Puppies, Stains, and The Big Game!

Super bowl commercials are more than just advertisements, most are trying to tell a story

In the advertisement Tide Miracle Stain, http://www.hulu.com/adzone/452830 , two 49ers fans are sitting on a couch when one guy drops some dip off a chip he’s eating onto his shirt forming a Joe Montana stain. The stain is seen as a sign from God that the game will end in victory for the 49ers fans, so the stain garners media attention from across the country. One day the man comes home to see his prized possession hung on the wall but the stain is gone. The screen then pans to the wife who had washed it because it was dirty. Then with a mischievous smile she says, “go ravens” which is the opposing team who she is rooting for. The tone of the ad’s target audience is humorous especially at the end when the miracle stain shirt is washed. I noticed the bottle of Tide detergent in the laundry basket when the wife was giving her husband his new clean shirt, but Tide wasn’t identified as the brand until the very end of the advertisement. Tide tells a story with a beginning, a middle, and the end. The beginning is when the 49ers fan gets the stain on the shirt, the middle is when all the media attention happens, and the end is when the shirt is washed.

Another great advertisement comes from Budweiser http://www.hulu.com/adzone/744584. A puppy gets lost after jumping into the back of a horse trailer, tries to find his way home, gets confronted by a coyote, the Clydesdales come to the rescue, and the dog is reunited with the owner. There’s a definitely a sentimental tone to this one-minute story and yes I cry every time I see it. The story kicks of with the exposition letting us know the dog is lost. The rising action occurs when the dog is almost home but runs into a coyote. The climax is when the horses break free from their stable to save their friend. Finally, the resolution occurs when the farmer sees the dog running home with the horses, so he gives the dog a bath and snuggles him. The Budweiser brand is identified when the farmer is putting up the lost dog sign because the brand appears on his hat.

I believe the Budweiser commercial has a stronger narrative because it has light mood music in the background instead of talking, so I found it easier to connect with the story. I really like ads that are either humorous or have an emotional appeal, but in this case I found that the Budweiser ad was more effective at catching and keeping viewers’ attention because of the cute puppy and hope for him to find it’s way home. I think the people who watch the super bowl for the game would be more likely to share the Tide commercial. I feel like everyone else, especially women, would be more likely to share the Budweiser commercial.