Today in 1887, US Patent 362809 A was issued, an invention of W.J. Woodley of San Francisco, California, for his “Faucet Hole And Stopper Combined.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
My invention relates to a device for preventing the flow and waste of fluid while stoppering or breaching vessels containing beer, wine, or other liquids.
The original Anheuser-Busch considered itself a quintessentially American company, and it many ways it was. Run by the same family for generations from their mansions in St. Louis, Missouri, in the heartland of America, it was easy for the German-American Busch family to position Budweiser as the ultimate American beer. And they rarely shied away from making such associations. From early on, the Budweiser label was red, white and blue and they used that to their advantage on numerous occasions. During my lifetime, countless times their advertising played on that patriotism, using patriotic iconography in their POS and marketing.
But I imagine this latest campaign may be going a little too far for many people. They filed, and received, label approval on April 11, 2016 from the TTB with application OMB No. 1513-0020 for a new label. That new label will try to rebrand the new Anheuser-Busch InBev, no longer an American company with international roots in Brazil and Belgium, as “America.” No, seriously, they’re actually going to call Budweiser “America,” at least for the summer. According to AdAge:
A-B InBev on Tuesday, May 10, confirmed the limited-edition label change, saying “America” would replace “Budweiser” on the front of 12-oz. cans and bottles. The packaging will run from May 23 through election season in November, the brewer stated. The agency that handled the design change is Jones Knowles Ritchie, New York. The packaging will be accompanied by a summer-long campaign called “America is in Your Hands.” A national TV spot featuring the cans and bottles will premiere on June 1.
And it’s not just that title, the new label is riddled with patriotic associations. It’s an amazing piece of propaganda, and not in any way subtle.
This is the image that accompanied the TTB label application.
Will this work? Can the international conglomerate poised to swallow up SABMiller — who’s already the world’s largest beer company — be able to convince Americans that they’re still your blue collar friend? That they’re still America’s beer? It feels like a tough sell, but if I’ve learned anything in my five decades consuming advertising it’s that people are incredibly gullible. Many people don’t care who owns Budweiser. Many people don’t care, or perhaps even know, that Budweiser is owned by a ginormous international conglomerate. They’ve been Bud drinkers as long as they can remember, and they have too many other things they care more about than thinking about what beer they’re drinking. I think because we live in such a beer bubble that we sometimes forget that most people don’t care about the industry as deeply as we do.
It seems like ABI has become far more aggressive lately in how they’re trying to position their brand. Part of that seems like desperation at their shrinking market, but being the world’s 25th most valuable brand, worth an estimated $22.3 billion alone (never mind the rest of the company), still makes them the 800-pound gorilla. And that sort of size would make anyone aggressive, with no one else remotely close to their size. I’m certainly curious to see this play out. Will there be a backlash? My guess is no. They’ll be some fiery condemnations on the interwebs, perhaps a few stories on television, and then it will die down. Bud drinkers will just continue drinking their beer of choice. And I’m willing to bet at least a few won’t even notice the change. It will certainly appeal to a certain jingoist bent that many Americans are prone to, the people who believe America is always number one in everything, and anybody who says differently is a commie; the same people who used to say “America, love it or leave it.”
ABI released a statement today entitled “Budweiser Emblazons America On Cans And Bottles To Kick Off Its Most Patriotic Summer Ever” with the details on their new ad campaign.
America’s No. 1 full-flavored lager is taking its longstanding tradition of patriotic packaging even further this summer by replacing “Budweiser” with “America” on the front of its 12-oz. cans and bottles. The brand is also modifying Budweiser’s iconic label to add copy that is central to American history, including phrases from the Pledge of Allegiance and lyrics from “The Star Spangled Banner” and “America the Beautiful.” On shelves nationwide from May 23 through the election in November, these cans and bottles aim to inspire drinkers to celebrate America and Budweiser’s shared values of freedom and authenticity.
Designed in partnership with Jones Knowles Ritchie New York, Budweiser’s bold new look serves as the focal point for its summer-long campaign—“America is in Your Hands”—which reminds people from sea to shining sea to embrace the optimism upon which the country was first built. The “America” cans and bottles will star in the brand’s new national TV spot, premiering June 1.
“We are embarking on what should be the most patriotic summer that this generation has ever seen, with Copa America Centenario being held on U.S. soil for the first time, Team USA competing at the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said Ricardo Marques, vice president, Budweiser. “Budweiser has always strived to embody America in a bottle, and we’re honored to salute this great nation where our beer has been passionately brewed for the past 140 years.”
The “America is in Your Hands” campaign will come to life this summer during culturally relevant moments where Budweiser will be present, including Fourth of July celebrations, the Copa America Centenario soccer tournament, the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, and events to celebrate the brand’s six Team Budweiser athletes competing to appear in the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The campaign will include billboards, murals, digital content, and retail activations along with additional surprises to be revealed throughout the summer.
Budweiser is also unveiling new cans and bottles featuring a magnified view of the Statue of Liberty’s torch, inspired by Team Budweiser, the brand’s six Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls. On shelves from May 23 through mid-September, the “Torch” packaging will be available in 16-oz. and 25-oz. cans, along with 16-oz. aluminum bottles.
Is this the new face of American beer? I suspect not, but only time will tell how many Americans will fall for it.
