This ad for Miller High Life beer displays two couples enjoying a meal together outside on a picnic table. The couples are surrounded by an assortment of classic all American backyard cook out foods and the men are shown pouring and handing the women beer. The first thing that stands out in this ad are the expressions on everyone’s faces. The image depicts a still moment in time in which each person is smiling and laughing as they enjoy their meal and Miller High Life beer. The viewer can immediately recognize the sense of friendship and community that the image shows. However, through the fancy subtitles and the people that are depicted, the viewer can also see that the company tries to make their product look luxurious. By incorporating elements of American culture and appealing to the viewer’s emotions, this ad persuades its viewer to purchase Miller High Life Beer. 

This ad creates an infectious tone and makes the viewer wish they could take part in what the ad depicts. Each person in the ad is smiling, laughing, and seems to be engaging in great conversation. There is a sense of community and friendship behind the image and it shows that this product can bring people together. By simply taking one glance at the image, the viewer is aware of the happiness and pleasure that is associated with Miller High Life beer. Even the name of the beer suggests that the lives of those who are consuming it is “higher” or greater than the average. The ad immediately appeals to the viewers’ emotions by showing how happy each individual is who consumes this product. By witnessing what a great time the people in that ad are having, the viewer may feel a desire to also feel this happiness and sense of community and therefore be called to purchase the product. 

By adding elements of American culture to the ad, Miller High Life beer is seen as a key component to this all American meal. American culture can be defined by the many traditions and customs of the times. One tradition that has stood the test of time is the all American backyard cookout and the foods that are served. In the ad the table is filled with many of these classics, including corn on the cob, hamburgers, potato chips, and baked beans. By showing all of these favorites accompanied by Miller High Life beer, the company is trying to prove that the beer should also be considered a part of the all American backyard cook out meal. If this strategy is effective, viewers and customers would begin to consider this beer an essential to their cookout and therefore be called to purchase the product. The style sported by both the women and the men in the ad also show the distinct American culture at the time. The women’s structured, high neckline dresses and the men’s polo shirts buttoned all the way to the top, is a pure reflection of style in the 1960s. 

The ad tries to make Miller High Life beer be perceived as though it is the premier beer and anyone who consumes it will then have an elite status. This ad was published in 1965, a time of great economic growth, however, it was also marked by racial turmoil. The two heterosexual white couples portrayed in that ad would most likely be considered high class citizens at this time. So, when people viewed this ad at the time it was published, they would automatically assume that it was high quality. It might have also drawn them to purchase this product in order to achieve this high status. In the ad, instead of drinking the beer out of the cans, the men are pouring the beer from the cans into formal glasses. This shows that the beer is too high quality to be consumed out of an average aluminum can. The ad also displays its tag line in fancy script and states, “The Champagne of Bottle Beer”. Champagne is known to be one of the classiest drinks so using this tagline shows once again how the beer is superior. Champagne is also traditionally consumed at celebrations and at the bottom of the ad there is another tag line that claims the beer will transform any meal into a banquet. A banquet is defined as an elaborate and formal evening meal. And so, the ad is claiming that by adding Miller High Life beer to the menu at an ordinary dinner, the dinner automatically becomes something much more luxurious.

This ad tries to persuade its viewers to purchase Miller High Life beer by appealing to their emotions. By having the people in the photo smiling, laughing, and enjoying their time, the viewers recognizes this sense of happiness and community and want to take part in it. The ad also provides many examples of American culture which allow the beer to be seen by the viewers as an essential on the menu for any American back yard cook out. There are also many allusions throughout the ad that show Miller High Life beer as the classiest and most superior of all beers. As a result of this, many viewers would be called to purchase this product in order to achieve this high status and provide their guests with the absolute best. 