OAK BROOK, Ill. -- Soft and fuzzy or against the grain. These are the two types of messages coming out of the beer industry these days, and both were demonstrated to some degree during yesterday's Super Bowl.
The former came in the form of The Beer Institute's effort to enhance the image of beer during the launch of a mostly Anheuser-Busch-sponsored marketing campaign. The latter came in two ways: One being A-B's own new commercials that, according to Ad Age, include scenes that resemble drunken revelry, and the other being Miller Brewing Co.'s [image-nocss] vocal objection that the beer industry doesn't have an image problem, but A-B does.
Miller has refused to join in funding the Beer Institute campaign that is aimed at turning around sales losses to wine and spirits. Miller has said it prefers instead to market its own products. We are happy and supportive of Anheuser-Busch spending its own money on an industry campaign, Miller spokesperson Pete Marino told Ad Age. We will be making our own investments in marketing Miller brands. The company also has said it has very low expectations that the campaign will succeed.
A-B, not surprisingly, is more optimistic. We put one of our best minds on this: Bob Lachky. He was behind every strong marketing campaign that we've had out in the last dozen years, said Joe Vonder Haar, vice president of the convenience channel for A-B, during a recent CSP Beverage Category Roundtable. What we're going to try to do is celebrate what beer is all about. There are beer occasions that we want to highlight, whether it's going to the ball game, or going out with the guys or the girls, or a poker game. Those are all great beer occasions, and it's about celebrating life, celebrating everyday occasions.
The first Here's to Beer ad debuted last night, featuring people of many nationalities raising a beer and toasting in the native tongue. In future commercials, The Beer Institute will ask celebrities who, of anyone in the world, dead or alive, they would like to have a beer with. Responses will range from the personalone celeb opts for his father, who passed away several years agoto the historicalBenjamin Franklin is said to crop up at least once.
Even as The Beer Institute aims to romance beer, it also has loosened its advertising standards for the first time in three years.
According to a separate story in Ad Age, it is now officially OK to show people drinking and people flirting in beer ads. The Beer Institute, as part of its move toward industry self regulation, has modified its advertising code, allowing brewers to show drinking and romantic interactions, within limits, in advertising.
The new code also defines humor, parody and satire for the first time as something readily identifiable as such by reasonable adults of legal drinking age. It also requires brewer audits to assure ad placements are in media reaching a 70% adult audience, according to the article.
The changes pave the way for brewers to push the boundaries of the television ads, should they choose to do so. During last night's Super Bowl, viewers saw a beer drinker uncover several beers hidden around his office. Perhaps next year, he'll be able to drink them.Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.