"This Bud's for YOU"

This is a Budweiser advertisement that is supposed to represent American life during the 1940's to 1950's. I found it in a beer magazine online. It looks to be an older ad that you wouldn't see now days. It was probably made during the time period that it is supposed to represent. The person in the ad is a middle aged white man who is supposed to be a bartender. I think that this ad is mainly targeting white males because it uses a white male. People can relate to those who are like them. Because he is white, it is saying that he is trustworthy. He is also supposed to be like a friend. He has a smile on his face, and he is happy to be able to help you relieve your thirst. Because he is a man, he is supposed to be like one of the guys. It is like he is saying, "here friend, have a beer." There is also popcorn in the ad. It's kind of like the ad is saying here is some nice cool beer to refresh you after eating some salty popcorn. The setting of the ad is one of a night out with the guys. This ad is about an average middle class, white American man, and that's the main audience that it's targeting. If you're a regular Joe, this is what you do. You are supposed to kick back, relax, and drink a beer. This is just apart of ordinary life. Beer is what makes life sweet.
As a customer I respond to this ad differently than most. It is very aesthetically pleasing because I like how it looks old school and authentic. That imagery appeals to me. However I do not drink alcohol, and I think that alcohol is one of the major causes of so much bad in the world. Way more people are affected by alcohol related problems then cigarettes. Yet because alcohol is so grounded into the American lifestyle it seems okay. We are all supposed to forget how many people's lives are ruined because of it. This ad does a really good job at trying to cover that up as well. It portrays alcohol as something that's cool, ordinary, and harmless. It makes me realize how easy it is for bad things to creep in unnoticed when they are portrayed as a part of normal life. It is supposed to make you happy. You are supposed to desire the beer. You are supposed to accept the beer and be thankful. If you don't, then you're really not very social, or maybe not very American.

What I really wanted to do with this ad was flip it around. I wanted to make it something that nobody wants. And instead of being a trustworthy friend who is doing you a favor by giving you the beer, now he is a sick freak who's playing a disgusting trick on you. Maybe you did something to him in the past. Now he's getting you back. You thought he just wanted to let bygones be bygones, but he wants revenge.
I think that the imagery of the foam and the yellowish color of the beer, really make it hard for anyone to tell whether or not it's beer or pee by just looking at it. Any guy who has woke up in the morning and used the restroom has seen a similarly colored dark and foamy liquid in the toilet. Then with the sly looking grin on the man's face it makes you start to wonder if somethings up.
If it's pee, nobody wants to drink it. You could just imagine the feeling of the warm urine going down your gullet. This beer is no longer desirable.