They’re at it again. Macro beer taking ridiculous, unnecessary shots at the craft beer drinkers of the world. If you were one of the millions and millions to watch the excellent Super Bowl 49 broadcast, you undoubtedly caught the newest Budweiser commercial dubbed “Brewed The Hard Way” in which Budweiser takes multiple shots at the craft beer community.
This isn’t the first time the Macro-Beer world has taken aim at craft beer lovers; Shock Top was guilty of a similar line of obnoxious commercials in 2014. It seems as though the craft beer movement has grown to such a size in the market that macro beer companies feel the need to throw its drinkers under the bus and ridicule craft brew, and those who love it.
Budweiser’s new commercial takes a concerted effort to harp upon some of the characteristics of craft beer drinkers, their drinking habits, and their hobby as it relates to craft beer. The commercial depicts a gentleman sniffing a craft beer out of a tulip glass, a couple of buddies scrambling over some BJCP scoresheets, and a faceless patron ordering a “fancy” pumpkin peach ale. (Don’t forget that Blue Moon’s newest beer is a peach ale; also owned by a macro beer conglomerate). The entire commercial, much like that of Shock Top’s comes off as patronizing and petty. Again, the major pitch here is that Budweiser isn’t meant to be thought about; it is meant to DRINK and THAT’S IT.
As one watches these types of commercials, a few things come to mind. First, it appears that macro beer is feeling the heat of the expanding market share held by craft breweries. Secondly, it seems the goal of these commercials is to embarrass the craft drinker into ordering a Budweiser in an attempt to escape ridicule. I can’t fathom how they expect these commercials to go over – and really – why they even bother with this type of ad campaign. People who typically order a Budweiser or other macro beer are most likely not into craft beer anyhow, and this commercial is not suddenly steering them further away. Likewise, the people who are ordering craft beer at their favorite bar or restaurant are not going to see this commercial and suddenly cease all craft beer consumption; quite contrary, it seems that any craft beer lover would most likely be LESS inclined to order a Budweiser after being insulted on national TV in front of millions of spectators. Ad campaigns such as these just seem senseless from a marketing perspective.
Budweiser’s Identity Crisis
What is almost laughable about the entire ad campaign is that Budweiser’s parent company, AB-In Bev, has been snatching up craft breweries left and right in massive buy-outs and conglomeration deals. Breweries like Goose Island, 10 Barrel Brewing Company, Blue Point, and most recently, Elysian Brewing Company. If AB-In Bev, or more specifically, Budweiser is so put-off by the snobbery of craft beer drinkers, why purchase so many craft breweries to incorporate in their portfolio? The hypocrisy is enough to make you choke-up your ice-cold macro brew!
Feeling the Heat
It appears that as I write this article, Budweiser has already started to feel the backlash from this ad campaign. Below is a screenshot of the Budweiser official twitter in which they appear to already be backpedaling on their intentions.
To make matters worse – or better – depending on their true intentions, the YouTube page for the official video is taking some serious heat as well in the form of a vicious amount of down-votes.
Perhaps Budweiser’s true intentions are not to please or upset anybody in particular, but rather make an advertisement so polarizing and insulting that it gets people talking about the brand. I don’t know if discussion of the brand naturally leads to an increase in sales – especially from an angry populace of beer drinkers – but as the old adage goes, “Any publicity is good publicity”.
What Do YOU Think?
Let us know in the comments below, or hit us up on our twitter feed and let us know what you think of this ad campaign from Budweiser. Is this harmless fun on the part of Budweiser? Is the craft beer community too snobby and thus this commercial is justified? Is this bad business and poor advertising? We want to hear from you!
If nothing else, beer lovers, please do remember;
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I’ve been known to take a few swipes at stereotypical beer snobs myself, but this ad goes beyond good-natured ribbing. The insult is quite expertly crafted, too. Ridiculously unnecessary. This could be Budweiser’s “New Coke”.
Thanks for chiming in! Do you think you are LESS likely to buy/order a Budweiser in the future as a result?
I will go OUT OF MY WAY to check and be sure that the beer I am purchasing is NOT an AB product. And after WASTING my money purchasing the abomination “Oculto”, it further burns my ass to know that I paid 9 bucks for a sixer of an AB product, when I could have had Lagunitas….. Now knowing this (I don’t watch football or other sports involving balls. More into MMA and surfing.) so I missed the commercial), AB can even FURTHER kiss my ass.
Thanks for your comment! We enjoyed every word of it!
AB absolutely lost my business over this. Anytime I wasn’t drinking craft beer I’d drink bud or bud light. I can’t see any situation where that ad will help their sales. All it did was tick off occasional drinkers of their water.
We tend to agree! You know what they say; one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Where AB just lost you, a deserving craft brewer just gained you!
I’ve never been a Budweiser drinker to begin with, but considering the few crowds I’ve been around who do drink it…people drink it to get drunk, not to taste. It’s predictable, it’s meant to be kept extremely cold to mask the horrible taste and it gives you the head change, that’s all. Craft beer is in a catagory all it’s own, which doesn’t include Budweiser. What I see is a company that is feeling the market slowly slip from between their fingers and that ad was nothing short of desperate. The brewing community is a tight-knit community. These are hard working ( usually middle-class Americans) who have found a way to make a name and a reputation for themselves. It seems Budweiser really despises that and does not support the “American Dream”. They want the dream for themselves and anybody else who interferes, they will insult, degrade, intimidate and invalidate in a very passive aggressive manner such as mocking, which is all this ad was. It’s crystal clear.
Very well thought out and well-written response. We totally agree with your sentiments. AB DOES have our respect in regards to their brewing process. They make a consistent product all over the world and is always within 99.999998% consistency. A truly remarkable feat. That being said, their marketing is questionable at the very best. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us! Cheers!
Maybe I need to expand my horizons. Maybe it’s the fact that I came of age in a lower class area where we had to subject ourselves to prison toilet-tier shit like Natty Ice and Keystone. But I thought this beer was alright. Nothing special, but a definite “okay/10.”
Of course, I’d rather just have the tequila…