Heineken’s Text Analysis, Essay Example

The differences between genders and how society sees gender have been in place for a long time. There are diverse things which come into a person’s mind when one thinks of men and women, for instance, men are always depicted as stronger than women and men are more attracted to sports while women like shopping. Each of these differences are present in the Heineken’s Superbowl advert, “Walk-in Fridge”. This humorous commercial shows adults at a party at a friend’s a house. The lady of the house escorts her girlfriends into the luxurious walk-in closet which has a plethora of handbags, numerous pairs of shoes, and an abundance of clothes: immediately, the ladies start freaking out and shouting because at the mere sight of these things.  Meanwhile, there are similar shouts that come from the man’s walk in fridge. When they go to see why the men were excited, they see that the walk-in fridge that is filled with Heineken beer. The commercial does not reinforce gender stereotypes, but also uses humor, as well as, compelling rhetorical structure, in order to persuade an audience into buying and drinking Heineken beer. Without providing a lot of details about the commercial, it is apparent that the ad agency used humor very well in both appealing to the audience as well as showcasing their product (Goldammer 32-33).  The paper will analyze the advert by using pathos which eludes emotion in the audience, ethos because of establishing credibility, as well as, logos depicted as reasoning for the commercial each in reference to the discourse of gender stereotypes.

Pathos in this advert is clearly illustrated by emotion. The commercial utilizes emotions and humor in order to appeal to the target audience.  This is clear until the end of the ad where the men are emotional when they see the walk-in fridge full of Heineken beers. On the other hand, the women are also emotional when they get into the walk-in closet that is full of shoes and clothes. The advert has a strong appeal to the audience, because it makes the viewers go and have a cold Heineken with their friends. The advert also depicts male bonding because when the male owner of the house opens the closet the men see beer, some of the friends cry while others showcase their emotions by screaming. This is another brilliant angle of selling Heineken beer (Goldammer 39-40).

Logos is largely used in the advert as well: the commercial’s exigence is simply selling Heineken beer in order to make a profit. Therefore, the advertising organization scrutinized the target audience. A very large number of men drink beer as their preferred drink and this advert is played at a very relevant time for  Heineken’s audience since it broadcasted all through the 2010 Superbowl. This highlights one of the most common gender differences: that men are more interested in football than women. Heineken demonstrates this difference in the advert and that is why the company tries its best to air the commercial at this time when many men have the chance to view it. This means that the target market is men, and in this case rich men. The walk-in fridge shows that the people who drink Heineken are wealthy and they can afford to have such a fridge in their house. Additionally, the commercial’s relevant timing is boosted by having a significant place. The ad is located in a home and this shows familiarity with the target audience or the viewers. This is because; traditionally, numerous individuals hoste Superbowl parties with family and friends while drinking beer and enjoying the game. Seeing the same scenario in this commercial creates a shared experience with the viewers. This is imperative since it eliminates the commercial barrier, as well as, makes viewers more willing to buy the product since they see themselves doing the same things as the people in the commercial. Beer is usually associated with football in America and this proves that the timing of the commercial is relevant to the target market.  This is the logos of the advert and the relevant place and time contributes extensively to the accomplishment of this commercial. The factors in this commercial appeal to reason and logic in a variety of ways (Goldammer 50-51).

