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

This organic tomato sauce may or may not contain severed head

My friend Gord sent me a link from Good that points out a pretty hilarious packaging gaffe. Or is it?

Tropical Traditions, originally a coconut oil importer in the US, has branched out into organic packaged foods. One of them is an Italian pasta sauce line, with labels showing women from Renaissance Italian paintings.

Organic Spicy Tomato & Roasted Garlic, for example, features Botticelli's The Birth of Venus, but without the breasts:

Organic Tomato & Basil uses Raphael's Woman with the Veil:

Organic Tomato and Grilled Eggplant gets one of my favourite portraits, Lady with an Ermine by Leonardo:

OK, the weasel is a little weird for a food label. (Assuming the sauce doesn't have much weasel in it.) 

But let's move on to the final jar, Organic Tomato & Porcini Mushroom:

What is with that woman's face, anyway? She doesn't look too impressed. Perhaps we should have a look at the uncropped painting, which is Caravaggio's... Judith Beheading Holofernes?!?

That's right, it's a decapitation. In the apocryphal Book of Judith, the eponymous heroine is a righteous Hebrew who saves Israel by talking her way into the tent of Assyrian general Holofernes, then hacking off his head after he passes out drunk. Since Christians love them a good grisly death, this scene has been portrayed by several artists over the centuries.

But why choose it for a food label? Especially a food that itself kind of resembles gore?

There is no way the designer was unaware of the painting's context, as she or he would have had to research a public domain version of the whole work from which to crop the label.

In fact, I believe what we are seeing here is a clever little prank. A designer who counted on his or her client to be ignorant of the source material. The Botticelli and Leonardo portraits are well-known enough that they probably sold the idea of using Renaissance Italian paintings of women to give the sauces a note of "old-world authenticity." But a severed head, spouting arterial blood, is probably one of the last things I want to think about when I pour this on my spaghetti.

German smoothie company tries unrepentant sexism as a marketing strategy

Image via Adland

Adland recently made me aware of a marketing controversy in Germany. Apparently, this smoothie's packaging makes fun of its unappetizing design with the following:

"Limited No 6 - Black Edition. Have you ever helped an ugly female friend -- who's a really nice person on the inside -- get a date? That's how we are feeling with our smoothie here which might be the tastiest we have ever made but who doesn't get the love it deserves because of its looks. We saw no other solution but to turn off the lights so you can fully embrace its inner values."

A sexist joke is always good for some outrage earned media, and that's exactly what has happened, as well as the inevitable "have a sense of humour" defence.

Personally, I can't even work up outrage over this one. It is a cynical marketing move designed to rack up social mentions.

Brave? No, just tiresome.

Kellog's Frosted Beefs

Via Flikr

Last week, I blogged about crushed beetles in Starbucks "vegan" smoothies.

Today, my friend and fellow blogger Neil (who is a vegetarian) found something interesting in the Kellog's UK product site.

It seems you can search cereals and other products by ingredient.

Here's "Beef":

Wait, what?

From the Frosted Wheats ingredients page:

"Shredded Wholewheat, Sugar, Humectant (Sorbitol), Beef Gelatin, Niacin, Iron, Vitamin B6, Riboflavin (B2), Thiamin (B1), Folic Acid, Vitamin B12."

Gelatine ("it's made from bones, you know") is a common food additive and a real pest to vegetarians.

But wait! There's more.

He also searched "pork":

Yep. Rice Crispies Squares have pig in them:

"Toasted Rice Cereal (35%) (Rice, Sugar, Salt, Barley Malt Flavouring, Niacin, Iron, Vitamin B6, Riboflavin (B2), Thiamin (B1), Folic Acid, Vitamin B12), Marshmallow (33%) (Glucose Syrup, Sugar, Pork Gelatin, Flavouring), Fructose, Vegetable Oil, Invert Sugar Syrup, Glucose Syrup, Humectant (Glycerol), Flavouring (Contains Milk), Emulsifier (E472e, E472a), Antioxidant (E320)."

I'm not a vegetarian, and I have no problem with animal products in my foods. But many people are, and do. Including, ironically, health nut John Harvey Kellogg, who once said:

“A dead cow or sheep lying in the pasture is recognized as carrion. The same sort of carcass dressed and hung up in a butcher’s stall passes as food.”

