In todays modern age we are constantly connected through social media, regardless of the platform they will be inundated with numerous advertisements. Whether it be to encourage purchasing behaviour or to support a foundation these ads are going to work you into believing what they’re selling. The question is, how are they going viral?

Let’s start by looking at something as simple as an Australian beer ad. Popular Australian brewery, Carlton Draught, is adopting a similar marketing scheme to that of American beer company, Budweiser. Through centring their advertisement around a specific event the viewer, after seeing it enough times, then associates that event with the beer company. This ideology was affirmed, with the advertisement illustrating four principles out of Jonah Berger’s six step model. Jonah Berger’s six step model is composed of social currency, triggers, emotions, the social proof, practical value and stories.

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The renowned ‘It’s a big ad’ advertisement demonstrates guys from ages 25-60 rallying together from two sides of dry land environment to form a person drinking a Carlton draft beer. This is highlighting a message through the story principle, that all men should drink Carlton draught because it’s a masculine beer and the Ad was ‘expensive to make’. I thought to myself, would this advertisement cause some guys to conform as result? Of course, generally males have a human tendency to want to fit in and be socially accepted, from watching this Ad it reinforces that you must drink beer if you’re a man. Carlton Draught effectively markets their product by displaying the Ad when a large proportion of the target niche would be viewing. This was on AFL commercial breaks, triggering purchase behaviour. Alcohol advertisements can trigger different emotions for various consumers. However through the simple message which the advertisement portrayed, it would have had high arousal on a large proportion of consumers, causing them share their opinion.