Wednesday’s ad is for Brüna, from 1950. I have no idea about the beer itself, but the poster was done by Raymond Savignac, a famous French illustrator at the time. Do a Google image search for him and you’ll see his widely copied style. The French text “La Biere Qui Rechauffe” translates, at least according to Google translate, as “Beer that warms,” which seems curious, although perhaps not to a polar bear (or is it a brown bear?).
Tuesday’s ad is another one for Heineken. I think it’s a fairly recent ad, but I’m really not sure, though I suspect it can’t be any older than the 1980s. It’s done in the style of pop artist Roy Lichtenstein, whose birthday is today. Showing a bottle of Heineken popping open, with his trademark comic book style, and a satisfying “pssst” as it opens.
Monday’s ad is for Heineken, from the 1950s. From what I can figure from using Google Translate, this ad ran in South Africa, because the language of it is Afrikaans. It seems to be something like: “Be a man! Drink a glass of spicy Amstel Beer.” It’s a strange ad, showing an attractive woman holding up a glass of beer, almost taunting us with “be a man!” The proportions of the illustration, however, look a little off when you examine them closely, giving them more of a cartoon-like feel.
Sunday’s ad is for Falstaff, from the 1960. I figured the “Best picnic in a month of Sun days” would have to be on a Sunday. The other tagline is “Good Times are better with Light, Refreshing Falstaff.” Picnicing by the side of a stream, it looks like they’re having a good time. But it’s a little racy for 1960, with the woman hiking up her skirt to stay dry as one of the men in the scene tries to steal her beer.
Saturday’s ad is for Guinness, from the 1986. On the day the United Nations was founded, I thought this ad for Guinness depicting the U.N. building in New York was appropriate. The copy is pretty funny though, referring to the beer as “fraternal Guinness” and to drink it “in peace and quiet all you have to do is become a delegate in the United Nations.” That’s because apparently Guinness is served in the dining room reserved for delegates on the top floor of the U.N. building, complete with panoramic views of the city. But I suspect there are probably easier ways to get a beer, though maybe the one we can buy aren’t “cool, fraternal Guinness.”
Friday’s ad is for Colt 45, from the 1970s. It’s a simple ad, with two African-Americans in orange outfits. The man is facing the camera, holding a can of Colt 45 Malt Liquor in his hand. Looks like they have a fine evening ahead of them … together!
Thursday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1951. A suitor holds a ball of yarn on the sofa as his best girl as he eyes the tray of bottles of Schlitz on the end table. There’s also two glasses and an opener on the tray. But she’s watching his expression pretty carefully, too. This is a test.
Wednesday’s ad is for Ballantine beer, from 1964. I confess I’ve gotten caught up in baseball’s playoffs this year, despite the fact that the Giants didn’t make them. I don’t really care that much who gets to, and wins, the World Series (though I have a soft spot for my namesake Jays) but I’ve still enjoyed the games, and the various stories behind each team’s history. So this ad features former Yankee catcher, and later Mets’ coach, Yogi Berra. What might he say on Back to the Future Day? “The future ain’t what it used to be.”
Tuesday’s ad is for Natural Light, from 1980. Today is the birthday of baseball legend Mickey Mantle. In the mid-1970s, Mantle did some commercials, along with fellow Yankees teammate Whitey Ford, for Miller Lite. So when he did this ad for rival Natural Light, they played up his being a switch hitter “who switched to Natural Light.”
Monday’s ad is for O’Keefe’s, from 1949. The ad copy begins: “The seven-league boots of today …,” which I confess made no sense to me. Apparently seven-league boots “are an element in European folklore. The boots allow the person wearing them to take strides of seven leagues per step, resulting in great speed. The boots are often presented by a magical character to the protagonist to aid in the completion of a significant task.” In this case, it’s uniting Canada, by “shrinking time and distance … bringing our peoples closer together … that’s the role of Canadian aviation.” The Rockwell-like illustration was created by a Clare Shragge. It’s an emotionally charged painting, brimming with optimism … and beer.
