| A hundred years ago, Schlitz Beer was ranked the | | | | it is brewed in air tight cauldrons. After it leaves here |
| fifth beer in the U.S. market. Although, the beer | | | | it is filtered and sterilized." The beer ads also showed |
| industry then was growing by leaps and bounds, the | | | | drawings that visually depicted the process. |
| Schlitz Beer Company was experiencing a rapid | | | | The ad, in effect, created the impression that the |
| decline in its market share. In its desperation, Schlitz | | | | company was taking extreme steps to make the |
| turned to advertising pioneer Claude C. Hopkins for | | | | purest beer available in the market. The reality was |
| help. Hopkins took a struggling product and in just a | | | | that all beer manufacturers were doing the same |
| few months propelled it to the top of the market. In | | | | thing. What Hopkins did was to explain and give |
| doing so, Hopkins established himself as a legend in | | | | meaning to the word "pure." The results of the ad |
| the advertising industry. This is the story behind that | | | | campaign brought tremendous success to Schlitz |
| success. | | | | Beer. |
| Every beer manufacturer at that time was putting | | | | Hopkins approach is akin to using a story angle as a |
| emphasis on how "Pure" their beers were. Purity was | | | | marketing tool. Over a hundred years this method is |
| deemed a desirable quality in the eyes of the | | | | still so persuasive and effective. By showing how the |
| consumers. It was no wonder then that beer | | | | idea for the product came about and sharing the |
| manufacturers spent a fortune in putting out | | | | process that came with its creation, a product can |
| screaming page ads that had the word "Pure" next | | | | lure the attention of its consumers. |
| to their beers. | | | | There are many reasons why this approach works, |
| Hopkins took a look at the situation and even made | | | | to wit: a) It adds credibility to the product, b) It is |
| a tour of the Schlitz brewery. He was surprised to | | | | concrete, c) It tells a story and people love stories, |
| see the painstaking process that manufacturers | | | | d) It gives you something new to say, e) It gives a |
| adhered to just to come up with purified beer. | | | | concrete example of the product's benefits or |
| He understood that all beer manufacturers adhere to | | | | features, and f) It can give "romance" to the |
| the same process but none among them used it as a | | | | product. |
| selling point for their products. It was then that he | | | | When a company makes a claim on the advantages |
| saw an opportunity that would make a difference to | | | | or benefits of its product it has to back it up with |
| the future of Schlitz beer. | | | | persuasion and evidence to make the customer |
| Hopkins proceeded to make ad copies that explained | | | | believe in the claim. Hopkins' approach is akin to taking |
| in detail the thoroughness that Schlitz beer | | | | the customer by the hand, telling him a story on how |
| underwent to ensure its purity. In the Schlitz Beer | | | | the product came about and showing him a tour of |
| ads, Hopkins described: "The beer is cooled by | | | | the process involved in manufacturing the product. In |
| dripping over frigid pipes in air as pure as human | | | | doing so, Hopkins made an emotional connection with |
| means can make it." He goes further: "And that's but | | | | the customer and gained his trust. Thus, he was able |
| one extreme. Before the beer comes into this room | | | | to build credibility for the product. |
