Light beer sales have been falling
since 2007. And, Bud Light has gone
through five ad agencies in five years in an effort to stop the decline. But were they responsible for it in the first
place?
Beer execs have long favored funny
advertising for their products because drinking beer is fun. That makes sense to me. But when does humor go too far and begin to
damage perceptions? Over the years, the
humor in beer ads has become increasingly sophomoric featuring talking dogs and
fighting squirrels.
Marty Stock, CEO of Cavalry, a former
Coors Light agency, speculates that these ads went too far and have turned
light beer into a punch line in the craft beer age. Interesting. (Mickle, 2015)
What do you think? Did these ads damage the perception of the
category, and open the way to the surge in craft beers? Or is it simply that Millennials prefer craft
beers for other reasons? Do you think
the right campaign can persuade people to drink light beers again, or is it too
late?
