Bud Light's #UpForWhatever campaign raises Congresswoman's ire

Oh, Bud. What were you thinking?

My friend Lyndsay just drew my attention to the marketing line on a Bud Light label that is accidentally(?) anti-consent.

The campaign, which features young people doing stupid things after drinking away their inhibitions, includes beer labels with throwaway lines like "The perfect beer for singing out loud, even if you don't know the words," and "The perfect beer for going without a ticket and still getting into the show."

Unfortunately, one of these lines was “The perfect beer for removing 'no' from your vocabulary for the night.”

As Chris Morran writes at Consumerist,

"Given the role that alcohol plays in many things that would have been a 'no' without a night a drinking — driving under the influence, sexual assault, vandalism, public urination, random “woot-woot”-ing as you ping-pong down the sidewalk — it’s probably not the best idea for a multinational multibillion-dollar business like Bud Light’s parent company AB InBev to publicly acknowledge that its product can lead users down a path to stupid consequences."

A storm in a beer stein? Hardly. The mistake has motivated US Congresswoman Nita Lowey to publicly admonish the brand on Twitter:

RT if you agree @budlight #UpForWhatever campaign should promote responsible - not reckless - drinking. #NoMeansNo pic.twitter.com/EFxwi2nZ4w
— Nita Lowey (@NitaLowey) April 28, 2015

Twitter is lighting up with angry disapproval of the marketing and #nomeansno Tweets.

It's quite possible that this line was simply intended to be about partying without a care, but in today's media environment marketers need to be especially sensitive about miscommunication.

They also have to be responsive to disasters like this. But @budlight has not Tweeted since April 26. Double fail.

UPDATE: BuzzFeed managed to get this statement from  Anheuser-Busch vice president Alexander Lambrecht:

“The Bud Light Up for Whatever campaign, now in its second year, has inspired millions of consumers to engage with our brand in a positive and light-hearted way. In this spirit, we created more than 140 different scroll messages intended to encourage spontaneous fun. It’s clear that this message missed the mark, and we regret it. We would never condone disrespectful or irresponsible behavior.”

UPDATE 2:

@Creativetweets Couldn't agree more. This one's an undisputable facepalm. And here it is - http://t.co/lzd7JGxevc
— Lisa Weser (@LisaWeser) April 28, 2015

Are we still supposed to be shocked by women's body hair?

Via AOTW

These "ads," posted on Ads Of The World, are showing up around the internet. It's not the first time women's body hair has been used as a punchline. (Thanks, Joe La Pompe!) However, I suspect that these are spec ads. The only credits are to the AD (Peder Stryhn) and photographer (Magnus Ekstrøm), who presumably are counting on sex and controversy to get their names mentioned.

But why would this be controversial?

AOTW

Over the past few years, fashion brands such as American Apparel have used the tactic to get headlines, but as grooming fashions continue to change will these types of stunts lose their edge?

Personally, I hope so. 

Christian college prof appears on beer label, gets canned

Daily Mail

Holy City Brewing is a microbrewery in Charleston, South Carolina. This is one of their beer labels.

Daily Mail

And this is Paul Roof, who until recently worked as an associate professor of sociology at a Christian liberal arts college in North Charleston.

Charleston Southern University apparently told Dr. Roof that appearing on a beer can was "not representative of a Christian environment" and they fired him.

He claims that the picture, which was taken at a beard competition, was used without his knowledge and without compensation. However, Dr. Roof has a longstanding relationship with the beer brand. According to live5news, he founded the Holy City Beard and Moustache Society in 2007, with Holy City Brewing as a name sponsor. Charleston Southern was aware of his relationship with the company, but didn't have an issue with it until now.

The professor told NBC, "I was told that it was not representative of a Christian environment. And for me a Christian environment entails two things: looking out for other people and forgiveness of others who've transgressed you."

Heineken is pretty sure there are no female soccer fans (in Brazil)

Adfreak's Tim Nudd writes:

Evidently not worried about cries of sexism, Heineken has organized a giant shoe sale in Brazil this Saturday—so that women will flock to it and leave their boyfriends and husbands in peace to watch the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid.

