There is no doubt that the puppies are cute and the bond between the puppy and horse is endearing. Anyone with half a heart would have a smile on their face at the end of the video. I know the dog lover in me definitely held back my fingers from clicking the 'skip ad' button on YouTube. However, at the end of the commercial, I might have been the only one to think, "Well, that was dumb."
Maybe it's the realist in me. Maybe it's the passion I have for marketing and advertisement. Maybe I'm just a scrooge, but that ad had nothing to do with beer. Did the farmers help the puppies get adopted by offering the adopt-ers beer? No. Did the horse pull a carriage full of beer to the farm to attract people to adopt the puppies? No. Did the farmers get so drunk and decide to have the puppies adopted instead of keeping them? No. Did the puppy and horse drink beer from a trough together at the end? No. It had nothing to do with beer.
This is what I call manipulative marketing. Technically it's good marketing because there is no doubt that the consumer will remember this commercial. It is being shared all over the internet and talked about in circles of friends. I even saw it and shared it with my coworker who is a dog lover. The video quality is good and the story is heart-warming; both great tactics to draw and keep the consumer's attention. Because the consumer will remember this commercial and share it with others, they might go and buy Budweiser instead of whatever other brand that they see. Buying the product, increasing revenue, attracting more customer base - all things that technically make it good marketing. But do you really want to win on a technicality?
Manipulative marketing is just how it sounds. They picked at a couple strings on your emotionally driven heart harp which transferred pleasant thoughts about that company, whether it actually made you want to go buy the product or not. The commercial had nothing to do with the ice-cold refreshing taste or the low prices or the quality of the beer. The commercial had absolutely nothing to do with the actual product; and I just can't bring myself to call that good marketing.
Small digression that is still mostly on topic:
It's the same way I feel about Elvis Presley, most Classic Rock, Marilyn Monroe and a couple other people/examples. Most people love Elvis Presley right? People have Elvis ringtones, Elvis tattoos, Elvis movies, Elvis posters, Elvis art hanging on the wall, Elvis key chains, etc. Some will pay ridiculous money to get special packages of Elvis music and movies. Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. states that over 600,000 people visit Graceland each year. Do I think Elvis Presley played a significant role in music being what it is today? Yes. Do I admire his boldness to confidently change the face of rock and roll? Yes. But do I LOVE Elvis Presley? No. He was a horrible actor, had two dance moves and in my opinion most all of his songs sound the same. Does that make him a bad person? No. It's simply not my taste of entertainment.
Everyone has different likes and dislikes. I know a ton of people don't like country music while I like most country music. I believe that there are some people who genuinely like Elvis Presley's music; more power to them! But I would bet a generous amount of money that most people don't like Elvis for his actual talent. Mot people exclaim a generic "I LOVE Elvis!". But it always makes me wonder...Are they buying that Elvis bobble head because it's cool/cliche to like Elvis? Or maybe because it's on sale? Or are they buying it because they actually genuinely like Elvis' voice, talent, dance moves, etc? I just know I don't own anything Elvis themed because I have no reason or desire to. I can't deny people their likes and dislikes, but just being the over-analytical and curious person who is genuinely interested in the psychology of the human mind and inner workings of the heart, these sort of random thoughts wrestle my mind daily.
Digression concluded and brought back to topic:
The feelings I have toward the great Elvis obsession are on the same playing field for this commercial. My preference for what I would call a good marketing technique are much more focused on what the actual product accomplishes. This commercial would need to show someone dancing better after drinking it, quenching someone's thirst after mowing the lawn, highlighting how refreshingly cold it is, or a cheaper price for higher quality; for an adequate definition of good marketing. This way people are purposefully buying the product for what the product is, not because they were wooed by the relationship between a puppy and a horse. Random much? I think so.
Maybe you will watch the commercial, see that it is Budweiser and remember that you really do enjoy the taste of the beer so you buy it for the weekend barbecue. But don't be deceived into making a decision just because of how it makes you feel.
Call it what it is.
Like it for what it is.
Buy it for what it actually is, not for how someone made you feel about it.
Don't just drink responsibly, but choose responsibly.
(If any company, beer or any other, would like to use this for their advertisement, I would gladly make room in my schedule to discuss my marketing ideas)
I hope you gathered that this applies to much, much more than beer choice.
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