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Tyl012
Joined: 17 Nov 2014 Posts: 39 Location: Montana
Drinking: Pale Ale, brown porter, white whea, Irish red
Working on: Blonde, Pliny The Elder clone,
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huaco
Joined: 05 Apr 2012 Posts: 1506 Location: Burleson Texas
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Link Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2015 4:06 am Post subject: |
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Brewed The Hard Way? What's that? With a HIGHLY automated brew house with it's own water plant, grain augers, centrifuges, filters, cheaper ingredients, automated plumbing, hop extracts, coloring agents, high-speed bottling lines, robotic packaging and palletizing machines, finally to be almost touched by a human once a fork lift comes to place it in the warehouse to be shipped out with billions of identical lifeless clones.... brewed the hard way... yeah, that's it. They're winning.
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Tyl012
Joined: 17 Nov 2014 Posts: 39 Location: Montana
Drinking: Pale Ale, brown porter, white whea, Irish red
Working on: Blonde, Pliny The Elder clone,
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Link Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2015 4:32 am Post subject: |
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I'm guessing the past "king" is loosing market share to the craft breweries. What a way to help that along!!
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Creepy
Joined: 04 Feb 2014 Posts: 127 Location: North Chicago Burbs
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Link Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2015 5:28 am Post subject: |
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Northern Brewer put out this ad via email today. It's a great response to the Bud ad... Bravo
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kal Forum Administrator
Joined: 12 Dec 2010 Posts: 11123 Location: Ottawa, Canada
Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter
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Link Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2015 1:46 pm Post subject: |
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Up until now I've had no issues with macro brewers. The brew a style of beer (light american lagers mostly) that isn't the first thing I reach for usually, but I do brew the style (it's a hard one to get right) and do enjoy it. Up until now I had no issues drinking a Bud in a bar somewhere. To each their own I say. Their marketing up until now often tries to portray something magical or special about the way they make it but I've tried to ignore it. That's marketing departments after all.
The ad, however, is frankly pretty insulting, and they're pushing me towards not wanting to ever support their products ever again.
I see where they're coming from here: They're not trying to convert craft beer drinkers obviously as that's a lost cause so they don't mind if the ad insults them (which frankly isn't very nice). The ad is squarely targeted at their existing drinkers. They don't want to lose them. They want to keep them drinking Bud so they're painting craft beer drinkers as a type of person you don't ever want to be with comments that basically say "if you drink craft beer you don't actually like beer". That's so incorrect and insulting to anyone who actually likes beer (craft beer drinker or otherwise) that it's not even funny.
The ad's not only insulting to craft beer drinkers but also to the fans of Budweiser beer and all beer! Anyone who believes some those comments is frankly very ignorant. Are they only hoping to keep their fans with low IQs? If I (for whatever reason) preferred Bud over other craft beers I'd have the brain cells to understand that craft beer is indeed still beer. Drinking Bud was simply a choice I was making. If I was that Bud drinker and saw this ad, I'd question if this was the sort of company I'd want to be associated with. It's not very open or welcoming. Almost like racism in the beer world.
I wonder how many people are like me who didn't have a problem with them before but will not do their best to completely stay away from them?
If they don't manage to at least keep their existing audience to some degree then this ad campaign will have completely backfired.
Ads like this are a sure sign they're actually worried. This is a very interesting time in the world of beer.
Kal
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Tungsten
Joined: 06 Dec 2014 Posts: 318 Location: Buffalo, NY
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Link Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2015 2:57 pm Post subject: |
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Kal - I am exactly like you. I'm pretty active in recreational sports, I play beach volleyball year round and softball in the summer. During the summer I am usually in a sports league 4 nights a week. Volleyball is at a bar, and softball is in a park that allows drinking, so needless to say, we always have beer on hand during games. While it is by no means my beer of choice in most settings, we usually do drink Bud Light or (more commonly) Labatt Blue Light during games... because who wants to drink an 8% double IPA or something during a game?
Well, they've made my "Bud or Blue" decision easy now. I would think there are plenty of people out there that are like me, and that results in lost customers immediately --- which is ironic given their ad was probably geared towards customer retention.
(Side note: I'd much prefer a sessionable craft of some kind, but since we usually buy in bulk for the team, I have no problem with a macro beer).
