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Analyzing Super Bowl Commercials: Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade
First, watch Bud Light’s 2021 Super Bowl commercial, aptly titled, “Last Year’s Lemons.” Then, closely read,
analyze, and unpack the argument! Use the questions below to guide your analysis.
The commercial opens with one person asking, “When did Bud Light seltzer start making lemonade?” Analyze this
moment as a rhetorical device. What function does it serve? How else might a company (e.g. Bud Light)
introduce a new product?
Using this intro to the commercial can spark a question within the audience themselves and even question themselves if they didn't
know that Bud Light made a new product. The basic question informs the audience that the company has made something new
without going into much detail that they have.
Before we move on, take a moment to unpack the speaker, audience, and purpose. (Hold off on message for
now.) Once you’ve identified the speaker, audience, and purpose, reflect on the line above (“When did Bud Light
Seltzer start making lemonade?”). How do these elements of the rhetorical triangle inform your analysis?
This rhetorical triangle leads the audience to be informed, learn the purpose of the ad, and allows the audience to focus on
feeling/tone of the commercial.
A second person replies by saying, “Probably when 2020 handed us all those lemons.” Conduct a close reading of this
line. (Why does she use the word “probably”…? Why does she bring up the year 2020…? What does it mean to
be “handed lemons”…?) How does this moment function as a rhetorical device?
She uses the word "probably" to give the audience a feeling of uncertainty and she brings up the year 2020 because that's the year the
world got hit with the covid-19 pandemic. To be handed lemons is when your given a "sour" situation or something bad occurs and
this ties into the rhetorical question to "when did Bud Light seltzer start making lemonade?"
A third person adds, “2020 was a lemon of a year…” This line is the catalyst for a sudden transition in the
commercial – but before you start analyzing the lemons, analyze this line! Why is this said by a third person in
the commercial, instead of by the first? (What’s the difference between a conversation among two people and a
conversation among three people? Why was this decision purposefully made when the commercial was
produced?) What does kairos have to do with this? (400,000 Americans died from COVID-19 in 2020. Is
referencing 2020 in this way to sell a product a risky strategy? If so, why? If not, why not?)
The 3rd person says "2020 was a lemon of a year" instead of the first because if that phrase were to be used first then it would out of context and potentially confuse
the audience. The difference between three people instead of 2 people is that when you involve three people then it leads to more of a open conversation and allows
for the audience to feel more included. The usage of "kairos" refers to a "timeless argument" or creating an "appropriate" tone at the right time. This applies because
many can argue that this topic is not the correct time to be using covid-19 as advertisement. It may be risky because many people have died from this virus but it may
also be a good advertising strategy because it is so relatable to so many people.
As the commercial proceeds, there is a contrasting juxtaposition of lemons falling from the sky, causing
catastrophic damage, while oldies-style upbeat music plays in the background. Why is this juxtaposition
important? How is absurdity used as a rhetorical device, and what purpose does it serve in this argument? How
does this juxtaposition (catastrophic lemons + upbeat music) affect any “risk” associated with the previous line
(“2020 was a lemon of a year”)…?
This juxtaposition of having a modern commercial with odd timely music playing in the background is important because it helps
sets the tone of the flashbacks in the commercial. Absurdity is used when the lemons are falling out of the sky and it helps put the
imagination of the audience to what the lemons represent. The juxtaposition and the use of upbeat music might affect what the
readers might not except because it looks to be a bad situation then it turns to upbeat music.
Still Frame from Commercial
Guiding Questions
The commercial enters a
“flashback” to New Year’s
Eve in 2019. How is the
flashback used as a rhetorical
device? Why does it flash
back to this particular
moment in time? What’s the
intended effect?
Your Notes & Analysis
This flash back shows the 2020
New Years because the year started
as a normal year but it was
announced in parts of the world
that there was virus spreading
around from person to person.
(Lemons= inconveniences of covid19)
Seconds later, as lemons are
seen falling from the sky and
causing damage, the
audience is shown a man
laughing at the situation.
Why? What role does he
play in this story?
The audience is momentarily
given a first-person
perspective, as if you are the
man (above) looking up at
the sky to see the horror –
lemons falling, in great
quantities, seemingly out of
nowhere. Why is this shot
used? And, unpack the
extended lemons metaphor!
