Monday, June 23, 2008

The great American stereotype

Hey, I've got an idea - how about a new beer ad that uses the oldest joke in history to make a really boring point? That'd be fun, right?



Bartender: "Guys... let's talk commitment."
Group of Men: [horrified stares]

Like, ZOMG, you guys. Men who hate commitment! Did you know that that was a stereotype about men, that they fear commitment in relationships? Breaking some ground here, Budweiser. Next up, let's see them scratch themselves, then weasel out of chores.

Bartender: "Relax... I'm talking about beer."

"Oh thank GOD! Beer! Something we, as men, understand!"

Bartender: "Budweiser has stayed true to the same recipe for over 130 years."

If you're going with something as specific as "130," you might as well just say how many years, don't you think? Also, you'd think after 130 years they could produce something anyone who actually likes beer and isn't just looking to get buzzed at the baseball game would want to drink. No such luck.

Bartender: "Through five generations! They could have cut corners, but they didn't."

One can only imagine what Bud would be like today if corners had been cut. Just a six-pack of Clydesdale urine?

Bartender: "'Cause they won't sacrifice quality, or great taste."

I suppose it's difficult to sacrifice something that was never in there to begin with. Got you, Budweiser! Burned!

Bartender: [with unnecessarily staccato cadence] "A hundred. And thirty. Years."

Heard you the first time. Still don't care.

Bartender: "Now that's commitment."
Guy: "I love commitment."


Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!! Oh man!!!!! He loves commitment now! Because of that great talk about beer and stuff! He only loves commitment when related to beer. Such a male thing to do.

I suppose Budweiser doesn't need aggressive marketing. But they tried to work in a point about their product, so no passes. It's just so trite and boring. "Hey, did you know men are scared of commitment? But what if it was some sort of beer-related commitment? Oh, that's okay." Fin.

1 comment:

Quivering P. Landmass said...

Yeah, you don't get points for mentioning something specific about your beer if you're just going to talk to your audience like they're idiots. This should have the "dumbing it down" tag.

Also, 130 years isn't that differentiating compared to Europeans beers, many of which are several hundreds of years old. Pilsner Urquell, a Czech beer that's kind of the basis for Budweiser, has been around since 1842 (166 years.)