Booze Business | A blog dedicated to the business of spirits and wine

Mad Men and Booze

March 28, 2012 1 Comment

As a fan of the TV show and wannabe writer, I’m a bit more interested in the story than what they are drinking. But, a good friend pointed out some of the inaccuracies of the drinking habits portrayed.

For instance, people in the 1960s drank Canadian Whisky, Blended Scotch and Vodka began its ascent. In fact, Gin was already passé and in 1967, vodka sales surpassed it, no doubt with an assist from James Bond.

So far as vodka vs. whiskey was concerned, here is a memo from the late 1960s reportedly from J. Walter Thompson senior management. JWT was arguably the leading ad agency at the time…

“To all employees: If you must drink during lunch, please drink whiskey. It is much better for our clients to know that you are drunk rather than think you are stupid.”

The Belvedere Advertising Mystery

March 25, 2012 2 Comments

Belvedere vodka ran into a storm of criticism after an ad was posted on Facebook and Twitter on Friday. The ad showed a young man smiling as he grabs a woman from behind. The woman has a frightened look on her face and appears to be trying to get away. The text of the ad read: “Unlike some people, Belvedere always goes down smoothly.” (I will not show a copy of the ad but you can find it here.

The obvious stupidity of this ad is only the beginning of this tale. Why would an advertiser want to associate their brand with an image showing sexual assault? Especially, an alcohol product. What were they thinking?

The question becomes, who authorized the ad and who decided it should appear on Facebook and Twitter?

QR Codes

March 21, 2012 No Comments

Ever see one of these before? Ever use one?

According to data I found online, in an August 2011 poll, almost 60% say they are NOT familiar with QR codes. QR stands for quick response.

Here is how it works…you’re walking down the street and you see a bus shelter or other outdoor medium. Off in the corner is one of these doohickeys. Or, maybe you’ve seen them on a print ad or business card or, even, an envelope.

In any event, if you have a camera and QR Reader on your smart phone (the reader is a free app) you click on the reader and hold it over the QR Code until – presto – it takes you to wherever the person who created it, wants you to go. That’s usually a website but I’ve seen it used to provide contact information on business cards for ease of access.

For the booze business I like it mainly for wine. If I try a new wine and want to remember it, I either need to photograph the label, write down the name (do you always have a pen with you?) or try to remember (which depends on how much wine was consumed). The QR Code is quick, easy and provides the opportunity to learn more about the wine via a website link.

QR Codes are used for advertising, special offers and discounts and a host of other stuff that a marketer wants to communicate in detail. While their use doesn’t change the world of marketing or advertising, they are convenient adjuncts providing more information easily. But naturally, some ad folks get carried away and think that the convenience is the message.

Oh, and let’s not forget t-shirts.

By the way, if you haven’t already done so, hold your phone up to the code at the top. Guess who?