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Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Toyota Puts The Brakes On Pints For Prostates

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This is a bit of a head-scratcher, especially give the recent troubles that Toyota has been experiencing. You probably already know about my friend and colleague Rick Lyke‘s great campaign, Pints For Prostates, that seeks simply to raise awareness about prostate cancer and encourage men to get tested for it. As a cancer survivor, Lyke is understandably passionate about his cause and has done a lot of good work toward his goals.

As he notes, despite all the Toyota controversy, the car company is, of course, still trying to sell its cars. One marketing scheme they’ve introduced is asking NASCAR fans to “Sponsafy” a race car using an online graphics program. Fan-craeated cars are posted in an online gallery and are voted on, with the winner having their actual car design on the pace car for NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race in Charlotte, NC on May 22, 2010.

Here, I’ll let Rick pick up the story: “Well, I thought “sponsafying” a car for the contest might be a fun way to promote the Pints for Prostates campaign and reach a few men with a simple message: “Get a PSA Test.” After all, look at what the NFL did for the cause of breast cancer awareness early this past season by allowing players to wear pink.” So he designed and submitted the car below.

PfP-Toyota

Here’s where things take a turn for the weird. Again, here’s Rick:

Amazingly, Toyota Racing has rejected the design saying it “Contains offensive or inappropriate content.” Really? What is offensive about a car design that encourages men to pay attention to their health? Using the universal language of beer to reach men with an important health message certainly cannot be inappropriate for a sport that was once sponsored by a tobacco company and has had cars sponsored by beer, spirits and wine brands for decades. Makes you wonder if Toyota has something against men’s health?

There is still time for the Pints for Prostates ride to be part of the Toyota Sponsafy promotion and with your help we can make it happen. Please send a quick email to Kym Strong (kym_strong@toyota.com) of Toyota Motorsports and Greg Thome (greg_thome@toyota.com) of Toyota Corporate Communications. Use the subject line “Race the Pints for Prostates Car.”

As of this morning, there were 6,390 cars on Toyota’s online gallery but none with a healthy, helpful message to keep men safe from prostate cancer. And the reason for that — which I still can’t quite wrap my head around — is because it’s “offensive” (to whom?) and is “inappropriate content (what exactly?).” Take a look at the design. What do you see? I see a light blue ribbon, the logo (a pint glass with the text “Pints for Prostates” and another light blue ribbon) and the text “Get A PSA Test” in several places. Seriously, WTF!?! If you agree that makes no sense, let’s all e-mail Toyota as Rick suggests. Tell them you don’t find Pints For Prostates inappropriate at all, but you are offended by Toyota’s response to it.

Alaskan Bill Howell Wins 2010 Beerdrinker Of The Year

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Today at the Wynkoop Brewpub in Denver, Colorado the 2010 Beerdrinker of the Year was proclaimed. This year’s winner — Bill Howell — is a Sterling, Alaska college administrator, retired Navy officer, homebrewer, and beer educator. One of three national finalists at Wynkoop competing for the 2010 title, Howell withstood 2 hours of difficult beer-related questions from a panel of national beer experts to win the 14th annual title. He wins free beer for life at Wynkoop, a $250 bar tab at his favorite brewpub, St. Elias Brewing in Soldotna, AK, unmatched beer-lover glory and other prizes for winning the title.

Bill Howell with Free Beer For Life Card, 2-27-10

From Bill’s short beer resume:

William Howell, a Sterling, Alaska college administrator, retired Navy officer, homebrewer, and beer educator. In 2007 he created a new course for Kenai Peninsula College entitled The Art and History of Brewing, and has traveled extensively across Alaska and the West in pursuit of great beer. He also serves as an ally for various beer retailers and journalists, and blogs about his state’s rich beer culture.

His beer philosophy: “I have been a lover of craft beers since 1984 and a homebrewer since 1989. Since my retirement from active duty I’ve been really been able to “get serious” about beer. I decided it was time to start giving something back to the world of craft beer that had given me so much.”

Bill Howell, 2010 Beerdrinker, 2-27-10
The newly crowned king with the judges. Congratulations, Bill.

The other two finalists were:

Phil Farrell, a Cumming, Georgia commercial pilot, homebrewer, beer judge and 2007 Beerdrinker finalist. He has tasted beer in every country in Europe, 1000 of the world’s pubs and 400 brewpubs. His basement beer pub features six taps, two refrigerators, and a 15-gallon brewing system.

Logan Perkins, a Denver, Colorado beer enthusiast who has tried nearly 5000 beers in 45 states, 21 European countries and 5 Asian nations. He has conducted extensive travels across then US since 2008, visiting America’s breweries and beer towns. Perkins was a 2007 Beerdrinker of the Year finalist and 2009 semifinalist.

Guinness Ads #7: Whale Walking

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The seventh Guinness poster by John Gilroy is set at the beach showing another of the “Guinness For Strength” series. It shows a diver coming out of the auction holding up a whale with one finger and instead of oxygen, has a bottle of Guinness strapped to his back.

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Virtually the same ad has also appeared in a vertical aspect ratio.

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Paris Too Sexy For Brazil?

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This has the ring of false controversy all around, with a WTF! vibe thrown in just to keep us off guard. Famous for being famous person, Paris Hilton, is embroiled in yet another scandal, this time for being “too sexy” for television … in Brazil! I got wind of this yesterday when AdAge ran a story about it entitled Is Paris Hilton Too Sexy for Brazil? My initial reaction was that walking down the average street in Rio De Janiero during Carnival, she’d hardly stand out at all.

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Hilton is apparently involved in the entire campaign for Devassa Bem Loura — or very blonde — beer, as evidenced by her being featured on that portion of the brewery’s website. Devassa in turn is owned, at least in part, by a larger beer company, Grupo Schincariol. Grupo Schincariol is Brazil’s second largest brewer after AmBev, a division of Anheuser Busch InBev.