Quote: | I see where they're coming from here: They're not trying to convert craft beer drinkers obviously as that's a lost cause so they don't mind if the ad insults them (which frankly isn't very nice). The ad is squarely targeted at their existing drinkers. They don't want to lose them. They want to keep them drinking Bud so they're painting craft beer drinkers as a type of person you don't ever want to be with comments that basically say "if you drink craft beer you don't actually like beer". That's so incorrect and insulting to anyone who actually likes beer (craft beer drinker or otherwise) that it's not even funny. |
Exactly. They are TRYING to give their drinkers reasoning, a comeback, an "I'm proud to drink Bud because..." so it's harder to convert them to the good stuff. But it comes off only as a put down to the craft drinkers and to the industry. The widespread story about how they JUST acquired Elysian who brews a Pumpkin Peach beer is pretty amusing, though.
The ad even contradicts itself, too. Paraphrasing: "our beer isn't brewed to be fussed over." Yet they come right back and make the "beechwood aged" claim. To someone that doesn't know, this may sound like an appealing, sophisticated addition to their process. In reality, beechwood is flavorless and basically just aids the yeast by keeping it in greater contact with the beer. In my opinion it does not do much. Other macros do not use this process and in my opinion, most of the American light lagers taste extremely, extremely similar.
I've always thought the beer industry is a friendly one. But now they've fired the first major shot. It will be very interesting to see what happens going forward.
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Kevin59
Joined: 03 Aug 2012 Posts: 1047 Location: Fort Collins, CO
Drinking: Imperial Brown Ale
Working on: Oatmeal Stout, IPA
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Link Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2015 3:51 pm Post subject: |
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kal wrote: | If I was that Bud drinker and saw this ad, I'd question if this was the sort of company I'd want to be associated with. It's not very open or welcoming. Almost like racism in the beer world. |
Speaking as someone who grew up in the South (Memphis), most of the people there are the "Bud-type" beer drinkers. Craft beer is growing there for sure but by and large American lagers, particularly the light variety, reign supreme. So to take a smack at "my people" (my wife's reference to Southerners) I'd say it's highly unlikely that those lager drinkers will question the integrity of AB/InBev.
Anyway, I too found the ad insulting but as has already been stated here and elsewhere I can't see it having any sort of positive sales impact for AB. They have undoubtedly lost market share as craft beer continues to grow, as have the other big brands, but they'll probably make up for that with the continued purchasing of craft breweries like Goose Island and Elysian.
I do however feel bad about having a 12-pack of Bud Light at my house that I purchased for a big party a couple of weeks ago for the 1% of my friends that don't drink craft beer!
As Charlie P says, RDWHAHB!
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Besk one
Joined: 01 Oct 2014 Posts: 23
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Link Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2015 6:32 pm Post subject: |
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Tungsten wrote: |
Well, they've made my "Bud or Blue" decision easy now. I would think there are plenty of people out there that are like me, and that results in lost customers immediately --- which is ironic given their ad was probably geared towards customer retention.
(Side note: I'd much prefer a sessionable craft of some kind, but since we usually buy in bulk for the team, I have no problem with a macro beer).
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Well this doesn't work out too well as AB Inbev (the parent company mega conglomerate that owns Budwiser) also owns all of the Labatt family beers. So supporting one is just like the other.
Here's a handy link to all the AB Inbev brands, so you can avoid if you so feel inclined:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AB_InBev_brands
The dude that runs AB Inbev is known for acquiring brands, then forcing them to use adjuncts and fillers to lower price and maximize shareholder profits. They are like the Darth Vader of beer. I try to not support any of their brands on general principal.
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Tungsten
Joined: 06 Dec 2014 Posts: 318 Location: Buffalo, NY
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Link Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2015 7:52 pm Post subject: |
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Besk one wrote: | Tungsten wrote: |
Well, they've made my "Bud or Blue" decision easy now. I would think there are plenty of people out there that are like me, and that results in lost customers immediately --- which is ironic given their ad was probably geared towards customer retention.
(Side note: I'd much prefer a sessionable craft of some kind, but since we usually buy in bulk for the team, I have no problem with a macro beer).
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Well this doesn't work out too well as AB Inbev (the parent company mega conglomerate that owns Budwiser) also owns all of the Labatt family beers. So supporting one is just like the other.
