ABSTRACT
This chapter extends the focus on language creativity and innovation to multimodal texts, in particular commercials for beer brands that were broadcast early on in the Covid-19 pandemic. We first review the literature on advertising discourse, especially beer advertising and advertising during a crisis, and then show how a widely applied framework for multimodal analysis (Kress and van Leeuwen, 2021) can be used to analyse the interplay of various elements in complex multimodal texts such as advertisements. Beer brands were chosen as they saw a sizeable proportion of their market collapse overnight when lockdown restrictions were imposed, including the closure of bars, pubs and restaurants. Our analysis seeks to identify how three of the most popular beer brands worldwide adjusted their brand messages during the Covid-19 pandemic. Whether they encouraged audiences by expressing patriotic sentiment (Budweiser), recontextualised typical tropes of alcohol advertisements in topical narratives (Heineken) or launched charitable campaigns (Stella Artois), we look at how the brands used language, visuals and music in their advertising and ask what the findings suggest about how brands can survive a sudden, drastic change in their market.
