Bud Light has once again raised the bar when it comes to producing quality Super Bowl commercials. This commercial uses the template of a campaign ad, and opens with comedians and "candidates" Amy Schumer and Seth Rogan. Throughout the commercial, Amy and Seth address the nation's problems, and offer up beer as the one thing that "everyone can agree on". The company has a reputation of producing some of the funniest commercials throughout the years, and their formula for inciting in the audience an insatiable urge to consume their product is what all companies should strive for in their advertisements. Clearly the brand has seen success though television marketing, as Bud Light is advertised on almost every age appropriate channel. Their winning formula however, is quite simple, as it masterfully and subtly employs the basic rhetorical components of ethos, pathos, logos, and kairos. The goal of this Bud Light Party campaign advertisement is to make the public feel like they are contributing to a solution to the nation's political problems by drinking beer, and that drinking Bud Light makes you a true American. This is done using a combination of subliminal arguments that when combined, leave you compelled to sit back and crack a Bud Light.

As one of the largest producers of beer in America, Anheuser-Busch has branded Bud Light as a quality, easy to drink beer a key part of celebrating sports, manhood, and having an all around good time. The notoriety of Bud Light beer has allowed its reputation to precede it; Bud Light has developed a high level of credibility, or ethos, through years of advertisements, and uses its own name as one of its biggest selling points. Once a brand has been established in the eye of the consumers, a very successful marketing strategy is using that trust to persuade the public to continue to buy the product. An example of this is the constant bombardment of Bud Light slogans, logos, and paraphernalia that can be seen in the Bud Light Party campaign. From the moment the commercial airs, the audience is aware that Bud Light is the product being sold. Blue Bud Light signs, blue Bud Light painted cars, and people holding blue Bud Light bottles all contribute to the atmosphere, and it is at this moment the viewer recognizes a familiar brand, and develops a set of expectations for the remainder of the commercial. As humor is a huge part of Bud Light's identity, the audience is subliminally expecting that the commercial be funny, consequently shifting the viewer to a more receptive mood. This initial use of ethos to change the audience's mood sets up the rest of the commercial for success, and makes it more likely to strike a chord with the viewer.

Though branding is an extremely successful form of employing ethos, another is through testimonials of well-known public figures. Comedians are a popular choice for advertisers as they have multiple layers of influence over the public. Their reputation, humor, and celebrity status give them instant credibility, and Bud Light's selection of Amy Schumer and Seth Rogan is a combination orchestrated to reach a greater variety of demographics. Due to the electoral theme of the commercial, it becomes important whom the brand chose to represent them as candidates for the Bud Light Party. The campaign theme correlates directly with the current focus of the nation on the upcoming 2016 presidential elections. A common topic of discussion in this election is the possibility of the United States electing its first woman president, making the inclusion of Amy Schumer in a role as a presidential candidate a clear move to win the favor of women in the audience. While Amy Schumer and Seth Rogan endorse Bud Light throughout the commercial, at no point are they seen consuming the beverage. Though this is for legal reasons, one might think that this could lessen the impact they have as spokespeople for the beer. However, it is still a successful tactic because of the authoritative role that Amy and Seth embody. Removed from the context of the commercial, they are simply well known and well liked comedians who may find success endorsing an item solely because the public trusts and wants to emulate their behavior. Though this is already a powerful and subtle marketing ploy, it takes on even more layers when they are associated with the role of leading the nation. This is demonstrated when at one point in the commercial an individual exclaims "Hey guys can you be quiet? Seth and Amy are talking about our country!" The public commonly associates campaign ads with distinguished and certified individuals who's opinions and ideals are so desirable that they have been deemed fit to lead the country; after all who would support a candidate not fit to be in office? Seth Rogan and Amy Schumer take on this same level of respect and credibility in the eye of the public when they are placed in roles of power. 

The second and equally present form of rhetorical persuasion in this advertisement is the concept of pathos. Pathos is the use of the audience's emotions to manipulate their feelings in a way that will make them consume the advertiser's product. In this commercial, the bulk of pathos can be found in Seth Rogan and Amy Schumer's monologue about their Bud Light campaign. There are a few specific emotional reactions that are specifically targeted by this commercial, but two are used far more explicitly than the others. The first tool used by Amy and Seth is humor. As previously discussed, humor is a very effective tool for improving an audiences mood, and diverting their attention from the fact that they are being persuaded. When Seth and Amy claim they will have "the biggest caucus in the country" they are distracting from Seth's previous statement that "nothing brings America together like Bud Light". This quick shift from a persuasive statement to a humorous comment does not allow time for the viewer to process and decide whether they agree with the claim that Seth presents, making them far more likely to quickly accept it as true. 

The second application of pathos in this dialogue is one of the most common emotions targeted by advertisers since the beginning of the craft. The appeal to an individual's patriotism is one of the most effective means of gaining a customer's support. Bud Light distances itself from an unspecified entity "they" by challenging the notion that "America is a nation divided", and making blanket statements such as "everyone loves beer". In doing so, Bud Light deliberately has created sides. Once these sides have been established, it is easy to further polarize the two, and make one side seem like the obvious logical choice. In doing so, Bud Light has utilized the third component of rhetoric, logos. The systematic separation of the fun, motivational, and agreeable Bud Light party from all other political parties is both an emotional argument that you should support your nation, and a logical argument based on the acceptance that America's political climate is in disarray, so it implants Bud Light as the solution. Bud Light does a fantastic job of creating the image that all good Americans behave in a certain way, and conversely if you do not behave this way, you are un-American and are therefore wrong. Specifically in this commercial, Bud Light wants you to believe that all Americans agree on "loving Paul Rudd" and "beer", as well as compares consuming Bud Light to celebrating our Independence. This makes having different opinions seem like an undesirable trait, which although it may be misleading, has proven to be extremely effective in swinging an audience in the past.

The final rhetorical component found in this commercial is kairos, and it is this concept, which neatly ties all of the other arguments together. Kairos is the use of timing and context to deliver a message at the moment it will have the greatest impact possible, and the timing of this commercial could not have been more perfectly arranged. At this moment, a large majority of the political discussion in America is focused on the 2016 Presidential Election. As is common, tensions run high during this time, as many different ideologies are brought under public scrutiny while people search for the candidate they think will best run this country. A campaign advertisement without the context of a national election may be an interesting commercial, but it does not contain nearly the persuasive power it does when paired with the current focus on the presidency in America. With many people frustrated with the candidate pool, Bud Light expertly inserts itself as the perfect solution to America's problems, furthering the subliminal favor Bud Light inspires in its audience. This deliberate and perfectly timed delivery enhances the emotional response, and provides the platform upon which Amy and Seth are able to so easily sell the idea that Bud Light is America's beer.

