July 31, 2003
What's with the beer?
Courtney and I have been attending a "Project Read" conference in Thibodaux, LA this week and have been commuting from my Grandfather's house in Baton Rouge. Making the 1 1/2 hour drive there and back everyday has given me a lot of time to observe the scenery- especially the billboards. While we were driving down I-10 heading East towards Baton Rouge today I started noticing all the billboards for the new beer by Michelob- Michelob Ultra "Loose the carbs, not the taste." It got me to thinking about the advertising techniques they use to sell beer. Traditionally, who do they appeal to? Men! Coor's is promoting "guys night out" on their bottles and the typical advertisements are still there- women in bikinis, jumping all over the place. So, the market definitely targets men in america. The thing that struck me about these Michelob advertisements is that they are all directed towards women. One billboard shows a woman jogging, another shows a woman doing push-ups- and they emphasize the the "no carbs" bit. So, they are appealing to the stereotypical woman who is concerned with her figure and wants to drink something low in carbs and calories- but is there really a market for this? The women I know might- but they aren't serious enough beer drinkers for it to make any difference to them. So, the only people that this is going to appeal to are those who are already Michelob customers and will switch because of the health "benefits". This doesn't make Michelob any more money! The women I know that aren't beer drinkers are not beer drinkers because they don't like the taste- not because of the high calories. There aren't women in bikini's on the billboard's or guys night out promotions on the Michelob Ultra bottles- so guys aren't going to buy it! (I meant that last sentence to be kind of sarcastic.)
Another thought is the image of a beer drinker. I have a hard time drinking beer in a restaurant or in a semi-public place. I love beer - pretty much any kind, but, I feel very masculine when I drink it. If I drink it at a restaurant, I have it in a glass- not a stine- and I've only ever done that once. It seems like it isn't a very feminine thing to do. Now, I know that that is silly and I'm getting over it. I don't think drinking beer is wrong for women! But, I wonder if maybe that is the angle that Michelob is coming from. Maybe they think that more women don't drink beer because they think it is masculine and they are trying to show them it's not. Even though I know a lot of women who simply don't like the taste of beer, I also know a lot who won't even try it. Is this a Southern thing? Do women in the North, West- wherever have this hang-up too?
Well, I leave these rather random thoughts to you. Tell me what you think.
I've been noticing that Budweiser is doing the same thing, only without the fewer-carbs angle. All their billboards show well-to-do, sophisticated groups of women out on the town, usually laughing and having a good time drinking their beer. It's a smart thing for the beer companies to attempt but I wonder how successful they'll be. I don't think this kind of marketing is usually as effective on women as it is on men.
Posted by: gosey at August 1, 2003 09:31 AMI heard somewhere that Pabst Blue Ribbon is making a come back amongst the trendy crowds in big cities because of the fact that its only a dollar a pop and maybe because no one else drinks it. I have only had PBR once and it was before I had aquired a taste, but it was horrible and I'm sure it wasn't low in carbs. So maybe budweiser and Michelob are going for woman to try and hit the trendy crowd. If independant woman, out on the town drink it and if ultra fit chicks at the club drink it, then to me the best thing for a guy to do if they want to talk to these woman is drink the same beer. I think it would give the appearence that they would be on the same level socially speaking. So maybe its more about social status than its about masculinity. What do you think?
Posted by: svenska at August 1, 2003 11:36 AMBart,
They had PBR dollar nights at various bars when we lived in Savannah, and it did seem to attract a large and somewhat trendy crowd. They had PBR everywhere over there though and it wasn't embarassing to be seen with a can in public. They even had it in bottles and in some place on tap!These new posters strike me as funny though, cause they look like they could be selling gator-aid. When did michelob become a health food drink?
When I replaced Arnold S. as the ultimate health icon.
Posted by: svenska at August 1, 2003 03:12 PMI'm so trendy I have PBR in my fridge. Yeesh, I'll be glad when that stuff's gone. Also, I don't think Michelob Ultra is that bad...if you like BEER-FLAVORED WATER!
Posted by: jon amos at August 2, 2003 08:29 PMRight after I wrote this blog I went to a restaurant to eat and there was a lady drinking Michelob Ultra. But, he significant other was not. He was sticking with Budweiser. So, I'm sticking to my story. They'll get already established female beer drinkers to drink this beer until something else new and trendy comes out-but they aren't going to get the men and they aren't going to get women who aren't already drinking beer to start drinking beer because it is low in carbs.
Posted by: Lisa Huntington at August 3, 2003 06:07 PMthat should be "...her significant other..."
Posted by: Lisa Huntington at August 3, 2003 06:08 PMI was going to ask what kind of restaurant you were at with the "he significant other". Thanks for the clarity :)
Posted by: svenska at August 4, 2003 12:42 PMI thought the point of Michelob Ultra was to offer something to diabetics, Atkins' dieters, etc.
Posted by: jon amos at August 5, 2003 02:28 AMJon,
Perhaps you're right. But, it still doesn't explain the billboards and advertisements appeal to female drinkers. Then again, half of the female population are dieters. Good point!
I forgot to change the name on the comment thing. The previous comment came from Lisa- not Courtney.
Posted by: Lisa Huntington at August 5, 2003 11:16 AMWell, what i CAN add to all this, is that i am a beer-drinking female that does watch my carb intake....So when Michelob Ultra came out, it was like a gift from God. My boyfriend is a professional boxer and has to watch his carbs to stay in his weight level so he also enjoys this low carb beer. We call it "Holy Water"
Posted by: Leigh Anne at September 22, 2003 08:11 PM