A short comment on the power of beer advertising that may start some discussion or at least some self-recognition. First let me say that I am a committed home brewer for several years, all grain and do not buy much beer. That I do buy is craft brewed or mostly imported Lager.
Over this month while watching the Tour de France on the Versus channel I find the beer advertising very compelling. Particularly the several versions of the Michelob “Ultra” commercials- featuring cyclist Lance Armstrong, set to a high-energy rock soundtrack, with young athletic men and woman in fast-paced outdoor sports like cycling or trail running- all enjoying an “Ultra” together at the end of the day. The unconscious messages these ads send are of: youth, health, athleticism, affluence, success and the fair graces of the opposite sex associated with consuming this beer. Nothing at all about the qualities of the beer- except that it is low calorie.
While I consider myself well-educated and try to be self-aware, I find these advertisements seductive and compel me to believe that I should drink that stuff too. But I know better- however for 95% of beer sold in this nation this is what sells it. Still this is very seductive and suggests you too may achieve all these things. Whether the Coors girls or the Budweiser Clydesdale Team they will find a way. How much else in our consumer lives is determined by these marketers?
Funny, when I watch those ultra commercials, all I can think of is ‘those types of people’ wouldn’t even be drinking beer… they’d have some colorful fooffy little drink in their hands with an umbrella in it… the scantily clad girls in all those beer commericials drew me to beer, but once I tasted that crap, I found a different path.
Those sexy beer commercials don’t influence me about what type of beer to buy. I usually get suckered in by packaging and labeling when I’m standing in front of the cooler trying to decide what to try. The sexy beer commercials do however tend to cause another reaction that has my wife on the opposite side of the counter looking for her best escape route! ;D
I think people who are into the more extreme sports tend to be pretty hard drinkers, actually. Usually it’s beer, and disproportionate to the US as a whole, they’re into craft beer. That’s been my experience, anyway.
“Do you care how it tastes? 'Cause we got Miller Lite.” :o
They need to proofread these things better. You have to wait until the end of the commercial to find out that Miller Lite is the one that tastes better. Or at least pilsner-y-er.
I see the Sam Adams commercials about head on a beer and all their others about how a good beer should be but they have yet to address proper serving temperatures. They could talk a whole bunch of shit towards Coors about their cold activated bottles and the new window. The only reason to drink an ice cold beer is to numb your taste buds enough so you don’t taste it. As far as beer and most Americans are concerned I think that most Americans are less concerned with taste of the beer and more concerned with the gimmicks that get them to drink it.
