Monday’s ad is for Acme Beer from 1947. The ad features local San Francisco celebrity John Tyers, a star of the San Francisco Civic Light Opera Company. He agrees, “it’s the finest tasting Acme beer ever brewed,” especially with the “tangy flavor.”
Guinness Ad #116: Welcome In The Home
Our 116th Guinness ad shows the intrepid zookeeper in his home surrounded by eight of his zoo animals, as if they live there when the zoo is closed. The seal is serving the zookeeper a Guinness on a tray as he relaxes on a comfy chair, legs up on a turtle. The tagline, “Guinness is welcome in the home” must have been advertising bottled product for sale.
Beer In Ads #590: Lucky In Alaska
Friday’s ad is the fourth, and final, in our series of ads for Lucky Lager, brewed in both San Francisco and Los Angeles, California. This ad shows the “age-dated beer” being enjoyed in Alaska. You can tell because he’s wearing a parka and there’s a toem pole in the background. Actually, it says so on the copy, it could have been anywhere in the west, really.
Beer In Ads #589: Lucky Lumberjack
Thursday’s ad is the third in our series of ads for Lucky Lager, brewed in both San Francisco and Los Angeles, California. This ad shows the “age-dated beer” being enjoyed in a wooded setting by someone dressed as a lumberjack, as far as I can tell. “He cuts down trees, he eats his lunch, he goes to the lavatory ….”
Beer In Ads #588: Lucky On The Hunt
Wednesday’s ad is the second in our series of ads for Lucky Lager, brewed in both San Francisco and Los Angeles, California. This ad shows the “age-dated beer” being enjoyed on what I’m guessing is a hunting trip in the woods.
Beer In Ads #587: Lucky Down On The Ranch
Tuesday’s ad is the beginning of a series of ads for Lucky Lager, brewed in both San Francisco and Los Angeles, California. This ad shows the “age-dated beer” being enjoyed on some sort of ranch in the desert.
Beer In Ads #586: Don’t Deny Yourself The Joys Of Beer
Monday’s ad is by well-known pin-up artist George Petty for Atlas Beer. And not just any Atlas Beer, but the one that’s a “Special Brew” with “Every Bottle Certified.” Curiously, after listing the benefits of beer, they suggest that you “Don’t Drink Home Brew.”
Guinness Ad #115: Bear Up A Pole
Our 115th Guinness ad is a variation on an earlier zoo ad. This one is vertical, and omits some of the detail of the horizontal original, showing just the bear, who’s climbed up a pole with the zookeeper’s Guinness so he can drink it undisturbed. I love he look on his face, which seems to be saying, “forget it bub, you’re not getting this back.” The hapless zookeeper waves his lunch trying to persuade the bear to give up his beer, but I don’t think he’s going to get back his Guinness. The ad originally ran full-page in the Illustrated London Times in November of 1944.
Beer In Ads #585: Imported Original Budweiser Beer
Friday’s ad is for the Czech Budweiser, Budejovice, cheekily advertsing themselves as the “Imported Original Budweiser Beer.” I don’t know exactly when this ad is from, but it’s a safe bet it’s before A-B’s legal muscle was finely honed as it later became. But I do so love these old illustrations of industrial grandness.
Beer In Ads #584: The Guru Of Good Times
Thursday’s ad is for Bud Light from 1988, during the Spuds McKenzie days. I never a big fan of Spuds, a booze hound, womanizing anthropomorphized pup. He debuted during the 1997 Super Bowl, a couple of years after Pete’s Wicked Ale started out with their dog Millie on their label. He was also a Bull Terrier, like Spuds McKenzie. To make maters worse, even though Pete’s use of his own dog on the label preceded Bud Light using a similar dog, they threatened legal action and, as they say, the big dog always wins. It’s never a fair fight. Pete changed their label and Spuds went on to become an advertising legend. After all, “he’s the guru of good times.”
