Sunday’s holiday ad is for Budweiser, from 1959. Part of Bud’s “Where There’s Life … There’s Bud” series, the ad shows a woman who’s busy wrapping presents, while an unseen hand is pouring her a beer. See the delight on her face? I also love the ad copy for this one. “Just a warm wish to you and yours for a happy, perfectly wonderful Holiday Season.” Even back in the late 1950s the war against Xmas was raging. “Holiday Season?” Bah.
Saturday’s ad is for Boswell’s Ales & Porter, from early last century. A Canadian beer brand, beginning in 1909, it became part of National Breweries Limited, although it apparently Boswell’s originally opened in 1668, making it North America’s 2nd oldest brewery and Canada’s first (According to a 1910 newspaper ad).
Friday’s ad is for Navy’s Christmas Ale, from the 1930s. It was a brand of the Brouwerij La Marine, from Brussels, Belgium. According to one collecting website. “The La Marine brewery was formed when it took over the Marly Brewery which itself was a merging of the Struyen, Dineur and Dumortier breweries with the l’Alliance brewery. It was subsequently taken over by Wielemans-Ceuppens and stopped brewing in 1980.”
Thursday’s ad is for O’Keefe’s Ale, from 1953. Showing either a tiny wreath or a giant crown, it’s actually a cool-looking Christmas wreath, but what I really love is the ad copy: “When good friends get together they say O.K. for O’Keefe’s.” Followed by “No finer ale was ever brewed.” Pretty bold coda.
Wednesday’s ad is for Zlaty Bazant, or Golden Pheasant, a Slovakian beer, now owned by Heineken. I don’t think it’s particularly old (it’s from 2011) but I love the idea of a pillowy head creating a wintery wonderland.
I came across this by accident this morning (and I assume 2013’s best haven’t been decided yet). AdWeek writer Tim Nudd chose what he considered to be the 10 Best Commercials Of 2012. Of the ten he picked, two were beer commercials, numbers ten and five. Since I’m still feeling a bit jet-lagged from returning from Belgium last night, enjoy these.
Number 10: Carlton Draught, “Beer Chase” (Agency: Clemenger BBDO, Melbourne, Australia)
Number 5: Old Milwaukee, “Field Cut Off” (Production Company: Gifted Youth)
Tuesday’s ad is for Wm. J. Lemp Brewing Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, from who knows when. It looks old, but it also looks like it could be designed to look old, too. Once upon a time it was a very strong brand in Missouri, but they didn’t survive Prohibition, though they tried reviving it in 1939, then Falstaff bought it and it’s now owned privately by an individual from St. Louis, who was brewing it under contract at Stevens Point Brewing.
Monday’s ad is for Ballantine, from 1953. Don’t you miss the days taking the horse and sleigh out to the pond and cutting off some slabs of ice to keep your beer cold? Yeah, me neither. That’s because, as the ad puts it. “It’s Always Winter in Your Refrigerator.” For “the flavor that chill can’t kill,” not that it hasn’t tried.
Friday’s ad is for Budweiser, from 1962. The ad depicts a holiday dinner party, but I especially like the goofy expression on the woman in yellow dress staring at the man pouring himself a beer, as she’s about to shove some food in her mouth. Also, I love the ad copy copy from this period, using emotional adjectives to describe flavor and tastes. In this case, Budweiser tastes “cheerful.” I wonder what that tastes like?
Thursday’s ad is for Budweiser, from the not terribly distant time of 1990. But it’s a great retro-looking ad harkening back to a simpler time, and it certainly makes me wish for snow. Is that Santa driving the eight non-so-tiny clydesdales?
