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We don’t want Bud, we want Brooklyn!

Eric Delia at Relentless Thirst has tipped us off to the exciting news that Budweiser are launching a UK only ad campaign, focusing “on the care that goes into making Budweiser, highlighting its history and provenance.” [Pause to choke on whatever tasty beverage you’re supping at the moment.]

Fabulous. Another boring lager being (re)marketed. I didn’t really notice it go away, although I suppose now I think about it, you see more Becks around than Bud. And quite a lot of Budvar — we Brits love an underdog, although of course Budvar isn’t quite the underdog it purports to be, as Evan Rail pointed out.
images_coasters_tmb.jpgAnyway, this got me thinking about something I’ve been pondering for a while. Why doesn’t the Brooklyn brewery try a marketing campaign in London to push its wonderful lager? It would appeal on two levels. Firstly, to the discerning beer drinker who would be delighted to see it in the fridge in amongst a sea of other indistinguishable “world” lagers.

Secondly, it would surely appeal to the type of sucker who drinks any lager as long as it’s in a bottle and comes from another country. This is a big market, at least in London, given the number of identical ranges in central London pubs — Peroni, San Miguel, Corona, Brahma etc.

If good marketing can polish turds like Bud, Magners and all those bland eurolagers, imagine the effect it could have on something that’s a genuinely great product? In fact, the Magners adverts aren’t even good. We mugs really will buy anything.

Boak

10 replies on “We don’t want Bud, we want Brooklyn!”

For some reason, Brooklyn simply doesn’t sell as well as it should, despite being a great beer with an attractive brand identity. That’s what I hear from those who are trying to shift it.

Perhaps an amber lager just isn’t something many people are amenable too? After all, our quality beer sector is so focussed on ale as opposed to lager, and the latter is just seen as a pale refresher. People are missing out on a great, great product.

To prove the point I haven’t even tried it! One to remember next time I’m in Tesco. I suppose if I want a lager I go for Czech or German ahead of “New World”.

Yes, I suppose that rather than appealing to two markets, as it should, it falls between two stools. Pity.

I have tried it on both sworn ale drinkers and sworn lager drinkers and both enjoy it – it’s just lovely stuff.

I see Coors UK have agreed to start distributing Magner’s on draught, so you have that to look forward to.

Definitely agree with the point about Brooklyn vs other small-bottled lagers. I suspect the difference may be one of profit margins.

After reading the Brewmaster’s Table, it’s easy to see that Garrett Oliver developed a soft spot for the British Brewing tradition, it being his gateway to better beer so many years ago. So it would only make sense for Brooklyn to implement a marketing surge in another country that’s also affected by less-than-adequate lagers.

Also, in a different post I mentioned that Nøgne ø’s success at exporting might serve as a possible business model for smaller outfits that may be concerned with their survival. Surely a somewhat larger operation like Brooklyn could capitalize even moreso on such a venture, if at all possible.

If any of you British bloggers are tapped for this sampling, or come across any results of this campaign, I’d love to hear more. (“Note the drying, corn-like aftertaste…”)

Here’s to hoping your lager worries come to an end soon.

Good news! I’ve just heard that Brooklyn lager will soon be available on draught – or daft as those crazy Amerian’s would say. I’m salavating at the thought.

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