Beer ads fare well in Ad Age top ten - Brief Article

Modern Brewery Age, Feb 2, 2004

In Ad Age's review of the ads of 2003, beer ads generally fared well, with Miller's "Catfight" the only blot in the industry's copybook.

Ad Age ad critic Bob Garfield called the Miller ad "a cynical and desperate act" and noted that "beer advertising should sell beer, which this outrage certainly did not."

On the bright side, not one but three beer ads made Garfield's Top Ten "Ads I Loved."

The critic's number three ad in 2003 was Budweiser's reprise on the football playing Clydesdales, but this time including a referee--a zebra. "Only Budweiser has the equity to make this kind of beerless event advertising a brand builder," Garfield wrote.

Miller finally made Garfield's top ten in 2003, after an absence of perhaps a decade or more. "Whole chasing such imbecilic paths as 'It's it and that's that', lesbian cement wrestling and the self indulgent 'Dick' campaign, Miller squandered a billion or so marketing bucks while Lite's share skyrocketed from 10.35 in 1990 to its current 7.4%," Garfield wrote. "Then, while waiting for the next creative breakthrough, it slapped together some ads talking about Lite's low carb advantage. No post-modem irony. No giant hooters. Just a very good reason for the body conscious not to buy the leading brand."

The third ad in the Garfield top ten was from Budweiser's True campaign. In this one, male office workers speculate on which female colleague they'd like to sleep with, and they all say "Vicky." Cut to Vicky, being asked the same question, and answering "nobody." Garfield wrote, "Men and women, having a beer, behaving like men and women. This is enduring, universal and True."

Also in this Ad Age, the ten most downloaded ads from its Adcritic.com web-site. These included Bud's Replay and Coors Light's Wingman, but also, you guessed it, "Catfight."