Last night I watched most of the third game of the 2006 World Series between the Detroit Tigers and the St. Louis Cardinals. The game was not all that compelling (I have a hatred for the Cardinals… as a good Cubs fan should), but one of the commercials really stuck out as being worth mentioning. The new Budweiser commercials feature lots of young people dancing at some kind of party and this particular commercial ends with the “youngish” head of the company telling you why you should buy his beer. The noteworthy part, though, is that the song that is being played is a catchy dance song that keeps repeating the words “Don’t hold back.” Interestingly, these words are sung (spoken) at the same time that the words “Please drink responsibly” are fleetingly superimposed at the bottom of the screen. So, I ask you… which message is Budweiser trying to get across? Should a person drink responsibly… or hold nothing back. You can’t do both at the same time. What about the messages that I send when someone sees me angry because someone just cut me off in traffic or when they have 32 items in their cart and feel that they deserve an express-lane checkout? Are they getting the message that God has changed my life and that I have hope beyond comprehension or are they getting the same lousy treatment that they get from everyone else? Just thinking out loud…

[tags]Budweiser, World Series, Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals, “Don’t Hold Back”, drink responsibly, message[/tags]