The UK site even has a whole section recommending vegetarian diets for young children.

The Canadian and US sites aren't as easy to navigate by ingredient, and searches for beef or pork take you to meatloaf recipes.

However, I did find this on the American site:

What is the source of gelatin in your products? 

Gelatin, which is used in some of our products to provide texture, is derived from either beef or pork. Products containing pork gelatin include Kellogg cereal products with marshmallow additives (i.e., Kellogg's® Marshmallow Froot Loops cereal and Kellogg's Smorz® cereal) and all varieties of Kellogg's® Rice Krispies Treats® Squares. Products containing beef gelatin include all varieties of Kellogg's® Frosted Pop-Tarts®, Kellogg's® Frosted Mini-Wheats® cereal, Kellogg's® Rice Krispies Treats cereal, and the Kellogg's® Fruit-Flavored Snacks that contain gelatin. 

The information provided here is intended to act as a general guide only. We ask that you always check the Nutrition Facts on the side panel of each of our packages to determine if the product contains any ingredient(s) that you want to avoid.

The moral of the story? Animal products show up in the strangest places. When you buy packaged foods, always read the ingredients list. (And always be suspicious of terms like "natural" flavour or colour.) If you're a vegan, vegetarian, Hindu, Jew or Muslim, you may be surprised how often you're breaking your vows.

Has McDonald's been forced to label its food carcinogenic?

There's a pic going around showing a "new" McDonald's warning label about cancer-causing ingredients. But here's the kicker: that shit is in most of what you eat.

If you've been paying attention, you've been hearing about acrylamide for years. It's naturally present in ripe olives, and dried plums (prunes) and pears. It's in your coffee. And it gets produced every time you brown many of your favourite foods (like meat, potatoes and bread) at high heat. In short, it's in everything you like.

This picture showed up on Buzzfeed today, but a web search seems to indicate that it is a hoax from 2009, based on conjecture about whether California's strict food safety laws would lead to fast foods being labelled the way cigarettes are. I can't find any evidence that that is actually happening.

Of course, that won't stop this image from going viral, again, with reactionary comments like this:

"It stands to reason that this is a legal/precautionary measure; after reports swirled about fast food wrappers containing cancer causing chemicals that have been found in the fecal matter, blood, and urine of tested subjects, McDonald’s likely placed these notices on their wrappers to save face. 

For us, this is a wake up call. Personally I wish I could throw up the Big Mac I ate last night (if it weren’t too digested) but since I can’t, I’m going to be forced to take a brief hiatus from my local Dirt Ronnies. Will you continue to eat McDonald’s without shame or concern, or is a warning like this big enough to scare you away?"

No, it does not "stand to reason". Even the faux label itself admits that the compound is naturally occurring, and that that the FDA has nothing against it. If McDonald's were forced to issue this warning, so would all those other cooked and prepared foods I listed above. It is simply not a "McDonald's issue."

My feeling is, if you're going to trash McDonald's for selling sugary, fatty, overprocessed and marginally nutritious food to kids and other vulnerable groups, then do that. McDonald's is not a nice company (although I do love an Egg McMuffin). But random and ill-informed anti-McDonald's panic is not helping the conversation about nutrition, culture or corporate ethics.

Related:

In Lorem Ipsum Veritas

This French wine has been Greeked... in Latin.

Vince shared this hilarious labelling gaffe. (via)

It's about as meaningful as any of the puffery they put on those things — "Hints of chocolate, ripe plums, tobacco and barnyard..."

Man math

I'm not even going to bother with the Dr. Pepper 10 "is just for men" trope. It's a cynical and insulting PR move, and let's leave it at that.

But The Consumerist (bless their hearts) have found a much more original reason to hate the brand:

That's right — the brand is based on 10 calories per serving. But with a serving set at 8 fluid ounces (~237 ml), that would give a 20 ounce bottle something like 25 calories by Consumerist's math. The package, however, rounds down. Considerably.

But what do I know. Me man. Me no do math.

F'd Ad Fridays: Soup For Sluts

Slutwalk Toronto shared this packaging on their Facebook wall:

I did a little googling, and it is real. (And, I assume, cheap, fast and easy.)

You can buy it online at Neatoshop.

