VerveCast

There’s a great post over The Society Pages that highlights a Molson Beer campaign that created two different ads, one aimed towards men, and another aimed towards women.

Above is an ad for Molson that ran in Cosmo magazine… obviously targeted towards women.

And below is an ad for Molson that ran in Playboy magazine, obviously targeted towards men.

There’s nothing wrong with running multiple ads geared towards different audiences, but the ad for men explains how the ad for women was “scientifically formulated to enhance their perception of men who drink Molson.”

At one level, it’s amusing, especially if you work in the advertising or marketing industry…

But on another level, it’s a little disturbing and insulting, to both men and women.

What I find interesting is that this campaign ran about 8 years ago. That’s not too long ago, but I wondered how many people would have seen an article on the web about such a campaign 8 years ago versus today.

And even more interesting is the divergence of comments on the piece.

Two new products in the media this week caught my eye. The first is called Chick Beer, which—as you might have guessed—is a beer catered toward women. Now, as woman who enjoys beer, the thought has never crossed my mind that my brew should be more girly. But according to the product’s website, 25% of all U.S. beer is consumed by women… so it only makes sense that someone would attempt to capitalize on that market segment.

In addition to the “female-friendly” packaging, the beer boasts just 97 calories and 3.5 carbs. Personally, I’m not a big fan of the pink and black packaging, or the logo’s font—or the name, for that matter. I think it could have been better executed on all fronts. How do you feel about Chick Beer?

An interesting side note: the beer is brewed at “America’s second-oldest brewery, located in beautiful southern Wisconsin,” but is currently only available in Maryland.

The second product that attracted my attention is the new Ben & Jerry’s flavor, Schweddy Balls. According to the company, the newest limited-batch flavor is an ode to a classic “Saturday Night Live” sketch comedy. It features vanilla ice cream with a hint of rum and is loaded with fudge covered rum and milk chocolate malt balls. Love it! Well, I haven’t actually tried the ice cream. But I love the concept. I mean, who can resist Schweddy Balls?

When Pabst Brewing Co. found a new owner, the former employees, who considered themselves “Stewards of the Brand” started to see changes they didn’t like. Former executives felt they were moving the company in the right direction after years of decline, and just as things were getting moving, a new boss, with new ideas, shook things up.

It’s a great story about how much the folks at Pabst cared about the brand, and tried to be the “protectors of the people who loved their brands” in how it was created, marketed, and sold.

But things change…

Beers like Pabst Blue Ribbon, Old Milwaukee, and Schlitz are well known here in the Milwaukee area, and elsewhere as well. They’ve got a rich history, which is the lifeblood of a good brand.

Time will tell as far as the success of the brand under the Metropoulos family. It’s been said that it takes years to build a great brand, but only minutes to destroy it. I’m wondering if they’re testing that theory.

Brands try a lot of different things to get “Likes” on Facebook. Heineken managed to get one million likes and then decided to send out a crew of women to give something back, thanks in the form of hugs.

It’s brilliant. Instead of just getting one million fans and leaving it at that, they leveraged it into a YouTube video showing the hugs happen.

There’s a lot of well done videos in Heineken’s YouTube channel, and I’m not even a beer drinker. Of course I typically use that as my gauge of whether advertising is interesting or not… if it’s something I’ve never bought in the past, and probably won’t buy in the future, but still grabs my attention, it’s good advertising.

You can now drink and dine – all at one time.

Executive Chef Brian Frakes has created Deep Fried Beer. A dish you can order this weekend at Miller Time Pub, inside Hilton Milwaukee.

Chef Frakes decided to make the meal after learning how popular a similar dish was at the Texas State Fair.

Deep Fried Beer is made by deep frying soft pretzel dough. After it’s cooked, a layer of rosemary fire salt is sprinkled on top to add a little spice. Inside the dough is a pocket of beer that trickles out after you take a bite. The Deep Fried Beer is also served with dipping sauces and a beer chaser, all for $5.

Diners must show their ID when ordering – the alcohol isn’t cooked out. While Miller Time Pub wants everyone to try the new dish, it’s also reminding diners to please “chew” responsibly.

(We here at Z2 just happen to love beer and deep frying, so combining the two things is pure genius!)