Bud Light Commercial Essay

Guinness, Heineken, and Coors Light are known for their entertaining commercials. These companies advertise through convincing scenes of friends gathering together and drinking. Countless beer commercials portray groups of friends spending time together and enjoying each other’s company. Bud Light runs many commercials of this nature. Though their newest commercial is no exception, it contains an underlying message that could have a negative impact on culture. This message proclaims that you should choose your friends based on what they can do for you.
The commercial opens at a banquet with the host seated at the front of the large banquet hall. As the guests enter, they provide the host with gifts to show their gratitude. Greeting the host

with a smile, the first guest presents a small case of Bud Light. Pleased, the host calls the guest a true friend, and all raise a glass of Bud Light. The second guest brings a large case of Bud Light and the appreciative host calls him an even truer friend. Gleefully, all attendees drink in celebration. The third guest approaches the table and proudly presents a bottle of spiced honey mead wine, his current favorite. The host curtly disposes of it. He sends the innocent, confused guest to the pit of misery, an order that pleases all attendees. The advertisement closes with the message “Here’s to the friends you can always count on.”
The commercial’s producers intend to show that Bud Light is a fantastic drink for multiple reasons.

First, it makes a gift. Regardless of the amount of Bud Light the host had previously received, he continues to accept Bud Light delightedly. In fact, he only wants to receive Bud Light. Additionally, the drink is a necessity for all celebrations. Throughout the commercial, the host and guests celebrate by sipping Bud Light, as if the party would not be complete without it. Finally, the commercial shows that Bud Light is a drink everyone will enjoy. Although the banquet consists of a variety of attendees, they all have one similarity: a love for Bud Light. The guests are content with their drinks and any other refreshment would have left them

disappointed.
While the commercial portrays the intended message adequately, there is an underlying message that is more evident: you should choose your friends based upon the things they can do for you. The advertisement displays this through the host’s response to his guests’ gifts. The host measures the value of their friendship by judging the amount of Bud Light that the guests bring. The host calls the first two friends true friends because he loves the gifts that he receives. Since the host is unimpressed with the third guest’s hand-picked, personal present, the host loses all desire to be the guest’s friend. The host bases their entire relationship on the things he is receiving. Instead of politely accepting the wine, the host punishes the man for his considerate actions, sending him to the pit of misery. The host does not value the intention and thought behind the last gift. Because the third guest took the time to find something unique, it is evident that he thought about the things the host would enjoy and the things he had been enjoying.
Because of its comedic nature, brushing aside the commercial’s unintended message would be easy.

However, humor has a tremendous influence on culture. Humor reveals a culture’s beliefs and values. Advertisements, memes, and more reveal this regularly. Relationships already struggle with the underlying message of this commercial. Relationships are constantly being destroyed because people value themselves over their friends. For instance, many young relationships have ended because one friend did not “like” and comment on the other’s latest Instagram post. Often, people will choose their friends based on the other people’s high social status to promote themselves. The commercial intends to bring a message of positivity through celebration, community enjoyment, and sharing. Ultimately, the commercial’s producers missed the mark. In the end, the commercial shows that you should choose friends based upon what they can do for you. This is already a common issue in relationships and the media should focus on building people up instead of encouraging problems people already struggle

with.