The shots begin showing
different people
experiencing “the lemons”
in different contexts and
circumstances. Analyze each
of them, and analyze the
order they’re in! In this case:
why people in an office
overlooking the chaos in the
streets of a city?
The man that is shown laughing
represents the people who didn't
believe in the pandemic or the virus
that came with it.
This shot is used because it gives the
audience the perspective of the
characters view and allows to show
exactly how many lemons are
falling.
The people in the office are looking
out on the streets and seeing chaos
because people were scared and
unsure of what to do in this
situation.
The shots continue showing
different people
experiencing “the lemons”
in different contexts and
circumstances. Analyze each
of them, and analyze the
order they’re in! In this case:
why a person in the airport
staring at the cancelled /
“lemon’ed” flights?
The shots continue showing
different people
experiencing “the lemons”
in different contexts and
circumstances. Analyze each
of them, and analyze the
order they’re in! In this case:
why a person who made a
major mistake cutting his
own hair?
The shots continue showing
different people
experiencing “the lemons”
in different contexts and
circumstances. Analyze each
of them, and analyze the
order they’re in! In this case:
why a news station?
The news feed at the bottom of the TV says:
“Lemons ruin indoor dining – somehow…” /
“Concerts canceled due to lemon surge” /
“Governor’s jokes shine during daily lemon
briefings.”
What is the intended effect
of flashing this text on the
screen? How does it extend
the metaphor? How does it
affect the argument?
The shots continue showing
different people
experiencing “the lemons”
in different contexts and
circumstances. Analyze each
of them, and analyze the
order they’re in! In this case:
why people in a pool? A
ruined vacation?
The shots continue showing
different people
experiencing “the lemons”
in different contexts and
circumstances. Analyze each
of them, and analyze the
order they’re in! In this case:
why a baseball game?
A person is shown looking at
"lemon'ed flights" because when
covid hit world wide it limited the
amount of flights or completely shut
airlines down temporarily.
This person may have made a
mistake in cutting their own hair
because they were surprised to here
about the "lemon news".
A news station is being shown
because in the middle of the air they
were getting the news about the
"lemons" similar to how they were
informed about the pandemic.
The intended effect of the texts is to
show urgency of the information
shown.
When the "lemons" hit it represents
the different atmospheres people
were in that the couldn't go due to the
pandemic.
The way that there is cardboard
people in the stands represents the
limited support sports teams felt
also during the hit of the pandemic.
The shots continue showing
different people
experiencing “the lemons”
in different contexts and
circumstances. Analyze each
of them, and analyze the
order they’re in! In this case:
why a wedding, with an
inconsolable crying bride?
The commercial ends the
absurd and catastrophic
lemon montage, and returns
to the party for several
seconds before it ends.
What purpose does this
serve? Why not end with
the previous scene?
The commercial cuts to an
image of the product, and a
narrator says: “…Packed
with lemonade flavor, after a
lemon of a year.” How does
this final moment speak to
the commercial’s intended
purpose? Is it effective?
This shows the number of weddings
having to be replanned or even
ruined when covid-19 hit the world.
This serves as a flash back and
allowing the audience to comprehend
that they aren't living the same way
anymore.
It leaves a impact on the audience to
reflect on the saying, "when lifes gives
you lemons make lemonade. This
leaves the audience to try to make
better of the situation and just drink
the brands product.
Does the argument in this commercial make any appeals to ethos, pathos, and/or logos? If so, identify these
instances and analyze how they contribute to the argument.
This commercial appeals the literal device of ethos because it focuses on a message of a past reputation of history. It
What is the argument that Bud Light is making here?
The argument that Bud Light is making is using the similar mindset and moral of the catch phrase "when life gives you lemons,
make lemonade."
How does Bud Light take advantage of timing and occasion (kairos) to empower their argument?
Bud Light uses the advantage of using the globally related topic of the covid-19 pandemic and makes it a light-hearted relatable
commercial to the audience.
What is this argument’s purpose – and, is this effective? (You can also think of it this way: What has this
commercial effectively done? Are these effects intentional? How do they affect the audience’s relationship with
the brand or the product?)
The arguments purpose was to make the ad relatable to the viewers to make a memorable impression and to persuade the audience
to buy their drink. Yes, all of these effects are intentional and it affects the audience's relationship with the brand because it makes it
more memorable and almost funny because the audience can reflect and even relate to the commercial.