Similarities and differences

The first of the last two questions in the survey asked the respondents to choose which of the advertisements they felt best captured their attention. 39 of the 54 (72%) respondents chose to answer this question. The graph below shows the details of the data obtained from their answers:

Graph 4.10: Survey respondents’ answer to “In your opinion, which advertisement best captures your attention?”

It is clear that the respondents enjoyed the Castle Lite advertisement more than the other advertisements. The last question then asked the respondents “Which advertisement best met your needs as a consumer? In other words, can you identify with the main characters in any of the advertisements? Please explain.” 40

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%

Castle Lager 'The Journey' Castle Lite 'The Official Castle Lite' Carling Black Label 'Champion Men' Hansa Pilsener 'Sold Out'

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respondents (74%) chose to answer this question. The answers to these questions reveal details about why the respondents enjoy each advertisement and can identify with characters in the advertisements. Those who prefer the Castle Lager advertisement said:

 “Yes because the characters in this advertisement look happy and are socializing with

different people from different races, and the main purpose of drinking beer is to have fun and enjoy yourself.”

 “ Castle Lager...The main characters is representing me as a consumer, i.o.w they do the stuff that reminds me of my last Beer...and when I say my last beer I mean a journey to happiness and satisfaction”

 “Castle Lager The Journey. I like the product the most of them all, so naturally it draws my attention. Plus at my age we all want something like what that advertisement communicates.

 “ I love 2 aspects of the advert: cricket and supporting the Proteas and of course braai is every South Africans' favourite. I am not a beer drink but would love to experience sharing a beer with one of the Proteas”

 “Castle Lager Journey: Friendship plays a large role in my life. To discover new things as being a student also trying to establish a career is part of a personal and success-seeking

"journey", but one which is hoped to be shared with others.”

The respondents who felt that the Castle Lite advertisement best met their needs responded:

 “castle light, cool people drink it, it's advertised everywhere, even in clubs so you'd feel left out if drank black label at a club”

 “Castle Lite, advert, makes me want to be that guy who everyone admires”

 “Castle lite defines my personality and the type of person completely.”

The Carling Black Label advertisement was chosen by some respondents because:

 “The Black Label ad did it for me because I believe in being a champion so the fact that they celebrate champions in their glory met my needs”

Lastly, those who felt that the Hansa Pilsener advertisement best met their needs explained that:

 “Hansa Pilsener Sold Out, because it represents how the youth are today, once their alcohol has run out, they go to extreme measures to find more.”

 “Hansa pilsener because their advert its simple and appealing to everyone and I feel like it doesn't exclude gender”

There were also respondents who felt that none of the advertisements met their needs either because they are female and felt that the advertisements only catered to a male audience, or because they do not drink beer or alcohol.

68 4.3.1.7.1 Similarities

The data gained from the online survey responses revealed that there are certain similarities between the four SAB beer brands’ advertisements in this study. Firstly, it is clear that respondents perceived the advertisements, particularly the Castle Lager, Castle Lite and Hansa Pilsener advertisements, to have fun and sociable elements in them. They suggested that the products and brands in each advertisement were promoted using social environments and fun activities. This translates into the audiences perceiving that the advertisements’ communicated messages being focussed on the idea that drinking alcohol is good, and even in some cases, necessary in order to have fun.

Secondly, there are a large number of respondents who felt that the advertisements were aimed at a male audience. Some respondents even felt that the female audiences were ignored, with a small number suggesting that the female beer brand television advertisements. It is understood that the audience identified that while, Castle Lager and Carling Black Label both employ sports focussed themes in their advertisements, Hansa Pilsener and Castle Lite use elements of fun, friendship and status in their advertisements.

It is also important to point out that, from the selected samples responses, specific traits can be identified as they stand out in each of the advertisements. For example, the Castle Lager advertisement has a clear use of national pride and patriotism linked to the social aspect of the imagery and sound used in the advertisement. However, the Castle Lite advertisement likens the chilled factor of their alcoholic beverage to the trendy and stylish social environment depicted in the advertisement. Whereas, the Carling Black Label advertisement employs concepts of winning, achievement and reward to set apart its product and consumer from

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competitors. And finally, the social environment depicted in the Hansa Pilsener advertisement is created with the use of adventure and friendship.