Really? Really:



I guess Heineken and and their friends at Wieden+Kennedy São Paulo forgot that not only do women in Brazil like sports, but also that these types of campaigns tend to get international brands in trouble.

"Don't worry your pretty little head about this man stuff on the field.
Just grab me a Heinie and go shoe shopping."
(Photo via Mirror UK)

This bullshit is even sadder when you realize that women in Brazil were not allowed to play soccer, professionally, until 1979.

Aline Pellegrino was the captain of the Brazilian women's national team from 2005-2013, has been on three Olympic teams and played in the Women's World Cup twice. She told PRI, "All the girls of my generation played with young boys. I didn't see women playing on TV. There was nobody to look up to or be inspired by."

Ms. Pellegrino co-founded Guerreiras Project to "use futebol as a tool to promote gender justice and create possibilities for more equitable and sustainable ways of being."

That's right, Heineken. Soccer is actually a major feminist issue in Brazil. For years, women have been fighting to be taken seriously as athletes there. They are referred, jeeringly, to as "zapatón" [actually, "sapatão" - see comments] or big shoes. It's a homophobic slur against lesbians.

And Heineken just told them to go buy some shoes and leave soccer to the menfolk.

A German anti-beer ad? Now I've seen it all!

"It's not just you alcohol ruins" Via Ads of The World

This ad, credited to Jung von Matt, doesn't even make any sense. A bottle of beer makes other people angry at you? What?

Plus, I wonder why International Blue Cross (not the American insurance providers, but a group of "independent, non-denominational Christian organisations") would take such a zero-tolerance attitude towards something that most people use without problems.

Two more:

Molson Canadian scores Canada's favourite viral image of the moment #anythingforhockey

Via Molson

Go Canada!  #OurTeamCan

Putin-branded beer is "#NotForGays"

brewdog.com

In an amusing contribution to discussions about Russia's legalized homophobia and the Sochi Winter Olympics, a Scottish craft brewery has launched a beer that takes pot shots at the Russian President.

From their blog:

Hello, my name is Vladimir. I am a beer for uber hetero men who ride horses while topless and carrying knives. I am a beer to mark the 2014 Winter Olympics. But I am not for gays. Love wrestling burly men on the Judo mat or fishing in your Speedos? Then this is the beer for you!

brewdog.com

Complete with faux-Warhol portraits of Vladimir Putin, the campaign for the limited edition beer has taken to Twitter with the spoof hashtag #notforgays

@brewdog 10/10.
— Master of Malt (@MasterOfMalt) February 4, 2014

All report of subversion in bar are lie from homosexual media. Morale strong like President's bare torso. #NotForGays pic.twitter.com/fRb1E6KQC3
— BrewDog Camden (@BrewDogCamden) February 4, 2014

The Russian Consulate didn't want the beer I brought them so I just left it on their doorstep #NotForGays @brewdog pic.twitter.com/aDAjFk3iA2
— Calvin McDonald (@CalvinMcD) February 4, 2014

On a serious note, the brewery writes:

The sick, twisted legislation brought about in Russia that prevents people from living their true lives is something we didn't want to just sit back and not have an opinion on. Our core beliefs are freedom of expression, freedom of speech and a dogged (no pun intended) passion for doing what we love. Thus, we are donating 50% of the profits from this beer to charitable organisations that support like minded individuals wishing to express themselves freely without prejudice.

H/T The Drum

Want to have a beer with the POTUS? This is your chance...

The image above just appeared in my G+ feed:

Is it just me, or does the picture of President Obama hanging out with frat boys look like it was photoshopped by The Onion?

The appeal links to a page on the President's site where you can pledge to "help get the word out about getting covered" and "be automatically entered for the chance to fly in to meet President Obama backstage in Washington, D.C."

I suppose it's an attempt to show President Obama as approachable, but the way he towers over the slobbish, beaming, and seemingly-drunk male youths — beer in hand — is rather bizarre.

