Reading Response #3: Robert Scholes

Caity Chutuk
Reading Response #3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xD6ghskNKa8

In the Budweiser ad titled, “Clydesdales Donkey”, a lot can be inferred from only a few scenes. The advertisement begins with a young donkey, explaining his desire to become a Budweiser Clydesdale. His story is the commonly known story of somebody different working hard to fit in with others. The commercial shows the donkey working hard, trying a variety of ways to become as good as a Clydesdale, to hopefully one day achieve his dream. It’s easily understood that he is hardworking and driven to get to where he wants to be. In the end, the donkey is accepted in with the Budweiser Clydesdales and his dream is achieved, proving that someone on the outside can make it in.

In an article written by Robert Scholes, Scholes introduces an idea called ‘Cultural Knowledge’, explaining that, “We draw upon a storehouse of cultural information that extends from fairy-tails and other basic narrative structures.” Meaning, that everybody has similar enough belief systems that most can understand the basic stories that are told time and time again in American culture. Scholes explains that in a popular Budweiser commercial, also drawing on the idea of someone ‘different’ working hard to achieve their dreams, the whole story can be easily understood in a matter of seconds due to the cultural knowledge of the audience, and once analyzed, can be seen as a bigger cultural representation.

A story commonly told in American culture is one of an outsider trying to fit in with those around them. In this story, the outsider is the donkey. Obviously different, he tries to make changes to himself in order to gain acceptance with those around him, including carrying heavy weight, like Clydesdales commonly do, and getting ‘hair extensions’ above his hooves, like Clydesdales are born with. In order to understand this commercial, one must have the cultural knowledge of the previously mentioned story either from their personal life experiences, or in seeing them through the media. Because the audience knows this story well, advertisers are able to draw from that cultural knowledge and incorporate it into commercials, knowing the audience will understand.
Scholes’ pointed out that by “rooting” for the outsider, one is actually rooting for the system of America, the melting pot, to work. “We root for the [outsider] because we want the whole thing to work…America.” When the donkey is accepted into the Budweiser Clydesdales, he is showing the audience that the idea of America being a melting pot does work, and that his hard work and talent will triumph over his differences from those around him. The story of the melting pot is a commonly understood theme in American culture.

Scholes’ idea can be seen in a majority of the advertisements published in the media today. Simple, basic literary references can be seen in use by many of today’s marketers and the reoccurring themes will probably continue to be seen in commercials in order to include the audience’s feelings in what they’re watching. The stories of the outsider making it in, the melting pot of America, and others like them are what make advertisements so relatable to viewers. However, as Scholes puts it, “it’s not the power to sell beer, which is easily resisted…but it’s the power to sell America.”