ProBrewer.com

An Online Resource Serving The Beer Industry

  • News
    • News From The Breweries
    • Specialty Industry News
    • Major Brand News
    • Legislative & Regulatory
    • Distribution & Retail
    • Quarterly Financial Reports
    • International
    • Commentary
    • General News
  • Events
    • All Events
    • Essential Virtual Resources for the Brewing Industry
    • Virtual Brewing Conference Guide
  • Classified Ads
    • Latest Ads
    • Ads By Category
    • Help Wanted / For Hire
    • Search Ads
    • Post Classified Ad
    • Post Catalog Ad
    • About Classified Ads
  • Jobs
  • Discussion
  • Library
    • Archives
    • Brewery Floors
    • Brewstillery
    • Distilling
    • Distribution
    • ‘DIY’ floor coating
    • Electric Brewing
    • Filtration
    • Hops
    • Kegs
    • Keg Washers
    • Malt
    • Malt handling
    • Nano Breweries
    • Packaging
    • Pumps
    • Refrigeration
    • Shipping
    • Stupid Stuff
    • Turnkey
    • Used Tanks
    • Water
    • Yeast
  • Tools
    • IBU Calculator
    • Beer Specifications
    • Water Chemistry
  • Advertise
    • Advertise & Sponsorship on ProBrewer
    • ProBrewer Advertisers
  • Allied Trade Directory
    • Search Allied Trade Directory
    • Your Companies
    • Submit New Allied Trade Company
  • Login / Register
    • Login to ProBrewer
    • Discussions Login
    • Register
    • Password Reset
You are here: Home / Major Brand News / Michelob a ‘Craft?’

Michelob a ‘Craft?’

December 10, 2007

A-B positions Michelob as ‘craft” brand in new ads
Advertising from Anheuser-Bush’s Michelob closely mimics recent spots produced by Boston Beer Co.’s Sam Adams brand, featuring interviews with brewery personnel discussing the beer’s craftsmanship as well as malt and hop selection.

The ads, with the tagline “crafting a better beer” were produced by Michelob’s new ad agency Euro RSCG of Chicago,

“Michelob has always been a connoisseur’s beer, so it has a lot of credibility in that area,” said Keith Levy, A-B’s VP-brand management.

Michelob has long been positioned as A-B’s trade-up option from flagship brew Budweiser and has been used by A-B in the past as a counter to imports during their various surges, particularly in the 1980s to counter the initial rise of Heineken and Corona.

But the specific targeting of craft-beer competitors is a departure for Michelob.

The shift of Michelob to a craft-fighter in part reflects A-B’s burgeoning portfolio of imports, which can compete more directly in that category. It signed a 20-year agreement last year to import InBev’s portfolio of brands such as Stella Artois, Bass Ale and Beck’s. Separately, it cut similar import deals with brands such as Grolsch, Tiger and Budweiser Budvar.

But A-B executives admit candidly that their vast portfolio — which has been bolstered by product introductions, myriad distribution agreements with craft brands and even a few bottled-water and liquor products — has hurt their focus on flagship core brands.

A-B told Wall Street analysts last week that its wholesalers carry 147 brands on average, more than twice as many as they carried five years ago.

Budweiser and Bud Light both will see significant spending increases in 2008, executives said. While Bud Light will continue its long-running sophomoric humor campaign, Budweiser is shifting to a strategy of dubbing itself the “Great American Lager.”

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Twitter
  • Pocket
  • Email
pbrewadmin

Posted by pbrewadmin

Comments

  1. einhorn says

    December 10, 2007 at 7:36 pm

    I do enjoy Michelob (and always have), and is one of my favorite macros, but please – it is and remains a macro.

  2. crassbrauer says

    December 10, 2007 at 10:07 pm

    Bud is the “Great American Lager” which caused all of us, in rebellious protest against its unexciting blandness and monolithic market share, to begin brewing our own ‘big’ beers. From this perspective, I guess we should be saying “Thank you”. :rolleyes:

  3. tarmadilo says

    December 11, 2007 at 4:24 pm

    crassbrauer wrote: Bud is the “Great American Lager” which caused all of us, in rebellious protest against its unexciting blandness and monolithic market share, to begin brewing our own ‘big’ beers. From this perspective, I guess we should be saying “Thank you”. :rolleyes:

    Amen!

