It's pretty likely you've seen Puppy Love, Budweiser's Superbowl commercial.
I'm writing this article on the Friday before the Superbowl and it's already been viewed online 25 million times. For those who haven't seen it, it shows a labrador puppy making friends with a Clydsdale on a ranch.
While I like the ad, I'm more intrigued by the trends the ad represents.
The first is the growing role pets are playing in society and the broader trend of pet humanization. This is the trend towards pet owners seeing their pets as full fledged family members and themselves as "pet parents" instead of pet owners.
While puppies have long been an advertising staple, this ad truly humanizes both the puppy and the Clydsdale in the way they make friends and interact. This, of course, will appeal to the large and growing group of people who humanize their pets.
The ad also taps into the trend towards a return to simplicity, authenticity and quality.
In the ad the farmer/dog breeder - who's obviously a rugged and independent yet sensitive kind of guy - is shown working with hands. This harkens us back to the authentic, quality oriented days of yore.
This is, of course, our stylized view of the days of yore and not how the days of yore really worked. But hey, it's advertising.
This vision of the solo farmer working his ranch ties into several related trends we track:
New Localism is shift towards Americans relearning the value of community and reestablishing stronger ties with family, friends and their communities. Part of the new localism trend is a growing interest in local, unique, products that look and feel authentic.
The New Artisans are people focused on exploring the combination of new and old ideas, approachs and methods to create high-quality, niche products.
It's interesting to see Budweiser tie into so many trends in one ad - and do so with great effectiveness.
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