Rhetorical Analysis - Bud Light's Comedic Commercial

It’s amazing what people will do for something they love. There is so much dedication and loyalty that are shown for that person, place, or thing. In this case, I found a hilarious commercial that illustrates how far someone would go for something that is so prized and special. The commercial is a Budweiser commercial. Although there are many Budweiser commercials, this one stood out the most and caught my attention. The way it incorporates rhetoric is quite interesting. This Bud Light commercial shows the argument of the risks of drinking Bud Light.

For years Bud Light is well known through out America. Bud Light is a type of beer derived from Budweiser. “Budweiser, sometimes referred to as Bud, is a global pale lager brand owned by the U.S. based Anheuser-Busch company.The type of Budwieser, Bud light was “introduced nationally in 1982”( Wikipedia. 3 May 2007. 3 May 2007 ).Since then Budweiser has grown into one of the hugest beer names in our country and Budweiser commercials is what made it into what it is today.

This commercial uses many strategies to present their argumentation. Although there is no direct narration in the commercial, there’s a story that is told. There’s dialogue between the sky diving instructor and the guy learning to sky dive. Comparison and contrast were used to compare how scared the guy learning to sky dive was opposed to the other guys on the plane such as the instructor, pilot, and the guy that had jumped off the plane first. The pack of beer that was thrown out of the plane illustrated how someone would risk his or her life for it. That shows how this beer would affect someone’s life if they were willing to risk their life for it, like the pilot did. The product was used as an incentive for the guy jump to off the plane. All these strategies put together present the actual argument of this commercial.

That argument is the risk of drinking Bud Light. They are saying that Bud light is so great that anyone would risk anything even their own lives to have one. The taste of Bud light would have anyone who tried it craving for it. The instructor tries to get one of the divers to gather enough courage to jump out of the plane, but when that doesn’t work, he tries to entice him by throwing a six-pack of Bud light out the door saying, "Not even for some Bud Light?". Instead of going for the bait the diver sits back and watches the pilot, who doesn’t have a parachute or anything to help him reach the ground safely, instinctively fly out of the plane after the cool and refreshing beverage. With no one navigating the plane the instructor follow right behind the pilot leaving the lone diver to decide it he is willing to take his chances jumping over board or stay on board and parish with the plane.

“Budweiser is one of the major breweries that emphasizes humorous advertising campaigns. Some Bud advertising campaigns have entered the popular culture in the United States”( Wikipedia. 3 May 2007. 3 May 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budweiser_%28Anheuser-Busch%29). The commercial relies most on the visual effects. They use the commercial to illustrate the dominance that Bud Light has over any other beer, and why beer enthusiast should try their products. The commercial itself shows that once a consumer tries the product they would be hooked. The beer would have a hold over the consumer as if they were addicted to the refreshing taste. What appeals the viewer about this commercial is the pathetic yet brilliant comedy showing pathos. The comedic part of the commercial puts the viewers into a joyful mood. Which loosens up the viewer and judgment towards the actual refreshment of the product is over looked.

It’s amazing how advertisement can entice viewers to try out their products. A commercial can seem simple and comedic, but at the same time it’s those commercials that the viewers remember. When they think back to beer commercials, a lot of viewers remember the commercial that made them laugh and might even have them go out and buy themselves some of the beer that made the pilot go flying across their television screen and out the airplane door after it. All of the other aspects of the commercial sneak up on the viewer. At first they only think of it as a commercial that made them laugh and don’t realize that it could have affected the way their minds think. They might want to go out and give the beer that the pilot in the commercial would risk his life to have. The comedic aspect of this commercial is what catches the viewers attention, it has them talking about it to their coworkers or friends, and the advertisement extends farther than just the commercial alone. This is what the advertisement company wants. They succeeded in getting their point across to their viewers because now the person who hasn’t seen the commercial would want to view it for their own entertainment.