Saturday’s ad is another one for Guinness, this one from 1986. The ad shows the United Nations building in New York, with the odd tagline “All This, Just To Drink A Guinness In Peace?” Apparently that’s because the Delegates’s Dining Room on the top floor serves Guinness, though I still don’t think it makes a great deal of sense.
Friday’s ad is for Guinness, from 1957. The ad shows two young couples having a picnic within spitting distance of Stonehenge which I imagine was as impossible in 1957 as it is today. Maybe I’m wrong, but I can’t believe they’d let anyone get so close to such a national treasure. I love the wild abandon with which the one dude is eating a chicken leg. I know the other guy is sporting an ascot, but is the chicken man wearing one, too, or did he tuck his tie in his shirt? And the dresses that the women are wearing are pretty fly, too, particularly the grey skirt with the jugs. But a picnic by Stonehenge? It’s true. “Life is worth living after a Guinness.”
Thursday’s ad is for Knickerbocker Beer, from 1954. The beer was brewed by Jacob Ruppert. The illustration by Lumen Martin Winter shows a fanciful origin story for the Purchase of the Island of Manhattan, as told in the text. Isn’t that how the kids are wearing their pants these days? Wow, everything old really is new again.
Wednesday’s ad is for Bass Ale, from 1967. Showing some antique chess pieces with a cool photograph, trying to assert that they’ll appeal to people who “appreciate the best,” suggesting those are also Bass drinkers. Hmm.
Tuesday’s ad, for Cinco de Mayo, is for Tecate beer, from 1988. The cartoon art was created by Leslie Cabarga and used by Tecate in a series of ads that summer, and was even made into a poster. Showing two Tecates, a bottle and a can, though the can is clearly the leader, along with a bottle of Chihuahua (which I recall selling at BevMo for $2.99 per six-pack), making an entrance into a wild west saloon. Notice the can has a bottle of salt and a lime in his holsters. It’s a pretty cheesy ad, but this was also the same time 7-Up was advertising using a spot with arms and legs, and California raisins were similarly animated, so maybe it was popular.
Monday’s ad is for Long Life, from 1963. The canned beer Long Life Beer was made by Ind Coope beginning in the 1950s, making it one of the early beers in cans in the UK. They launched a series of ads claiming that the recipe was formulated specifically for the can, and as a result “it never varies!” But it certainly looks good for out-of-focus fishing.
Sunday’s ad is for Falstaff, from 1970. Featuring soul singer James Brown, whose birthday is today. He did an ad for Falstaff in which he’s shown belting out a song in a dozen sequential photos on a black background. Below there’s a simple photos of a glass of Falstaff beer with a can next to it and the interesting tagline “This family brews beer better.”
Saturday’s ad is for Lowenbrau, from 1984. It’s a fairly simple ad showing two bottles of Lowenbrau, one of which was poured into a glass, at a time when it was sill considered a “premium” import, which seems laughable by today’s standards.
Friday’s ad is for Whitbread, from 1952. The illustration features an illustration of a man pouring a pale ale, and he’s wearing a very odd expression on his face, his smile seemed forced (or just plain creepy). But what strikes me as strange is a statement in the copy that “they do all their own bottling.” Was that something uncommon enough in the 1950s that they’d use it as a selling point?
Thursday’s ad is for the English brewer’s “Beer is Best” campaign, from 1938. The campaign began in 1933, and ran for 30 years. This one simply shows a man’s arm (wearing a suit) holding a mug of beer. The ad copy wants people to keep drinking English beer, offering several reasons why you should. “Drink beer because you like it” and “Drink beer because it’s good for you.” But whatever you do, “Stick to beer.”
