Michelob Ultra With Lance Armstrong

We've all heard the saying "live life to the fullest" at least once in our lives. But how often have we heard the saying "live life to the Ultra"? Michelob Ultra is taking life to the next level with their new Ultra beer. Unlike most beer commercials that merely show a man loves his beer, Michelob has decided to make their beer part of a certain lifestyle, the Ultra life. This commercial starts off showing the beer's label as a catchy song begins to play. The viewer is soon emersed in the life of an Ultra drinker. They are shown as fearless, fun-loving, and extreme. One part that I actually enjoy is when it says "and even though they live like there's no tomorrow, they already have plans for tomorrow." As sad as I am to admit this, I can easily see why this could make someone believe that drinking this beer could help them achieve the "Ultra Life", which is exactly what this advertisement is going for.


The composition of this ad is a little more complex than the typical advertisement you would see on televison. It shows multiple scenes of Ultra beer drinkers doing fun activities such as getting together with friends and mountain biking. Although the people throughout the commercial may be of a different race or sex, they are all united by the fact that they are drinking Michelob Ultra.

Another interesting feature of this commercial is the use of Lance Armstrong to promote the "Ultra Lifestyle." Armstrong is a familiar face to most Americans. He is known as a profound and dedicated athlete who is also a survivor of cancer. Seeing him could make viewers further believe that drinking this beer could help them further achieve great things, which may or may not be true.

Just as some extra information, possibly to make it easier to understand where my views are coming from for the readers of this blog, I'm neither against drinking or for it really. In moderation, I don't see it as a bad thing whatsoever. I've been to my share of parties and am generally just a social drinker so it's easy for me to see both sides of drinking.

One thing I do disagree with, however, is the fact that when it comes to most alcohol advertisements of commercials the people are portrayed in an unrealistic fashion. The companies who produces these things seem to make it seem like anyone who drinks is thin, beautiful, and happy. We all know that's usually not the case although sometimes it could be. It makes me worry about the younger viewers that might see these ads and think that their life can only be that great, or that they could only achieve certain things if they drink.

The main downfall to this commercial is the things not shown. It goes right along with the trend and shows Ultra drinkers as athletic, trendy, confident, and happy. It's as if the message of this whole advertisement is "drink our beer and you can become like these Ultra-lifestyle lovers." It wants the viewer to think that by drinking this beer, with its 95 calories and a mere 2.6 carbs, is the best choice over any other beer and a way to success. Throwing in the beers nutrition facts is also appealing to customers and could cause them to choose this beer over any others. I understand you can't make a bad commercial and expect to sell your product, but I think they could make them a little more realistic.

The overall subject/ focus of the commercial is to sell more beer. Michelob chose all these different people in many different scenes to show that anyone can "live life to the ultra" as long as they're drinking Michelob Ultra beer.

This commercial probably appeals to an audience of younger adults. I would consider young adults being of the age between 21 and upper 30s. They are generally still quite active and still into going out with friends often. Even though I don't particularly like beer, I think this advertisement adequately represents the young adult drinkers. I can easily identify with the events and things shown in this commercial, I mean I am a freshman in college. On the other hand, this commercial may not particularly appeal to older adults, which I would consider to be 40 and up. Older adults are likely to not be as active as young people and may not be able to identify with the party scene anymore. Instead of going out to bars and parties, they may see beer as a relaxation tool and would prefer to be at home while they enjoyed it.

Taking all the various parts of this advertisement into consideration is still doesn't make me want to drink their beer just because of the things they've shown. Mainly because of the downside of the commercial, all the things they seem to leave out. They don't show many of the negatives of drinking beer that I have seen throughout my years such as getting in trouble with the law, car wrecks, bad decisions, beer bellies, and the dreaded freshman 15. Not only is the "Ultra Life" a little farfetched, there are not enough pros shown to outweigh the cons.