    Cheers, Tim

  4. BrewinLou says

    December 11, 2007 at 5:02 pm

    So if I am Joe consumer how do I tell which Mich left on the shelf is rice and carn and which is all malt? Did they change the packaging at all?

  5. Jephro says

    December 11, 2007 at 6:18 pm

    Well, as they say, “imitation is the highest form of flattery”

    Besides, Craft Beer Drinkers know what “Craft Beer” is anyway. 😎

  6. MikeJordan says

    December 12, 2007 at 2:49 am

    Oh how I wish it were only that easy…

    “Craft Beer Drinkers know what “Craft Beer” is anyway”

    Instead we have an industry that is having an identity crisis of who/what craft beer is and sticking some sort of “craft” label on beer based upon a “floating” standard in a thriving/growing beer segment.

  7. jesskidden says

    December 12, 2007 at 8:59 pm

    BrewinLou wrote: So if I am Joe consumer how do I tell which Mich left on the shelf is rice and carn and which is all malt? Did they change the packaging at all?

    As I remember the news stories from around last year this time, the marketing guys at A-B proposed in-house that they were going “retro” with Michelob’s packaging, and were returning to a new version of the classic “hourglass” shaped bottled. The “brewing guys” sort of got together and suggested that, well, since they’re going “retro” anyway, why not return to an All Malt recipe, too? (Michelob never contained corn but rice was said to make up 20% of the grain bill, according to Michael Jackson). So, the two changes happened around the same time (last winter), and new labels on the updated bottle say “A Classic All-Malt Lager Brewed with Noble European Aroma Hop Varieties”.

    I am sad to say that I bought a sixpack of this when it first hit the market in NJ (only my second A-B purchase in 3 decades or so- I also popped for the first years’ “Brewmasters Reserve” because I thought, due to A-B’s confused ad copy that it was the undiluted ‘high gravity” Bud.) I still have a bottled of all-malt Michelob, “born on 07 FEB 07” (yeah, haven’t been able to give that one away yet) and was pretty disappointed and thought to myself, “So, they took out the rice portion of the grain bill, AND DIDN’T REPLACE IT WITH ANYTHING?” 😉

    I found it incredibly uninspired (tho’ lots of well-known beer reviewers have given it high marks) all the more so because I once had a GREAT sample of Michelob (free, of course), in the early 80’s at the tour of the Columbus OH brewery- nice and fresh with a beautifully fragrant, hoppy nose- easily the best US style “light lager” I’d ever had up to that point. The fact that I never again had a similar opinion of a Michelob I always attributed to the “urban beer myth” of the time that the long-delayed bottling of Michelob was a “failure” as far as taste was concerned.

    Michelob’s new “craft” identity is in some respects a sort of return to form for A-B. I’ve quoted from the Michelob chapter in A-B’s 100 year anniversary book on the ‘net elsewhere, but thought I’d post the actual pages from the book, for the full take on Anheuser-Busch’s image of Michelob half century ago.

    http://jesskidden.googlepages.com/michelob%2C1953

Search

Promoted
Schaefer Container Systems North America Inc. logo
Schaefer Container Systems North America Inc.
Kegs and Tanks Direct from the Manufacturer
Craftmaster Stainless logo
Craftmaster Stainless
Serving the craft brewery, wine, and distilling industries.
G4 Kegs logo
G4 Kegs
A partner you can count on.
Beltway Brewing Co. • Micropure Filtration

Subscribe to ProBrewer Daily

ProBrewer Subscriptions

View previous newsletters.

Connect With @ProBrewerPage

 Instagram    Facebook    Twitter

 

 

 

Join the ProBrewer mailing list

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy

Connect With @ProBrewerPage

 Instagram    Facebook    Twitter

Go Somewhere Else

News • Classifieds • Help Wanted / For Hire • Discussion • Library • Contact • Advertise • Contact Details • Help

Copyright © 2021 · RealBeer Media · Privacy Policy · Terms and Conditions

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.