Budweiser's Backfire: The Super Bowl Aftermath

Once I became an active beer fan, it didn't take long for me to realize the beer industry comes with more than its fair share of drama. Much of it is about craft vs. the big guys, with beer enthusiast forums like BeerAdvocate egging on the back-and-forth like overstimulated kids watching a playground fight. At this point, however, the conflict can be likened to the token scene in which the little guy has beaten the schoolyard bully to a pulp, and is now walking away surrounded by a cheering crowd while the bully, lying on the ground surrounded by only his two silent birdbrain henchmen yells through the blood dripping from his sniveling nose, "This isn't over, Stupidhead!"

Ever since yesterday's Super Bowl, this scene has playing on repeat across the Twittersphere. I didn't watch the game, but I quickly learned that one of the million dollar commercials was an apparent attack by Budweiser on the craft beer movement. After watching the ire invoking ad, I concluded that what Bud had meant to be fighting words was in fact some laughable "nanny nanny poo poo" drivel that came too late in a game in which the conglomerate is no longer a real contender (it's no secret that Budweiser sales have been declining for the past 25 years and have been hit especially hard by the quick and consistent rise of craft breweries).

In the commercial, Budweiser insists through mighty block lettering that it is "PROUDLY A MACRO BEER," an obvious jab at craft beer lovers' disdain for big beer companies. "NOT TO BE FUSSED OVER," the text continues, as a supposed beer snob complete with a pair of nineteenth century spectacles and an exaggerated handlebar mustache thoughtfully holds a snifter of dark, viscous beer to his nose. Apparently unsure it's proved its point, the commercial really launches into its "Us vs. Them" attack with all the finesse of a cartoon meathead. More bespectacled cliche hipsters are pictured, this time engaged in a lively debate in front of the exposed brick and blackboard menus typically associated with craft beer bars as "The King of Beers" explains that its product is "FOR DRINKING, NOT DISSECTING," inadvertently advertising its beer's vapidness by acknowledging that it has little taste to dissect. "LET THEM SIP THEIR PUMPKIN PEACH ALE," the commercial finally attempts to taunt, a move which immediately elicited actual pumpkin peach ale brewers (one of which was actually recently purchased by Budweiser) to take to Twitter to share evidence of their products' rave reviews and growing sales. 

As a craft beer advocate, this ad didn't make me mad. It made me laugh. I've now watced it several times, giggling at the uninformed, childish attempt that will continue to backfire as the craft beer industry continues to fire back. Grab your popcorn raisinet ale along with your pumpkin peach. This "fight" is gonna get good.