Response to Beer Commercial Article by Keith Veronesi

After reading this article, I was very interested in taking a deeper look at how advertising beer had changed from the 50’s and 60’s to how it is advertised now. In the beginning of the article, it talks about how beer was advertised as a middle-class family drink that often portrayed both male and female populations. However, over time, the idea of beer being simply a “man’s” drink has evolved. Now, in the media, it is very unlikely to see women portrayed in a bud light commercial, of course unless her body is being used as some kind of prop, which ultimately draws the attention of the male population. What also interested me was how the Superbowl and Sports Illustrated magazine are perhaps the biggest media advertising techniques. Personally, I am not surprised that the Superbowl has such a large advertising base for beer because when you think of the Superbowl you think of chicken wings and beer. But what was kind of a shock to me was seeing that these alcohol companies are willing to spend over $250,000 for a full page in the Sports Illustrated magazine swimsuite edition. This brings me back to my point in the beginning of how the target population these beer companies are focusing on has changed. I think it is safe to say that the swim suite edition of Sports Illustrated is targeted towards the male population and it does not seem to be a coincidence that these beer and liquor companies are the majority of the advertising. This is a perfect example of how the image of promoting beer has shifted from being perhaps both a females and a males drink to solely a males drink. Also, just a fun fact, the first commercial for the Superbowl this year was a Bud Light commercial promoting the new Bud Light Platinum.

From what seemed like in the 1950’s and 1960’s as protraying both men and women as beer drinkers to eventually switching to just beer being a man’s drink, it is interesting to see how the role of the women have changed in the media today. Aside from just beer, it is clear that women are exposed as a image rather than a human being. This idea goes back to the documentary we watched about women in music videos and how their bodies are what get them into the ads and videos, not who they actually are. Unfortunately it is the same thing when it comes to these beer ads. The article shows multiple companies (Heineken and Miller Lite) using women in bikini’s as a prop to these companies. Often times on TV when these commercials are played they use women as being attracted to men drinking that specific type of drink and avoiding other men who are not drinking that drink. It sends of the message that “Hey, if I drink Bud Light tonight these beautiful girls will chase after me because that is what happens in the commercial.” Obviously this is not the case, but using these beautiful women in bikini’s is just a marketing technique.

Using these women as props goes beyond just a beer commercial or ad. Like I mentioned earlier it goes back to the whole idea that women are used simply for their looks and their ability to attract a male audience. It is clear that by using these women that these beer and alcohol companies are trying to attract this male audience, but at the same time are continuing to destroy the reputation of women. These women are being used for their looks and not for anything else. By promoting these drinks with the images of half naked women, the social construct of our society continues to make women more and more inferior to males. These women are viewed upon as props for males, which ultimately never gives them the chance to be considered equivalent to the male population.