Alcohol is a widely accepted as a social drug, mainly due to the supporting media advertisements. This Debunk will focus solely on alcohol.
I picked Corona for my ad debunk because it it popular among my peers. Corona’s website has a short paragraph thats they chose to represent the brand:”When you bring the three together, unforgettable moments and unbeatable experiences are bound to happen. Corona embodies that carefree state of mind you find when you’re living truly in the moment. With ice-cold Corona in your cooler and good company by your side, your beach is never far away”. I’ve selected an Ad from 2011 that has many interesting features worthy of discussion
History of Corona
Corona beer’s history starts in 1922 when Grupo Modelo formed and directed by Pablo Diez. In 1925 the first production run of Corona was bottled, within a decade it had become the best selling beer in Mexico. by 1979, the company was selling beer in the United States. By the mid 80’s Corona was a U.S sensation, typically among surfers and young college men. In 1985 Corona started exporting to New Zealand, Japan and Australia . Corona’s huge international success surprised everyone including Corona executives, who tried to avoid shortages of the product around the country.
Intended Audience
In all of the ads i have watched, people in their young twenties seem to be the target audience. Finding Corona ads was a task only youtube could help me with, which infers that younger people are being more targeted than any other audience. The ad shows excessively young, attractive people drinking corona in order to give them the feeling of fulfillment which is necessary to provide peace. Corona has a history of being popular in areas near the ocean, thus their slogan: “Find Your Beach”.
Active Ingredients
Corona Extra includes barley malt, rice and/or corn, hops, yeast, antioxidants (ascorbic acid), and propylene glycol alginate as a stabilizer. Ethanol is the part of alcohol that is intoxicating, which is likely the factor that contributes to addiction. Negative effects that can occurs due to alcohol include: memory loss, liver damage, Slurred speech, Drowsiness, Vomiting, Diarrhea, Upset stomach, Headaches, Breathing difficulties, Distorted vision and hearing, Impaired judgment, Decreased perception and coordination, Unconsciousness, Anemia (loss of red blood cells), Coma, Blackouts (memory lapses, where the drinker cannot remember events that occurred while under the influence). Meanwhile the ad gives no warning of ANY negative side effects.
Advertising Techniques
Visual imagery in this ad played a part to promote the products image. An example of this is when the environment changes in order to cater to both the people who love the heat and the people who love the cold, at the same time implying that no matter where you are, you’ll be as calm as a beach-side vacation if you sip on a Corona. This ad supports the idea that offering someone a beer is a great way to start a conversation with them.
Opinion
Taking in consideration the negative side effects as well as the social aspects of Corona and alcohol in general, drinking doesn’t seem like the best idea in terms of a long and healthy life, yet there is still millions of Americans that drink. Drinking alcohol can be severely detrimental, but at the same time, both the social aspect and relaxing feeling seems to lead people to think the “good” out-weighs the “bad”. So with all this in mind, I would recommend Corona to my friends and family, but caution them to drink responsibly.
References:
“Corona (Beer).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Oct. 2017, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corona_(beer).
“Watch Truth About Drugs Documentary Video & Learn About Substance Addiction. Get The Facts About Painkillers, Marijuana, Cocaine, Meth & Other Illegal Drugs.” Foundation for a Drug-Free World, www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/alcohol/short-term-long-term-effects.html.
“Corona USA.” Coronausa.com, www.coronausa.com/.
“Corona Beer – A Mexican Beer.” DonQuijote, www.donquijote.org/culture/mexico/society/food/corona-beer.