Are We Having BUD Yet?

I chose the image of an all too familiar Budweiser magazine ad. The semiotics prose a common message: drinking beer will allow you to have fun. There are many signs in the ad to prove this. For example, the ad denotes a variety of people: a white brunette male, a white blonde female, a Middle Eastern female, and a mixed or Hispanic female, which shows that Budweiser beer is not limited to any specific person but that it appeals to people of all cultures and ethnicities. Additionally the fact that all the people in the ad have smiles on their faces connotes that they are having fun, and that drinking Budweiser allows them to loosen up and become just a little bit more comfortable with the person sitting next to them, as seen in the image. It is not exactly clear where this ad is taking place, it could be at a restaurant table, on a bar, at a fraternity house in a college, wherever, but this is significant because it signals that Budweiser beer can be drank wherever and it is good for any occasion since the occasion here is not specified. The clothing in the image is also very universal, the guy is wearing a collard shirt and the girls are wearing nice tops or dresses, connoting that Budweiser beer can be drank in a casual setting, or in a more formal setting because these outfits can be dressed up or dressed down. It might also be significant that there is only one guy in the ad and the rest of the people are girls: perhaps Budweiser is trying to take the advertising approach of “drinking beer will help you get girls” or at least help a guy get more confidence to talk to girls? Because that’s what it looks like this guy has. All in all, I think it’s a very appealing ad, it looks like everyone is happy and having fun and Budweiser paints a very straightforward image of that. Who wouldn’t want to try their beer after this? OH and esp since it is only 110 calories…another positive sign for ladies watching their weight!