have obviously learned that this is not the case, but I think it is extremely interesting that a commercial could have such a large impact on me. I believe that this ties in to the chapter 5 reading because the commercial, without me realizing, caused me to make false generalization. Budweiser viewed me as the consumer they were trying to reach and determined that the “wassup” commercial was the best way to do it. They used imaged and real life situations to influence me in a way that I didn’t realize until now. It is very interesting to think of the effects that a beer commercial can have on me without me noticing and can change the way I interact on a daily basis.
That was a great commercial. I agree that it causes the viewer to make false generalizations. Good point.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Michael Seth. I completely agree that some commercials, along with other media, give false generalizations. This has become especially true of beer commercials within the past decade. It makes me pretty disgusted that all these beer advertisers paint men in such a misogynistic way. The commercial usually has a man coming home to a beautiful woman but caring more about the beer in the fridge instead. I do not believe I am speaking for myself when I say a loving relationship with a female is more important than a bottle of Coors Light.
ReplyDeleteYour analysis about the commercial is a very original and detailed one. It really showed your understanding of our class material and your ability to apply them in analyzing real life cases.
ReplyDeleteGreat job!!
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