Today in 1955, US Patent 2707827 A was issued, an invention of Fred W. Petram, for his “Combined Can Holder and Opener.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
This invention relates to can openers and more particularly to a combined can opener and holder.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a device which may be efficiently and easily used in opening and holding a can of beer or a can of juice or similar material, the construction consisting entirely of one piece.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a combined can holder and opener of the above type which is adapted to snap on to the upper lip of the can at the end of the device remote from the can opening portion, the latter being resiliently retained against the lower lip of the can with the device intermediate its ends curving outwardly to provide a grasping portion.
Monday’s ad is entitled Decorating For Christmas, and the illustration was done in 1949 by Douglass Crockwell. It’s #37 in a series entitled “Home Life in America,” also known as the Beer Belongs series of ads that the United States Brewers Foundation ran from 1945 to 1956. In this ad, it appears that several people have come over to a house to drink beer and watch the couple who own that house as they decorate for Christmas. Apparently this used to be a spectator sport, drink some beer and watch people work.
Today in 1916, US Patent 1182675 A was issued, an invention of August Goetz, for his “Beer Tap.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
Among the principal objects which the present invention has in view are: to provide a tap of the character mentioned with means for closing the movable member preliminary to separating it from the stationary member of said tap; to provide a drawoff pipe with a closable key valve adapted to open the draw-off valve of a tap, said key valve being arranged for closure as a preliminary to the closing of the draw-off valve; to provide a handle-like pipe-connecting extension for the movable member of said key valve; and to provide a pressure supply pipe and a liquid-delivering pipe with means for automatically opening and closing the same when connecting to or disconnecting from a liquid supply.
Sunday’s ad is entitled Thanksgiving Dinner, and the illustration was done in 1949 by Douglass Crockwell. It’s #36 in a series entitled “Home Life in America,” also known as the Beer Belongs series of ads that the United States Brewers Foundation ran from 1945 to 1956. In this ad, a family is sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner, and everyone has a beer, naturally. Mom is bringing in the turkey, while Grandma and Grandpa eye the bird suspiciously. The pressure’s on.
Today in 1906, US Patent 819768 A was issued, an invention of Alfred T. Kruse, assigned to the American Steel Package Company, for his “Sheet Metal Keg.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
My invention relates to improvements in sheet-metal kegs especially designed for the transportation and storage of liquids, such as whisky, beer, mineral .waters, &c. For this purpose wooden kegs are usually employed; but such vessels are objectionable from the fact that they soon become soaked with fluid, thereby becoming filthy, decayed, and heavy and liable to spring a leak, causing much damage and loss from the escape of contents.
Saturday’s ad is entitled Birthday Party For Dad, and the illustration was done in 1949 by Douglass Crockwell. It’s #35 in a series entitled “Home Life in America,” also known as the Beer Belongs series of ads that the United States Brewers Foundation ran from 1945 to 1956. In this ad, an elderly man is, one presumes, surrounded by his family, who have just heaped presents on him and are toasting his birthday. Dad looks down, bemused, at his presents, or perhaps he’s looking over at his beer and has realized that’s what he’d rather have in his hand.
Today in 1940, US Patent 2199503 A was issued, an invention of Michael A. Martin, for his “Beer Cooling System and Apparatus.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
Prior beverage cooling systems with which I am familiar have commonly cooled the beverage dispenser by an evaporator mounted therein and have maintained the beverage containers cool 10 by disposing them in a cold room which is independently cooled. The cold room or storage room is usually relatively large to accommodate the person handling the containers, resulting in considerable space to be maintained cool and which is relatively expensive. Also, the provision of two independent systems results not only in considerable operating expense but in high original cost of equipment and of installation.
The storage or cold room, although cool, is of a higher temperature than the proper consumption temperature of the beer since the cost of maintaining such a room at a desired temperature, such as 40″, would be excessive, the beer is thus required to be rapidly lowered in temperature upon reaching the dispenser, and before withdrawal and under peak conditions warm beer is frequently drawn. In transmitting the beer from the storage room to the dispenser, the been supply line usually passes through a relatively warm zone, such as the tap room, and although the line is usually heat insulated, the beer is usually raised somewhat in temperature. I have devised a system for cooling beverages wherein a relatively small, storage compartment may be provided and the evaporator unit is eliminated in the dispenser permitting a larger amount of cooling. liquid to be used in a given size dispenser. Both the dispenser and the storage unit are cooled by a single means and the pipes supplying beer or the like to the dispenser are immersed in cooling liquid from the storage cabinet to the dispenser. A reservoir of cooling liquid is maintained at a temperature normally substantially lower than the cooling liquid in the dispenser and this arrangement together with the low temperature of the beverage containers in the storage compartment and the additional pre cooling of the beer prior to reaching the dispenser, permits the capacity of a given size dispenser under peak conditions to be considerably increased while maintaining the beer within desired temperature limits.
It is an object of my invention therefore to provide an improved system and apparatus for .55 cooling beverages such as beer.
Another object of my invention is to provide a cooling system for stored beverage containers and for the beverage dispenser which is relatively compact and economical in operation.
Another object of my invention is to provide 5 an improved cooling system for beer containers in a storage room, a dispenser, and supply line from the container to the dispenser, wherein the capacity of a given size dispenser to cool beer under peak conditions is materially increased.
Friday’s ad is entitled Housewarming, and the illustration was done in 1949 by Douglass Crockwell. It’s #34 in a series entitled “Home Life in America,” also known as the Beer Belongs series of ads that the United States Brewers Foundation ran from 1945 to 1956. In this ad, a young couple are in a new home, and entertaining for the first time there. I can only guess that the party has been under way for some time now and many beers have been consumer, because she looks way too happy to receive a cactus and a geranium from the couple arriving late.
