1. Whose message is this? Who created or paid for it? Why?

It is Barton Beers’ message. Barton Beers is the U.S. importer of Mexico via Pacifico beer. They paid for the ad to market this product to a U.S. audience.

2. Who is the “target audience”? What is their age, ethnicity, class, profession, interests, etc.? What words, images or sounds suggest this?

The words “All the Spanish you need to know,” suggest that the audience for this ad does not speak Spanish. The image of blonde man and woman in their 20s or 30s suggest that the target audience is also blonde, white, heterosexual, and under 40. The image of the water, the presence of alcohol, and the implication that this situation is taking place in Mexico suggest a target audience of people who are interested in drinking on the beach while on vacation.

3. What is the “text” of the message? (What we actually see and/or hear: written or spoken words, photos, drawings, logos, design, music, sounds, etc.)

The text is a photograph of a blonde man and a blonde woman who are both barefoot in the sand on a beach. The woman is holding a yellow case of beer, and the man is handing two unopened bottles of beer to a man with brown skin and dark hair in an orange boat. The boat is ashore. The dark-haired man wears a baseball cap and is holding a large fish in his right hand. In the background is the ocean and in the distance in the blue water there is a white boat with someone standing in it. Above the photograph are the words, “All the Spanish you need to know.” In the bottom right-hand corner is a photograph of a bottle of beer with the words, “Mexico via Pacifico” and in smaller text, “Please drink responsibly.” 

4. What is the “subtext” of the message? (What do you think is the hidden or unstated meaning?)

Various subtexts could include: the dark-haired man is Mexican, the light-haired couple is American, the dark-haired man only speaks Spanish, the light-haired couple only speaks English,  this brand of beer is so valuable that a fisherman is willing to trade his day’s work for two bottles of it, it is not necessary to speak any language other than English because alcohol transcends borders, Mexican fisherman like to drink Mexico via Pacifico so it must be culturally authentic, white American tourists walk around Mexican beaches carrying cases of beer hoping to barter for dinner, trading alcohol for food is a sustainable economic plan for tourists to participate in, giving alcohol to people of color is a great way to get them to give up their resources, and Mexico via Pacifico is a translation service for non-Spanish speaking American travelers.

5. What kind of lifestyle is presented? Is it glamorized? How?

There are two distinct lifestyles presented in this ad. One is the lifestyle of the tourists who are spending a day of leisure, and the second lifestyle is that of  the local fishermen who are working offshore at the same beach where the tourists play. Both lifestyles are romanticized. The tourists are on a beach which appears to not be crowded, and they are getting to purchase a large amount of fresh fish in exchange for two beers. The fisherman’s life is romanticized in that he seems to have no need for money in exchange for his day of work, as if he has no other needs or responsibilites that he is accountable for.

6. What values are expressed?

The values of leisure, work, vacation, fresh food, alcohol consumption, and barter are expressed.

7. What “tools of persuasion” are used?

The tools of persuasion being used include plain folks, the big lie, association, extrapolation, simple solution, and symbols.

See "The language of persuasion"

8. What positive messages are presented? What negative messages are presented?

The positive messages presented are: the fish appears to have lived in uncontaminated water, the beach appears clean, and the use of barter as an economic concept has positive implications. The negative messages presented are: paying someone in alcohol for their work is questionable and underpaying someone for their work is exploitation.

9. What groups of people does this message empower? What groups does it disempower? How does this serve the media maker's interests?

This message empowers white monolingual U.S. citizens. It disempowers working class people of color, both in the U.S. and outside of the U.S. Overall, the media maker’s interests are served because the target audience is kept comfortable and unchallenged, and therefore more willing to feel good about the product.