This isn't the first time that images used in the promotion of the Affordable Care Act have left people scratching their heads. Remember the reaction to Adriana, who wasn't actually enrolled in the ACA? Remember “Pajama Boy”? Or "Out2Enroll"?

The "blonde" beer trope again raises its airy head

Another blonde beer campaign for my collection. (Via Ads of The World) This one ads the airhead angle. 

If the one above wasn't based on a sexist stereotype, it would actually be quite clever. The other two (below) are less so. Another tragic example of creatives (in this case, Droga5 in Sydney) weakening an idea by sticking to the Rule of Three:

Is this NZ beer billboard the right way to welcome equal marriage?

Now that New Zealand has equal marriage, this ad brings up the question of whether the advertiser is taking a cheap shot at same-sex marriage or simply "normalizing" it by including gay people in some rusty old step-parent humour.

According to the brewer:

‘‘Our intention with the current Tui Yeah Right billboard ‘Dad’s new husband seems nice’ was to highlight the common situation or uncertainty experienced when someone’s parent remarries. 

‘‘Given the recent passing of the Same Sex Marriage Bill in Parliament, this ‘Yeah Right’ line is a topical spin at the age-old situation of a parent's new partner.’’

Tui's Facebook page is hosting an impassioned discussion of the ad's intentions, including the (regrettably) inevitable homophobic comments.

Adfreak's David Kiefaber concludes, "I don't think Tui meant any actual harm here, but the delivery was crap. If you have to explain a joke, that's proof that it bombed. That's not something you can blame on the audience."

Molson asks: Are you on a "Guyet"?

Beer advertising for men has always had a certain dufus appeal. This new campaign for Molson's 67-calorie beer is no different:



From Strategy:

Jean-Yves Beaudoin, assistant marketing manager, Molson Coors, says that the campaign is different for the brand because it’s aimed more at a mindset and a lifestyle than a demographic. 

“‘Guyet’ is a way of life.  It’s not about indulging in crappy food all the time, it’s about exercising properly so you can rationalize eating things you love, like burgers with bacon,” he says of the insight behind the campaign.

Which is the way lots of us live, but why brand it just for men? Lots of women I know like burgers and beer, and still try to balance their intake with healthy activity.

The obvious answer is that it's not an easy sell to get guy's guys to be seen drinking lower-calorie beer. At least, that's how I deconstruct the challenge given to the creative team at Rethink.

The key line: "This isn't some diet — and this isn't some diet beer"

Presumably, they have research to show that the men they want to sell to don't want to admit to being on a "diet" or drinking "light beer". Instead, they exercise hard and eat hearty, while drinking a lower-cal beer that in no way compromises their masculinity.

Pretty strategic advertising, actually. Even if it doesn't have the most progressive take on gender.

Australian beer ads play up travel anxieties

I had always thought of Australians as the ultimate globe-trotters, but I guess they worry about travel inconveniences and danger just like everyone else.

This cheeky campaign by Grey, Canberra, shows everything from being puked on by a baby on the plane to being subjected to a body cavity search at customs and, ultimately, kidnapped by foreign terrorists.

Not exactly a campaign you'd see for the travel industry. And the last one really dials up the xenophobia.

The third one strikes me as going too far, especially since it looks like the're about to execute the cartoon beer. But perhaps we're all hyper-sensitized to gun violence at the moment. 

The ads do, at least, succeed in telling a clear story about the freshness benefit of buying local.

Via Ads of The World

Labatt's corporate drinking songs of the Great Depression

Here's a fun bit of history for beer, music and communications industry fans.

I found this artifact at an antiques sale in Kingston, Ontario. I estimate its vintage as 1930s, based on the label on the IPA bottle on the front cover, as well as by the design. 

Note that many of the popular folk and drinking songs have had their lyrics modified to make in-jokes about beer, brewing, and the Labatt family. Also, cringe at the casual racism ("darkies") of the time.

