Let’s face it: advertisement teams are good at what they do. How many times has a slogan for a company popped into your head without any reason why? If you’re not convinced, how about this: try not to recite the entirety of the commercial when you read the words, “Jake from State Farm”, or sing the “we buy any car” jingle. Companies actively try and find ways to make you associate their company with something memorable. I’m sure you’re aware of some of the main ones as stated above (humor, catchy slogans or jingles, and/or spokespeople). However, arguably the most common tactic that companies use for you to remember their brand is through commonplaces: little tidbits of knowledge and/or ideals that are shared both consciously and subconsciously by many.

Take this Budweiser commercial for example, which debuted during one of the 2019 Super Bowl commercial breaks:

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJR8ZC48khc

Amid the sea of hilarious commercials sits this entry, taking on a much more serious tone. The commercial portrays a dog sitting atop a horse drawn carriage in a wheat field, which eventually pans out to a field of windmills adorned with the Budweiser Logo. Around this time frame was when companies started to recognize the population’s shift to more “environmentally friendly” options of doing everyday tasks, and made the smart decision to follow suit. Budweiser decided to integrate this “a better tomorrow” commonplace in their Super Bowl ad, one that would be seen by the hundreds of millions of people who watched the event. The viewers’ new association of Budweiser and “eco-friendly” makes them more likely to purchase a case of their product as opposed to the competitors. The commercial also sneaks in another commonplace, one that Budweiser has a theme of using this commonplace in their high-profile commercials, as you can see by watching their commercials from 2018, 2017, 2016, and so on. Their common theme of “the American Dream” and “hard work pays off” come in different forms throughout the years (as seen by comparing the 2019 to 2016 commercials), but they still share the same commonplace and reach the same intended target audience with their underlying message: this is the beverage for the hard-working, blue collar family man when he wants to kick back and relax.