Super Bowl 2013: Taco Bell vs. Budweiser
Super Bowl ads that tell a story are infinitely more attention grabbing and thus, more effective.
In the 2013 Super Bowl, Taco Bell released a hilarious commercial, “Viva Young,” which featured a posse of senior citizens acting much younger than their age. It starts with an old man sneaking out of his assisted living facility to meet up with his friends. The group of senior citizens then go out dancing, get tattoos, and other activities that are associated with being young and reckless. They end their night partying in the parking lot of Taco Bell, eating excessive amounts of their favorite Mexican fast food.
The tone of this ad is very humorous and it’s audience is everyone. The brilliant thing about this commercial is that people of all ages can relate to it. It resonates with the older crowd and makes them nostalgic to their younger days; and it resonates with the younger crowd because going out dancing, getting tattoos, and ending their night at the Taco Bell drive through is something they are familiar with (and it is hilarious to think of senior citizens doing the same thing). Also, the background music, “We Are Young” was a hit in 2013, which the younger generation will know and understand. Furthermore, it is a simply comedic ad and is enjoyable to watch for all.
Taco Bell isn’t introduced in the commercial until almost the very end. Even then, it isn’t very noticeable until the commercial is actually over and the Taco Bell logo appears. Prior to that however, there is a scene where the posse of senior citizens are shown sitting on the hoods of their car while eating an array of Mexican food. At that time, the Taco Bell sign is shown in the background, but it is obvious that the food they are eating is Taco Bell regardless because it features a few Taco Bell favorites like the Doritos Locos Taco.
Taco Bell’s, “Viva Young” commercial has a clear beginning, middle and end which makes it a story, however it gets tricky when trying to define the commercial’s rising action, climax, and falling action. It is clear at the beginning or exposition is the old man being put to bed at the retirement home. Once the lady who works at the retirement home leaves the room, it pans to a scene where the old man sneaks out to meet with his friends and then havoc ensues. The posse of senior citizens pull pranks on people, go for a night swim, dance at a club, get tattoos, and of course eat Taco Bell. This range of scenes is the middle of the story, but not necessarily the climax. Once the night is over, the senior citizens are shown walking back into the retirement home. This is clearly the end, but not necessarily the resolution because we don’t know what happens to them once the people who work at the home find them. Considering all of this, it is hard to say whether the commercial has a full story telling structure.
Another popular ad of the 2013 Super Bowl is “Brotherhood” by Budweiser. This ad tells the story of a man and his horse and the bond that they share. The man is shown raising the horse, sharing some fun memories with the horse, and then selling the horse to be a Budweiser Clydesdale, which is a sad moment. Three years go by and the man sees in the newspaper that the Budweiser Clydesdales will be in a parade in a city near by. The man goes to the parade and is both happy and sad when he sees his horse walk in the parade, he goes to drive away and the horse sees the man walking to his car. The horse runs as fast as he can to catch up with the man and the man notices. They share a moment hugging and the audience is reminded how sweet the bond between human and pet can be.
The audience for this commercial is men and women 21 years old and above. I say at least 21 years old because the ad is for an alcoholic beverage, but the truth is anyone 14 and up can most likely relate to this because they have probably shared a bond like that with a pet and understand the story line. It relates to both men and women because of the message. However, I think the soft sentimental music is what draws women in initially and I think the setting (countryside, American farmer, man and his horse) draws men in initially. The tone is clearly sentimental given the music used and the use of pathos to pull on the consumer’s heartstrings.
The company is introduced subtly early in the ad because the man is wearing a Budweiser hat. It is introduced again much more obviously when the Budweiser truck is shown driving to pick up the horse from the man’s farm.
Budweiser’s “Brotherhood” definitely tells a story with all five parts of a narrative structure. The exposition is the man raising the horse and their clear bond forming. The rising action is when the Budweiser truck comes to take away the man’s horse. The climax is the moment the horse sees the man heading toward his car after the parade. The falling action is the horse sprinting to the man and the resolution is the man and horse finally being together again and hugging each other.
When comparing the two I think the Budweiser as has a stronger narrative because it has all five components of the narrative structure and it is very clear. I also think the Budweiser commercial is more effective at keeping the audience’s attention and is more likely to be shared. However, I don’t think that because it has a complete narrative structure. I think it is more effective of an ad because it generates very positive, wholesome and all-American feelings toward the brand. This is effective especially during the Super Bowl because most people that are watching the Super Bowl are seeking to have those feelings about a brand because the Super Bowl is also very American. Furthermore, the Budweiser provokes a lot of feelings from the audience. People are very drawn to sentimental stories with a happy ending and this ad is exactly that.