Devassa

The brand name itself apparently is slang for — how shall I put this? — “a loose woman” and Bem Loura, the particular flavor Hilton is endorsing, means “very blonde” in Brazilian Portuguese.

What the headlines are missing, of course, is that it’s not her “sexiness” that has the government up in arms, but the potential violations of specific bits of their advertising code that prohibit certain actions in advertising alcohol — rules few other products have to abide by. Sex, of course, is used to sell practically everything, but people get their panties in a twist when there’s alcohol involved. So apparently Brazilian “ad regulations stipulate that beer commercials cannot treat women as overtly sensual objects, though ads can show women in bikinis if they are on a beach.” Uh, having seen plenty of Brazilian beer ads, is that really enforced? A spokeswoman for the Brazilian Women’s Secretariat told London Telegraph that “It’s an ad that devalues women — in particular, blonde women.” I’m not arguing that it doesn’t, just that it seems no worse, and frankly a little tamer, than many other beer ads I’ve seen. If we’re going to go nuts again about the double standard in alcohol advertising, I’m not sure this is the best test case. Take a look below, and see if you can find this more offensive than the average beer ad. Bad? Maybe. Worst yet and having finally crossed the line? You tell me, I certainly don’t think so. Personally, I don’t find Paris Hilton all that appealing, but plenty of other men sure seem to find her sexy. While I’m not immune to a pretty face, I find brains far more sexy, and a pretty face with brains a lethal combination. That’s why I married a woman smarter and more attractive than myself. Ask anyone, it’s true.

Hilton did herself no favors when during a recent trip to Rio to promote Devassa beer, she got drunk and danced on stage. According to the Advertising Age piece I referenced earlier:

Brazil’s self-regulatory body, Conar, is investigating an ad campaign starring Paris Hilton for Devassa Bem Loura beer for being too sexually provocative, even by the racy standards of Brazilian beer ads.

According to local trade publication Meio & Mensagem, Ad Age’s partner in Brazil, Conar this week opened three different investigations into local brewer Grupo Schincariol’s launch campaign for Devassa Bem Loura (Portuguese for “Very Blonde”) beer last month during Brazil’s riotous Carnival.

US Magazine reported that “Eduardo Correia, a spokesperson for regulation company Conar, which has opened three investigations into the campaign, says the ad is particularly offensive because it doesn’t take place on a beach. ‘The problem with the ad isn’t a lack of clothing, but its sensual nature,’ Correia said. ‘A woman in a bikini on a beach isn’t necessarily sensual; it depends on the context.'” Now I don’t want to defend the ad, per se, but really? The outrage is because she’s somewhere other than on a beach? That sounds like a double standard if ever I heard one.

Another account had this to say. “This is, honestly, a bit of shock. The commercial is surprisingly tame. We’ve all seen Paris in several states of undress (many times!) throughout the years, so this is sort of yawnfest. Perfume ads incite more lust.” My thoughts exactly, a yawnfest.

Beer In Ads #53: Schlitz Real Olympic Gusto

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Friday’s ad is for Schlitz, and seemed appropriate since we’re in the waning days of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. This Schlitz ad was part of their “Real Gusto” campaign and ran during the 1964 Summer Olympic games in Tokyo, Japan. The ad features sportscaster Tom Harmon, father of actor Mark Harmon, who anchored the Tokyo games coverage on NBC.

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Olympics & Beer

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I may have some of the facts here wrong or may simply be missing something, but over the last week of paying some passing attention to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver — especially Curling — an odd picture has emerged concerning beer and America at the Olympics. A few nights on the Stephen Colbert Report, Colbert visited several nation’s International Houses, places for the athletes, visitors and sponsors from individual countries to go and relax with their fellow citizens and watch the competitions they don’t have tickets to, as well. Usually, they show off part of their culture — or the sponsor’s products — and they’re also places to celebrate. For example, at the Swiss House they had fondue, the Irish House featured folk music and the Russian House had foosball hockey. After visiting several houses, Colbert ends the segment back at the Irish House, saying it was because USA House didn’t have a bar.

That’s right, even after doubling the size of USA’s hospitality and having two separate houses (one in Vancouver and one in Whistler) there was no bar for American athletes or sponsors. Now, I don’t know for certain that we’re the only international house without a bar, but it certainly wouldn’t surprise me. We’ve done our level best to separate alcohol and move it into this otherworld that’s separate from the regular world that everyone lives in. So besides the fact that every other country can handle having alcohol be a part of their celebrations, at USA Central it’s believed that sports and alcohol can’t mix. You see it in college sports. You see it in the drive to eliminate drinking at professional sporting events. It’s always motivated by the fact that because some people can’t handle themselves, so then the logic is everyone should be prohibited from enjoying themselves. I’m sure other countries have their share of people trying to ruin it for everyone else — but somehow they’ve managed to make it the problem of those individual people and not the majority who can just get on with it. I, too, cringe whenever I see a bad drunk but not because I fear for that person, but because I know that neo-prohibitionists will look at that person and extrapolate his problem to include everyone who drinks. And so one result is the American Olympic Committee concludes it’s too risky for there to be a bar in our international house, despite the fact that craft beer is something America should be justly proud of.

Beer In Ads #50: Carling’s Light As A Feather

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Tuesday’s ad is for Carling Black Label and was originally published September 25, 1957. While quite effective in getting across its message, it’s an odd message nonetheless. Carling is trying to convince its customers that its beer is so light it’s like a feather. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t want to drink a feather, do you? Visually, though — especially before the digital age — having the beer bottle resemble a feather is quite well done. Now that’s a light beer!

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