Here's a handy link to all the AB Inbev brands, so you can avoid if you so feel inclined:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AB_InBev_brands
The dude that runs AB Inbev is known for acquiring brands, then forcing them to use adjuncts and fillers to lower price and maximize shareholder profits. They are like the Darth Vader of beer. I try to not support any of their brands on general principal. |
Just an example - where I live I could easily substitute Molson Canadian in as well, or Miller, or Coors, or whatever your macro choice might be.
Regardless, ownership and branding is not the same, and likely their marketing teams are different as well. So for the same reason I won't boycott Goose Island's Bourbon County series going forward, I won't hold this against Labatt's.
I'm not sure I agree on the "use of adjuncts and fillers" in ALL of their companies, though. I'm speaking from personal tastes and a VERY small sample size, but I actually think the Goose Island products have been consistent or even improved a little the past few years. Lower cost, yes - but that's the nature of acquisitions, business synergies, etc.
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Besk one
Joined: 01 Oct 2014 Posts: 23
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Link Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2015 7:57 pm Post subject: |
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Tungsten wrote: |
Just an example - where I live I could easily substitute Molson Canadian in as well, or Miller, or Coors, or whatever your macro choice might be.
Regardless, ownership and branding is not the same, and likely their marketing teams are different as well. So for the same reason I won't boycott Goose Island's Bourbon County series going forward, I won't hold this against Labatt's.
I'm not sure I agree on the "use of adjuncts and fillers" in ALL of their companies, though. I'm speaking from personal tastes and a VERY small sample size, but I actually think the Goose Island products have been consistent or even improved a little the past few years. Lower cost, yes - but that's the nature of acquisitions, business synergies, etc. |
True ownership and branding aren't the same, but they are all doing what AB Inbev wants. None of their brands or sub-brands have any real independent say any longer.
It's only a matter of time for Goose Island and the other craft brewers they've snatched up recently IMO.
Very relevant article from BusinessWeek:
http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2012-10-25/the-plot-to-destroy-americas-beer
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kal Forum Administrator
Joined: 12 Dec 2010 Posts: 11123 Location: Ottawa, Canada
Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter
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Kevin59
Joined: 03 Aug 2012 Posts: 1047 Location: Fort Collins, CO
Drinking: Imperial Brown Ale
Working on: Oatmeal Stout, IPA
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Link Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2015 8:19 pm Post subject: |
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Now that was funny!
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Gurthnar
Joined: 25 Jan 2015 Posts: 12 Location: Slovakia, Bratislava
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Tyl012
Joined: 17 Nov 2014 Posts: 39 Location: Montana
Drinking: Pale Ale, brown porter, white whea, Irish red
Working on: Blonde, Pliny The Elder clone,
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stickyfinger
Joined: 04 May 2014 Posts: 176 Location: hudson valley, NY
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Link Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 4:08 pm Post subject: |
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One of my friends pointed out to me that the reason Bud probably did the ad. was to keep (as you say) and gain new Bud drinkers in the macro-only market. He pointed out that the person who typically drinks macro beer does have some options, albeit limited and even more limited in flavor. They want to tap into all of the people who would typically drink craft beer and might be persuaded based on ideology rather than flavor. They don't want to be associated with the "gay, -ussy, hipster, mustachioed craft beer drinkers and any America-hating SOB who would want to drink them. Obama sucks, down with France, drink Bud (or be a -ussy.)" Seems like a good analysis of what they were trying to do. Bud then came back after the ad. and said it wasn't about flipping off the craft beer movement. What a joke.
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foomench
Joined: 21 Feb 2012 Posts: 704 Location: Longmont, CO
Drinking: Pinot barrel aged quad
Working on: Flanders oude bruin in barrel, Flanders red fermenting to refill the barrel
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Link Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 5:16 pm Post subject: |
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I think Bud was trying to solidify their fading main market. The ad probably appealed to those drinkers.
And a few hipsters that don't know who owns what but do like to try craft beer probably saw that ad and said, "Hey, Bud sucks. I'm going to go find me a peach pumpkin beer to drink. I wonder who makes one of those. Oh, here, I'll try this Elysian. Screw Bud!"
Win-win for AB InBev.
_________________ Brewery equipment photos (et al) here: https://picasaweb.google.com/114861423235799103704
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