Women: How to keep your boyfriend/husband from drinking your beer

At least, in public:

Yep, the latest effort to niche market beer to women is this pink-packaged "premium light" beer. And it hits all the 21st Century marketing-to-women stereotypes:

"We are proud to introduce Chick Beer, the only American beer created just for women.
Chick Beer is a premium, craft-brewed light lager that has just 97 calories and 3.5 carbs. We brew Chick at America’s second-oldest brewery, located in beautiful southern Wisconsin. 

For centuries, beer has been created, produced and marketed by and to men.  At Chick, we think that it’s time for a new choice. 

Chick Beer celebrates women: independent, smart, fun-loving and self-assured women who  love life and embrace all of the possibilities that it has to offer.

Above all, we think that beer is supposed to be fun!  For centuries beer has been the most sociable of beverage……good times with good friends!

So enjoy! Grab a cool Chick and Witness the Chickness!"

Okay, I guess. But if they want to appeal to more women drinkers I'd rather see mainstream beers just stop insulting women in their ads.  Most of the women I drink with like the same brands I do.

Tip via eater

Mmmmmmm... Meat-and-potatoes Chips...

Ever have one of those snacktime crises where cou can't decide between potato chips or beef jerky? Just tuck into a bag of Cherkees™ the chips with bits of preserved beef in every bite!

Actual copy:

"Cherkees are a blend of two delicious snack foods; beef jerky and potato chips. These are NOT beef jerky flavored potato chips. Cherkees are real beef jerky AND potato chips AT THE SAME TIME! Lean beef and crispy potato are finally combined into one crunchy beef jerky flavored chip. These chips are one of a kind and currently unavailable in stores. Cherkees are indeed unusual: very low in fat (a third the fat of potato chips), high in protein, and not fried. Now have all the flavor of beef jerky without the chew!"

But I like the chew! I guess they're somewhat less gross than fried pork rinds, but the army surplus packaging is not exactly making my mouth water. But if you're intrigued, you can buy them online here.

Via Foodbeast

F'd Ad Fridays: Questionable World Breastfeeding Week tribute

Adland posted this find from That's Like, Whoa!

Not creepy at all.

What happened to the ones in the middle?

If anyone can trannslate, that would be awesome.

The accompanying text reads: "This Japanese room-temperature jello treat is not only formed to resemble a woman’s breasts, but is packaged in a way that removes all doubt. Those who’ve actually tried these breast puddings report that they’re somewhat milky, sweet tasting, and slightly slimy."

Milk jelly... lovely. Although I have a sneaky feeling that this is not being marketed to babies and toddlers.

Got infographic?

This infographics project by Montreal designer Audreé Lapierre for ffunction is over a year old, but it's currently surging on BuzzFeed.

 The rationale:

"The nutritional facts are used to brand the packaging as well as giving useful information about the product. The data visualisations offer a clean graphic approach of the caloric ratio, nutrient balance completeness, ingredients and their specific amount of carbohydrate, fat, protein and sodium per serving."

Now that's refreshing!

Meat may be murder, but please don't murder your meat!

What kind of monster ruins a perfectly good steak with sweet brown sauce? Maybe PETA really is behind this one — it certainly put me off my beef. For a fleeting moment, anyway.

Source: Copyranter

These carrot ads are actually good for you

Last week, CP+B unveiled their newest brand reimagining plot, this one for the US carrot industry (actually Boathouse Farms).

As AdFreak points out, CP+B have plenty of experience marketing actual junk food — from Coke, to Dominos Pizza, to Kraft Dinner — and of course to all that bizarre Burger King stuff they're famous for.

But does any kid really buy the idea of eating baby carrots like junk food? My little guy like carrots anyway, but if I tried to bait and switch the occasional treat expectation of chips for veggies in "extreme" packaging, I'd have a problem on my hands. They're not fooling anyone.

I was initially disappointed by what seemed to be a very dumb packaging idea coming from such a famous creative shop. But then, of course, I gradually appreciated the irony encoded in the campaign. After all, my son isn't the one shopping for snacks to put in his lunch — I am. And the carefully-done parody of junk food marketing is appealing enough to get me to think about buying carrots specifically as snacks just a little more often.

And then I saw the TV/online video campaign, which is much more blunt in its irony and (in one case) much more adult in its appeal:







Nice work.