The Heineken commercial has not only appealed to its customers, but there is a creation of character personas. In this case the two personas that have been created in the advert are “man” and “woman”. As noted before, the Heineken commercial is based on gender differences. The women of the commercial are taken into the walk-in closet and immediately get captivated by shoes, clothes, and purses. This is one of the most common gender stereotypes since women are mostly associated with wardrobes and shopping despite the fact that not all women are interested in the same things. On the other hand, the other persona that has been created is the male persona. It is evident that the men in the commercial are equally fascinated by the countless beer in the walk-in fridge. The personas contribute highly to the logos that the ad provides, in the fact that it attempts to make a logical suggestion, under the concept that gender differences are true. This means that men are as cheerful as women when they have a closet that is full of Heineken beer while women are very satisfied with a closet full of clothes and shoes. This makes the argument as relevant to the target audiences of men and women, so it’s appealing to an even larger audience. The personas that have been created in the commercial act as the methodical process of logical reasoning since they go along with the audience’s ordinary values and beliefs. Despite the fact that our generation has evolved from such stereotypes, numerous people however still maintain such stereotype parameters (Sloshed n.pg). Therefore, the ideology of men’s’ and women’s persona is able to reach many homes with numerous viewers. The personas mentioned appeal highly to logos as well as act as a platform for achieving the principal purpose of the commercial, which is to sell Heineken beer (Goldammer 55-57).

The other major rhetorical approach that has been used in this commercial is ethos. The commercial builds a lot of credibility by utilizing its own name, “Heineken”. This is a Dutch imported beer which is known for its breathtaking taste. This beer has existed since 1873 up to now and it remains one of the most trendy alcoholic beverages among people who drink beer. This is depicted well in the advert when the men see the cold bottles with Heineken logos.  This means that they are aware of the fact that they are will be getting one of the most quality beers compared to the usual brown bottled beer. The humor and structure of the commercial is employed to achieve the principal goal of ensuring that Heineken is found as appealing to the target audience. Humor is always an extremely efficient means of rhetoric since it makes adverts resonate with the audience. It is clear that in this advert, humor boosts the selling point of this beer. In some cases, the commercial can be extremely funny and this can render the advert ineffective. The way this advert has incorporated humor is subtle and extremely efficient, since harmless stereotypes are basically funny to everybody, thereby creating an even larger audience that this advert attracts. Additionally, the structure of this ad complements the humor depicted (Sloshed n.pg). This is shown when, in the middle of the funny scene where women are screaming from seeing so many shoes and handbags, they are quieted when they hear a similar scream by men in the other room. This is the important moment in the advert which causes the audience to pause and think about what might take place next. The men screaming about Heineken ties the whole structure of this ad together. This makes the commercial even funnier because it leaves a lasting impression on the target audience which in turn makes the advert effective. By utilizing all three rhetorical approaches, that is Pathos, logos and ethos, the commercial attains it principal goal which is to get viewers to purchase Heineken beer. This is a fact that can be proven because, based on Heineken’s annual report (Heineken 34), sales were reported to have risen by approximately twenty three percent in the U.S during the year when this advert was aired.  Therefore, the advertising organization made the right call in airing this commercial since there was an increase in sales brought about by the strategy employed by the company. It is also easy to prove the efficiency of the advert because the YouTube video has been viewed 5,667,956 times (Heineken 36). It is therefore evident that the commercial was not only successful on television, but since it resonated so well with the television audience the company decided to use the Internet in order to achieve similar results.

In conclusion, it is imperative to note that all the evidence stated in the discussion above enhance the rhetorical approaches in the “Walk-in Closet” Heineken advert. These approaches were successful in making the target audience go out and purchase Heineken. Additionally, the commercial was aired at a time when men are predominantly watching (i.e. during the Superbowl). The inclusion of the commercial in a home setting further enhanced the success of this commercial. Furthermore, the main theme (that is the difference between men and women at least their stereotypical differences) reinforced the general values and beliefs of the audience encouraging them to buy and drink Heineken. Lastly, the humor and structure in the ad complement each other. Humor is one of the major elements that make the advert continue to resonate with the audience. By combining all the rhetorical approaches, the commercial became extremely successful as indicated by the increment in sales during the year when this advert was aired.

Works Cited

Goldammer, Ted. U.S. Beer Industry Beer Demographics. The Brewer’s Handbook: The Complete Book to Brewing Beer. Clifton, VA: Apex. 2008. Print.

Heineken. Annual Report 2010. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.

Sloshed, Chris. “The Year in Beer: Beer Drinking in America by Volume. 2013. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.