Super Commercials
Every year, the Super Bowl is known to hold the most watched and most expensive advertisements in the world. Over 115 million people in the United States alone watch the biggest game of the year in February. However, with the game come some of the most memorable commercials of the year. Just like anything in life, some commercials are believed to be better than others and I am finding out what that is. Referring to my last blog post, I have been talking a lot about narrative language and storytelling in advertisements. A lot of the greatest Super Bowl advertisements follow the theme of storytelling to better sell their product or brand to listeners. A great example of narrative storytelling would be from the commercial from 2013 by Taco Bell.
The ad shows an old man sneak out of his nursing home after hours to meet his other old friends outside in a car waiting for him. The group of elderly people drove off and stayed up all night partying and doing things that young people do. They eventually end the night at Taco Bell afterhours while the police drive by to check them out. The ad’s target audience was clearly a younger demographic. Also, the ad clearly portrayed a very humorous tone with the audience. Surprisingly the company isn’t identified in the ad until 45 seconds in. This to me seems quite odd for most advertisements. However, their narrative structure tells a story from beginning to end with multiple acts of narrative structure such as rising action of partying all night to the climax of almost getting busted by the cops at Taco Bell. At the very end of the advertisement, it is all brought together with the resolution of the group of elderly people making it back to the retirement home as the sun is rising.
Another example of narrative storytelling would be this year’s Bud Light Super Bowl commercial. I was laughing so hard when I first watched it. The ad features Amy Schumer and Seth Rogen (which are currently two of the biggest comedians right now) talking about Bud Light as if it was a political party. The two of them go on tour across the country talking about things that our fellow countrymen agree upon, such as a love for beer. This narrative is really appropriate right now, as we are getting ready for presidential elections as a country this fall. The ad’s target audience is consumers over the age of 21 yet probably under the age of 45. The reason I believe that they are aiming towards a younger age range is because they are using a very humorous tone and hired two people that are considered some of the funniest actors in the millennial generation. The company is immediately identified in the ad as Amy and Seth are representing Bud Light similar to a presidential candidate with poster signs everywhere. The ad continuously tells somewhat of a story and gives inspirational messages that lead to the idea of everyone being saved by the “light” that is Bud Light. It has quite a bit of rising action within the commercial and can be portrayed by the background music that shows a steady incline in the storytelling. The message from Seth and Amy gets more and more inspirational towards the end. This commercial will leave an entire room of people laughing out loud. However, which commercial is better?
I think it is safe to say that the Taco Bell commercial has a stronger narrative. The ad tells more of a story compared to the Bud Light ad. Nevertheless, I believe that the Bud Light commercial is more effective because the tone of humor is very strong. I have also seen several people on social media share this commercial simply because it is hilarious. I believe people are more likely to share the Bud Light commercial because of the celebrity power and the sheer greatness in the comedy.
