Alcohol.
Almost everyone in the world drinks it, and in almost every country it’s one of the biggest selling money-making items around. No reason to go into the specifics of why that’s the case; suffice it to say that most people need a bit of help getting through this life — some more than others.
Alcohol advertising makes me smirk more than almost any other kind because it plays precisely and obviously into people’s insecurities. Want to be “more of a man” and be able to pick up women like a champ? Alcohol’s the way. Want to be an “individual” with character and mojo? Alcohol’s your friend there, too. Want to live the high life and swim with the big fish? Yep.
There are so many examples to choose from that I hardly know where to start. Here’s an easy one: Captain Morgan.
Here’s a charming, swarthy, swashbuckling pirate who is an immediate attraction for men. The unspoken gist of the ad is that you, too, can be like the Captain if you drink this distilled alcohol made from molasses. The truth is that you’ll still be you, albeit a buzzed or drunk you. Take a look at how the ad is arranged, especially in regard to the positioning of the bottle. Priapism, anyone?
Next up:
Here’s where Bacardi apparently helps those (most people) stuck in jobs that they hate into becoming ravishing party animals where they can be wild and oh-so-crazy. Of course Bacardi doesn’t have a monopoly on this — any alcohol can do the trick (and even then it won’t necessarily help you be as hot and perfectly happy as the models here), but saying that wouldn’t sell much Bacardi. A lot of research is put into what age groups and which sex marketers are going after — it’s interesting to think about next time you see an ad of any sort. This particular one is going after the girl who is dying to be that wild party hottie that every guy wants, probably in or near the 21 - 34 age group, and it also is aimed at guys who want to bed that wild party hottie or believe that by drinking Bacardi they will be instantly transported into a situation like this billboard portrays.
None of this is conscious, mind you; ads work largely by targeting the unconscious.
Here’s a much older ad that illustrates a different technique:
This is a common theme with some ads for alcohol: underline a brotherly team spirit. Here are two heroic firefighters above a “This Bud’s For You” tag line; not much of an explanation is needed of what they’re going after here. Reality vs. marketing: Bud has not a single thing to do with why these guys are great, nor will it help you appreciate how great they are since you probably never gave them too much thought until you saw this ad. This ad targets the male need for camaraderie and brotherly love (I don’t mean that in a racist way here), and it works. Subconsciously many of us will associate Bud with the good fellow at the bar who raises a toast to those great men of action and bravery.
Look, almost everyone drinks; there’s nothing special or amazing about that, and nothing inherently wrong with it, either. What alcohol companies do is play into different needs: the need to be an individual (“I only drink such-and-such Scotch”) or the need to seduce women or the the need to feel like we’re living life up as much as we can or the need to bond or the need to feel superior to others (wine and liquors), and on and on. Most everyone has one, some, or all of these needs. When you start looking at these ads in the way that I do they become incredibly comedic — try it yourself next time you’re driving home from work and pass that Heineken billboard.