An interesting peek into early 20th century morale-building HR campaigns from one of Canada's major beer brands.

More on Labatt's history here.

Cross-posted on Retronaut.

Remembrance Day is not a marketing angle

Today, November 11, is a day when we stop for a moment and remember all the men and women who gave their lives in combat for what they thought would be a better world.

I take this moment pretty seriously. Rather than getting swept up in the more sentimental trappings of the public observation, I simply try to imagine myself, my son, my wife, or other loved ones in the tranches. Killing. Suffering. Dying.

But everyone has their own way to remember, and that's fine. Unless you try to use the day to sell people something:

I'm actually a big fan of Mill St's beers. But I may have to reconsider that if they don't soon acknowledge that this was a tasteless move by their Ottawa Twitter person, apologize, and try to make it right.

Developing...

Update: 

(Ignore the timestamps, they're just from when I screencapped the Tweets)

Weak, but at least it's responsive.

This ad is so gay

Via Adrants

And isn't that wonderful?

Red Hook, a beer brewed in Washington and New Hampshire, has come out in favour of marriage equality in the run-up to next Tuesday's election in the United States. Americans in Maine, Maryland and Washington will also have the opportunity to vote for equal marriage amendments, and Minnesota voters have a "traditional marriage" one to consider.

This year's massively-polarized political climate has several brands to "take sides" on LGBT issues, including Oreo, Target, Gap and JC Penney flying the rainbow flag, and Chick-fil-A becoming an accidental shibboleth for the anti-equality movement. And Marriott International, an organization that "once counted Mitt Romney as a corporate board member" and whose owner "is among the candidate's top donors," is (ironically?) targeting lesbian couples in its advertising.

Adrants' Steve Hall points out:

It's always a gamble when a brand takes a stand on such polarizing issues. At risk is the loss of business from one end of the spectrum or the other. But it's admirable when a brand is brave enough to publicly share its collective beliefs.

It is great. Although I'm not sure a microbrewery is taking much of a risk in appealing to a more progressive audience.

Was the politicization of "The Most Interesting Man in the World" intentional?

Dos Equis is facing a veritable shitstorm of social media controversy on the Facebook page, simply because Jonathan Goldsmith, the actor they hired for their hugely popular campaign, "The Most Interesting Man in the World," is hosting a fundraiser for US President Obama:

There are some positive comments too, and both types of posts inspire similar low-level flamewars that degenerate into name-calling and some casual racism. (On a side note, up here in Canada we find the claim that President Obama is a "socialist" to be risible.)

This is probably just a minor headache for the American importer of Dos Equis, Heineken USA. They told Ad Age: "Mr. Goldsmith's opinions and views are strictly his own, and do not represent those of Dos Equis" but don't appear to have made any effort to address the issue on their Facebook page.

Maybe they are just sitting back to see what happens. Other brands have waded in to politics, which is a high-risk strategy. But with risk comes the possibility of above-average rewards. Especially if you know your target audience.

Last August, ABC news reported on the correlation between brand preference and political views on Facebook, as reported by Microstrategy's Wisdom application.

Here is one of the findings:

Dos Equis, the Mexican lager known for its "Most Interesting Man in the World" commercials, may be a better choice if Obama is looking to show camaraderie with his 27 million Facebook fans. 

About 24,000 of Obama's Facebook supporters in the Wisdom database, which represents about 3 percent of all Obama's Facebook fans, are also Dos Equis fans, making Obama supporters about 6 percent more likely to like Dos Equis than the average Wisdom Facebook user. Obama fans are only 4 percent more likely to "like" Bud Light.

Could Heineken USA have secretly condoned the appearance? The Obama/Biden fundraising site actually calls Goldsmith "the actor who portrays The Most Interesting Man in the World." And while Jonathan Goldsmith can do what he wants as a citizen, professional spokespeople are usually contractually obligated to avoid any public behaviour that can bring negative attention to the brand. 

Could this have been a strategic piece of off-the-books political marketing? Now that's an interesting thought.

Thanks to Copyranter for the tip.