Mother Natures Sophistication Tops a Man Made Failure What makes a beer a good beer? Just the taste? If that were true these two ads wouldn’t convey their message the way they do. What matters to many, is the kind of time they think they’ll have while drinking beer. Canadian Beer, “True Canadian Taste. ” Primus, “No matter what happens, the day of Primus with your buddies is the day of Primus with your buddies.
Just a glance at these two ads would understandably give forth the impression that the Primus ad is superior to the Canadian Beer ad due to its humorous and satirical over the top concept, but those very two qualities are actually what cause it to fall short to the Canadian Beer ad. Everyone loves having a relaxing care free time. Both of these advertisements try to convey the message that drinking their beer will give the drinker that highly touted and commonly desired good time. With Primus, the deep and vast ocean lies just under a thin piece of wood.
That very ocean that everyone knows is filled with mysteries and hostilities in more abundance than stars in the sky. The origin of the wood is assumed to be from the large smoking ship that is mid-nosedive in the distance. Weak and crumbling wood is all that separates these seven survivors between a fighting chance at survival, and certain death. With several shark fins protruding around them no more than 20 feet away, their survival seems extremely unlikely. Whether they’re floating on a seven by seven piece of wood, or not. Yet, due to the few crates of Primus floating at their feet, they’re having a party.
With several beautiful women upon that thin piece of wood and plenty of beer on hand, they’re having the time of their lives. This ad gets even more ridiculous. Atop that thin piece of wood, that is housing one of the most irrational and poorly timed parties ever, there is a foosball table. One of the guys is actually more attentive to the foosball than the beautiful woman at his side. A woman in a striped blue and white shirt is serving the Primus, with a waitresses carrying platter in her right hand. With one gentleman raising his glass to the sky smiling like he’s won the lottery, and a gorgeous blonde with her arm on his shoulder.
It is obvious that life couldn’t get any better. This appeals to Pathos, as it implies that if you drink this beer you’ll have an equally grand time. Effectively portraying the window effect. The fact that their party is on a thin piece of wood does nothing for Logos, because that is as illogical as can be. This ad also does very little to appeal to Ethos because it does nothing to demonstrate the legitimacy of the company or it’s claims. The target audience of an ad such as this is as open-ended as can be, and does its best to appeal to everyone who drinks.
The second advertisement is the Canadian Beer ad, the official beer of Canada and uncreative naming systems. The setting, lighting, number of people, and a large amount of other small details within the ad all play into it’s direct and indirect meanings. It’s those direct and indirect meanings that enable this advertisement to surpass the Primus ad. This mountain is covered in thousands of brown bottles in the hands of carefree beer drinking Canadians. All throwing their arms in the sky with a Canadian Beer in hand.
This is a place every beer drinker wants to be. Their target audience is everyone who drinks, ecause who wouldn’t want to be a part of this group? A giant gathering of people who all share one thing in common with you, Canadian Beer. Here is a well thought out utilization of the element of Pathos. It states that by drinking Canadian Beer, you’ll belong to a large group of like minded people. This works into everyone’s desire to belong to a group. It uses the window effect, that by drinking Canadian Beer will make you a part of this group. There is little to entertain the element of Logos, as there’s no statistical proof that you’ll ever become a part of this group.
There’s even less to appeal to Ethos, because of the adds simple minimalist style. “True Canadian Taste”, plastered high in the sky in white letters contrasting a red background sit prominently in the top right corner of the advertisement. The words are there solely to almost, intimidate, a viewer into thinking that “True Canadians” drink Canadian Beer. Three arms stick out of the group at the peak of the mountain of brown bottles. The shape those arms take is one of the key selling points of this advertisement. Those arms create the shape of lighthouse.
Lighthouses, one must keep in mind, are what sailors lost at sea use to recognize they’re near land. The shining, subtle, light coming from the three bottles is the light of a “Stress Relief Here” message. Just as a sailor needs saving from rough seas, sometimes people need saving from a rough day. Again utilizing the window effect, this time to say, “Hey man, rough day? Grab a Canadian Beer. We got you. ” The outside setting demonstrates a oneness with nature. The background is a full spectrum of color from a deep grapefruit pink to a soft lemony yellow sky overlooking the darkened trees.
An inviting, pristine, light blue water in the background gives forth a feeling of outdoorsy tranquility, suggesting whomever buys this beer will experience the same satisfaction. The key element of this advertisement that allows it to surpass the Primus ad is its simplicity, its subtlety, and how it utilizes the window effect. Understandably, the Canadian Beer advertisement is superior to the Primus advertisement. Reasons being that it’s far more subtle and simple than the Primus advertisement, that in turn enables it’s rhetorical techniques to shine more so than the Primus. The ridiculousness of the Primus advertisement is its downfall.
The fact that it’s so over-the-top is what kills it, as viewers are so preoccupied with it’s borderline goofiness that it takes away from its implication of rhetorical techniques. It is obviously far more likely for you to meet a large group on a hill, than it is for your cruise ship to sink, you survive, and then have a party. This use of Ethos is what sets the Canadian Beer above the Primus. That is what makes the Primus so easy to forget. The subtlety of the Canadian Beer is what lets it shine. The simplistic and minimalistic approach to marketing itself is what enables it to be a much better developed ad.