Beers, Bras, And Business

I’m stepping a little outside of the Thirsty Thursday usual fare. I felt this was close enough to beer to insert it for a break in field reporting and reviews.

My phone decided to give me an article the other day about a groundbreaking Coors Light commercial. Clearly, I didn’t have a choice other than to click into the piece. What on Earth could be groundbreaking from Coors? Or a commercial for that matter in an age where people opt to pay more on subscription services not to see ads. On that point, it’s about time. Door to door salesmen had doors slammed in their faces for decades, why not do the same to the digital version.

The touted commercial is thirty seconds of a woman coming home and cracking open a Coors. The music, the only sound for the ad, was annoying. So were the contents of the fridge. But holy shit. A woman the sole focus of a beer commercial. No, wait. A woman, not dressed to go to a club, is not portrayed in the context of men in a beer commercial.

Not something you see every day on TV. Even if you still watch TV with commercials.

Damn if it wasn’t close to real life. So we know Coors put a woman at the helm of marketing. Although they got some things wrong. The bra totally would have come off before grabbing a cold one. Her frustration level just wasn’t high enough. And, the beer just hanging out on the shelf. Lady, it’s called a beer crisper. You know, one of the drawers toward the bottom of the refrigerator. Use it. It makes refrigerator life better.

Clearly, I related to this super brief vignette. Not the Coors Light part of it. There is a time and place for that particular beverage, but it’s not in my fridge not on my schedule.

Some of the reason this thirty seconds garnered attention is probably the bra removal. But, overall, the shock and interest in this ploy comes from something else. Up until now, women have been, for the most part, scenery in beer ads rather than intended targets. This quick video is Coors making an overt grab for the female dollar.

This isn’t the company’s first attempt at it either, although previous iterations weren’t as direct. Their thirty seconds is relatable. Being done with wearing a bra is a legitimate time of day. And no, that’s not a synonym for bedtime.

I’m not sure what kind of success this is going to lead to for Coors though. Sure, they’re getting their foot in the door with newly turned twenty-one-year-olds. But what kind of impact are they going to have in other age brackets? Their Made to Chill campaign has only that one targeted directly at women. Props to highlighting the shower beer though also epically relatable.

Sorry, but one ad isn’t going to change my mind. Regardless of how genuine the ad came across as being. Ok, a thousand Coors Light ads probably wouldn’t do anything but that’s me.

I’m not trying to throw shade at Coors. If I wanted to do that, I’d review their product. The done with wearing a bra ad is a big deal. We wouldn’t be talking about a thirty-second ad if women having agency in a beer commercial was a dime a dozen. The company is making strides to break down an absurd stereotype about alcoholic beverage choices.

One it helped engineer.

It’s not like we aren’t drinking beer. This is something the brewing industry, for the most part, fails to get behind. Beer is not, repeat not, a masculine domain. Women drink beer. All sorts of beer. Have been for thousands of years. In fact, the oldest known recipe pays homage to the goddess of beer, Ninkasi. Yep, there was a time when women were the brewers, not men.

At some point, brewing companies just decided women weren’t their audience. Instead, we were tools to help sell their products. Whatever started the exclusion, I don’t think there’s anyone left alive who knows what it is. The ridiculous segregation just keeps perpetuating with no one holding on to the wheel.

Ads like one for Coors Light is a good start to break the cycle. The Woman’s Day mea culpa move from Budweiser wasn’t. In case you missed it they retooled ads from the fifties to reflect female empowerment. Yeah, that’s what we were looking for. I totally want to spend my money on your product now.

Women are not side hustles to boost consumership. We command considerable purchasing power. Treat us like it. Just making a pink label isn’t enough. Your light beer option is not the only product you can sling at us. Stop wheeling out the Lady Beers. That’s not going to get you into our purses.

Jesus, are we seriously that much of an enigma machine?

Several options pop to mind without much effort. Partner with organizations like The Pink Boots Society. Don’t dress us up like mannequins in your ads. Talk to us. And, this is a big one, don’t patronize us. We get it so many other facets of life. We don’t need it in our beer.

Ok, I’ll step down off of my twelve-pack. I do think the ad is a good one. Well played, Coors, well played.

You still won’t make it into my beer crisper, but I’ll tip my hat to you.