| As any of us who ever watch a sporting event, or | | | | audience that theirs was the superior product. These |
| sports related programming, almost every commercial | | | | efforts met with little success as research showed |
| break includes one or more ads for one or more | | | | the consumer (the fabled "Joe Six Pack) saw little |
| brands of beer. The breweries are obviously spending | | | | difference among the national brands. This problem |
| their advertising dollars to reach those who are | | | | was finally solved by Miller Brewing Company in 1971. |
| sports minded. But has it always been this way? | | | | In that year, Miller launched one new advertising |
| What is the history of beer advertising in the United | | | | slogan and announced they would soon be introducing |
| States? | | | | a "secondary brand". |
| Before that discussion begins, its important to realize | | | | The advertising slogan they introduced changed the |
| that, although television as a piece of hardware was | | | | industry. It was "if you've got the time, we've got |
| invented in the 1920s, the world wide great | | | | the beer". This new slogan was introduced on TV |
| depression of the 1930s and the Second World War | | | | sports programming with tough, rugged looking |
| in the 1940s prevented TV from becoming much | | | | working men who just wanted a good beer after a |
| more than a laboratory experiment unit the end of | | | | hard day on the job. This was he first time |
| the war. In the late 1940s independent TV | | | | advertising had been aimed directly at the consumer |
| broadcasters began setting up shop around the | | | | instead of the product itself and was an immediate |
| country as manufacturer's switched from military to | | | | hit. So much so that Budweiser soon followed with |
| consumer products. By 1949, the first TV network, | | | | slogan "For all you do, this Bud's for you". But the real |
| The DuMont network had affiliated stations as far | | | | game changer was the "secondary brand" launched in |
| north as Boston, as far west as St. Louis, and deep | | | | 1973. This turned out to be Miller Lite which went on |
| into the South in Houston and New Orleans. But, on | | | | to become one of the most popular brands in the |
| the whole, TV was in its infancy (some would say it | | | | world. |
| still is!) and so was advertising. | | | | The challenge of a lower calorie beer was to position |
| One of early TV's crying needs was for quality | | | | it so it wasn't considered a 'sissy beer" or somehow |
| original programming to broadcast. Even with the | | | | less of a product than Miller High Life. To accomplish |
| limited early schedules having stations sign on at 7AM | | | | this, the advertising agency concentrated on |
| and sign off at 10 or 11PM, there wasn't any TV | | | | commercials with well known sports figures that |
| studio infrastructure to feed programs to the | | | | were successful in their individual sports and could |
| stations and most were relying on live broadcasts of | | | | make the new slogan "Everything you always |
| radio shows. So it seemed natural to try and televise | | | | wanted in a beer. And less" a catchphrase. It worked |
| sports, especially baseball, for two reasons. One it | | | | to perfection and eventually some 40 well know |
| was popular and two, a game could be counted on | | | | celebrities and sports stars took part in the |
| to last between 2 and 3 hours and sometimes more. | | | | commercials. |
| Among the earliest adopters of this new medium | | | | In the almost 40 years since Miller Lite was |
| were bar and tavern owners who saw installing a TV | | | | introduced, beer advertising has become more and |
| as a cheap way to keep their customers seated at | | | | more sophisticated and has often reflected the mood |
| the bar and ordering drinks. Fully half the television | | | | of the times. From Budweiser's beloved talking frogs |
| sets manufactured in 1947 were bought by bars and | | | | to Coors' current campaign featuring out takes of |
| taverns. In turn, this suggested to the breweries that | | | | football coaches press conferences and sideline |
| they could pitch their products directly to people who | | | | antics, the big breweries have strived to keep us |
| already enjoyed their product. | | | | entertained for 15, 30 or 60 seconds at a time and |
| Legend has it that the first beer commercials shown | | | | get us to buy their beer instead that of their |
| during a baseball game were aired 1945 by the | | | | competitors. As the breweries have become more |
| Narragansett Beer Brewery in New England who | | | | successful and have merges with each other to form |
| showed commercials during Red Sox games. | | | | truly global enterprises their advertising budgets have |
| However, Modern Brewery age says the first true | | | | grown accordingly to the point where beer |
| commercials were from the Hyde Park brewery in St. | | | | companies seem to have their ads everywhere and |
| Louis in 1947. Interestingly, it wasn't a sports related | | | | on everything. |
| program but a live man-on-the-street interview | | | | One of the casualties of this massive spending has |
| program. Nonetheless, beer ads continued to be | | | | been the local brewery who cannot hope to |
| concentrated around sporting events even in these | | | | compete with the large, multi-national brewing |
| early years. | | | | companies. Forced off the airways, they have been |
| Throughout the next two decades beer advertisers | | | | forced to depend on limited local advertising and |
| tried to convince their domestic beer drinking | | | | word of mouth recommendations to stay in business. |
