Tuesday’s ad is again for Schlitz, from 1958 (though parts of it are from previous years). Actually, it’s an advertising piece — a pamphlet or brochure — from their wonderful ad campaign, one of my all-time favorites, Schlitzerland. This piece, entitled “Schlitzerland, U.S.A., or how to entertain Schlitzfriends,” gives advice, along with songs, or how to throw various types of parties successfully. This is pages two and three, with the first song, “Schlitzsong.” It’s also the Preface, explaining that Schlitz is “sociability’s adult refreshment, paced to today’s leisure — part of modern America’s new pattern of living.
Very creative and intelligent, I wonder if ads today in general are as good. The sedulous insistence on being “paced for today”, i.e., the light taste, is hammered home in the ad copy: light, light, light, light.
A young brewer at Schlitz in 1958, say, would have been 28, thus born in 1930. He’d be 84 today, and if in good health would retain an active memory. It would be interesting to ask him (or her), what occurred in the labs in this period, in the discussions with ad execs and marketers, how did the product change (if it did at all but the likelihood seems inevitable)? Were there arguments in the brewery about the change? Was even the lighter 1950’s style Schlitz comparable to the typical mass market beer today, or was it better? There aren’t too many more years available to know the answers…
Gary
As a teenager/college kid, I thought Schlitz “heavy” (likely because it was maltier than Bud & some of the cheaper & hoppier beers I’d tried) – we’re talking 1966-early 70’s. Maybe it reverted back heavier on the malt bill than what (presumably) started during the “kiss of the hops” ad campaign (never had much ever). I guess I was an early “hophead” – I much preferred brews that had hop taste (once I got my 1st tastes of ale – confirmed!).
However, Gary raises a good question – let us hope we can get an answer to it from an old guy who’s beer tastes have evolved to the point that he’d check in on this site.