Ads for the Heart
The Budweiser “Brotherhood” commercial featured in the 2013 Super Bowl features a young rancher who raises a Clydesdale horse from birth. The two form a close bond of friendship but once the Clydesdale is older the rancher sadly sells him to become a Budweiser horse. The man clearly misses his buddy. Three years later the man sees in the newspaper the Budweiser Clydesdale's will be in a parade in a city near him. He attends the parade but it appears the horse does not recognize as it passes by. It shows the horse turning to look at the man walking away after the parade is over. Then the man is driving away and sees in the side mirror of his truck the horse free of his halter, galloping towards him. He gets out of the truck and greets the horse and gives him a happy, reuniting hug.
The tone of the advertisement is very sentimental. There is an emotional song playing in the background throughout the commercial. There isn’t any dialogue as the actions and emotions of the ad show the viewer what is occurring. The target audience is women, animal lovers, sensitive people and sentimental men.
There are several indicators about the company responsible for the ad. In the first scene it shows a baby Clydesdale and Clydesdale's are a recognizable symbol of Budweiser in America. Then the man in the ad is seen wearing a hat with a Budweiser logo on it. The true identification occurs when the Budweiser trailer pulls up to the ranch to pick up the horse. The logo is displayed obviously to show who is behind the ad. It is once again reinforced when the newspaper states Budweiser Clydesdale’s will be present at the parade. At the end of the commercial the logo appears on the screen.
The Brotherhood advertisement definitely tells a story. The exposition is showing the Clydesdale as a baby then showing scenes of the man and horse spending time together while it grows up until he sells it. The rising action is the man attending the parade and seeing the horse for the first time in three years. The climax occurs when the horse gallops towards the man and truck. The falling action is the man giving the horse a hug and the resolution is the logo appearing on the screen.
Dodge Ram truck’s “God Made a Farmer” ad features audio of a speech delivered by Paul Harvey at the 1978 Future Farmers of America national convention while powerful images of varying farmers are displayed. The speech is inspired by the Bible’s Genesis verses. The narrative describes different tasks, duties, and characteristics farmers have.
The target audience is rural communities, farmers, families, older men, truck drivers and the working class American. The blue collar visuals were meant to identify with the audience. The tone is very serious and inspirational.
About a minute into the advertisement a Dodge Ram truck id displayed with the logo visible on the front of the truck. The logo is also displayed at the very end of the commercial.
The exposition of the ad begins by displaying who the narrator is and describing God looking for a caretaker of the land as photos of farmers are shown. The rising action is the description of the qualities necessary to be a farmer as the narrator talks faster and more intensely. The climax is when Paul Harvey describes the son of the farmer wanting to be just like his father. The resolution is the image of the truck with the words “For the Farmer in All of Us” displayed in text.