MONDAY WEDNESDAY BEER LINKS, MUSING 02.04.15
We did it! #beertheeasyway. First in the country! Craft beer innovation strikes again! pic.twitter.com/SAauW4nD6q
— Be Civil (@TheCivilLife) February 2, 2015
Ah, the madness of Budweiser has delivered upon us. Rather that devote another set of Monday links to one topic, as happened two days ago, I’m jamming all the links related to the Budweiser Super Bowl commercial into this one spot. If other water cooler worthy posts show up in the following days they’ll be parked here as well.
Bud's ad trolled the nerds like David Chang and it worked like a charm.
— Joe Stange (@Thirsty_Pilgrim) February 3, 2015
If you spend time with the links that follow you will see that although it is worth being concerned about the underlying context there is definitely some overthinking about the intended message. It is important to remember that AB InBev has an audience it wants to connect with. Reassuring current Bud drinkers it is OK to keep buying the beer is important, as is firing up its sales force. But getting the attention of the forty-four percent of drinkers 21 to 27 who have never tried Budweiser is a priority. I’m pretty sure 44% have tried a beer brewed by a Brewers Association member. I don’t understand how the commercial might convince the beloved millennials to try Bud, but do know they are important to AB InBev.
Not to fall into the over analyzing trap, but . . .
a) Doesn’t it seem AB InBev underestimated the blowback and forgot how fast that can happen on the Internet (including videos)? MillerCoors sure figured it out, as did people selling T-shirts and homebrew kits.
We stand for beer pic.twitter.com/uqkAkVZvWo
— MillerCoors (@MillerCoors) February 3, 2015
b) Even though you can understand that the company creating the agency wouldn’t know AB InBev was about Elysian Brewing (when the footage was shot) and that Elysian made a pumpkin peach beer that reference still shouldn’t have happened.
and c) how in the world do you not secure the BrewedTheHardWay url in advance? (And cheers to Focus on the Beer for its generosity.)
Now the links.
Why the pro-macro beer Budweiser ad is so dangerous.
The Beer Babe
How the ‘Proud to be macro’ Budweiser Super Bowl ad got it all right.
Los Angeles Times
Analyzing Budweiser’s Hypocritical, Anti-Craft Beer Super Bowl Ad.
Paste
Making The Case For Budweiser.
The Federalist
Bud Finds Its Voice?
Beervana
Budweiser Super Bowl ad: Threatened much?
Denver Post
Craft beer lovers: Get over that Bud ad, and yourselves.
The Gray Report
Craft brewery co-founder not happy with Super Bowl ad snark.
Chicago Tribune
Another one from Twitter
Craft created us vs them. Why are we so upset, or surprised, "them" struck back?
— Chris Notch Brewing (@chris_lohring) February 3, 2015
Dear Budweiser.
Beer Makes Three
The whine of the craft-beer children.
Hey Beer Dan
Yes, Anheuser-Busch InBev Hates Your Beer.
Stephen Beaumont
About That Ad.
Fuggle
Budweiser Ad Declares War… On Itself?
Via BeerGraphs
Angered by the Budweiser Super Bowl ad? You’re missing the point…
The BeerCast
The PC: Budweiser explains the Doctrine of Trojan Geese Transubstantiation.
The Potable Curmudgeon
Craft Beer Boom Benefits Wine Industry.
Grape Collective (Trust me, it is related)
Budweiser’s Anti-Craft Subtext.
Beer Graphs
Budweiser Takes a Shot at Craft Beer in Super Bowl Ad, Faces Pumpkin Peach Blowback.
Westword
Videos
The number is growing, but I’m going with just two (reserving the right to cross that out and make it three or four later).
It’s just like Godzilla crushing the screaming panicky crowds of Tokyo. Just like it. See, Godzilla hates Tokyo. And the crowds scream and panic when he tries to crush them.
How does Godzilla distinguish between crushing the breweries that are members of the Brewers Association and the beer drinkers it wants to survive and drink Budweiser?
I think Godzilla cannot be expected to understand such things because he hates so many things so deeply. I do hear, however, that his left pinky toe can pick out a particularly sweet example of facial hair while leaving those around him unscathed.