Tuesday’s holiday ad is for Michelob, from 1977, where “Holidays were made for Michelob.” Check out the disco outfits the party-goers are wearing and at least they show several Michelob logo glassware in the foreground. And notice the people are actually using glasses to drink their beer. That’s a rarity in older ads. Must be a holiday thing.
Monday’s holiday ad is for Samichlaus Bier, now brewed at Schloss Eggenberg in Austria each year on December 6 — today — because the beer’s namesake, Santa Claus, or at least St. Nicholas, has his feast day today.
Below is an interesting graphic of the changes in Samichlaus bottles over the years from 1984 to 2004.
Our 45th Guinness poster by John Gilroy features Santa’s sleigh being pulled by a pair of seals balancing a Guinness bottle and pint glass on their respective noses as Santa chases them in hot pursuit. The slogan is “My Goodness, My Christmas Guinness.” Personally I don’t think the jolly fat man is going to get his Guinness back.
In the similar painting below, used as a postcard, there’s only one seal pulling the sled along with many of the famous Guinness advertising icon animals. Santa Claus is driving the sleigh and they’re transporting a case of Guinness.
Friday’s holiday ad is from 1951 and is for Miller High Life. I love the retro cartoons, they remind me of the Schlitzerland ads from around the same time. There’s the Santa suit, hanging the mistletoe, putting on the feast and greeting the guests with the Christmas tree in the window.
Thursday’s holiday ad is for Carling Red Cap from the 1950s. On a wintery front door instead of a wreath is hung a very, very large red cap. Now that’s holiday spirit.
Wednesday’s holiday ad is for Molson Crown from 1958. Showing a holiday party in progress, the hostess is bringing in a tray full of Crown Lager Beer. I love the slogan “Have Fun … Down A Crown.” It’s so wonderfully cheesy. And from the looks of things, yes, “Everybody’s happy at the Molson Crown Club.”
Tuesday’s holiday ad is for Hamm’s from sometime in the 1950s, most likely. The bottom right-hand corner of the ad reference Hamm’s sponsorship of the Edward R. Murrow show Person to Person. That show aired from 1953 to 1961, so the ad must be from the same range of time.
Monday’s holiday ad is for Schlitz from 1950. It features a couple window shopping during the Christmas season, with the stereotyped woman eying the mink fur in the store window while the man checks out the Schlitz display next door. Who wouldn’t be thirsty after a long day of shopping?
Our 44th Guinness poster by John Gilroy features Santa Claus hauling the biggest Christmas tree you ever saw and over by the reindeer there’s a bottle of Guinness, which is why the slogan for the ad is “Guinness for Strength.” But the main tagline of the ad is “Christmas Is Coming,” and through the end of the year, all of the ads spotlighted will be holidays ones.
Friday’s ad begins the holiday season with an ad for Coors with the appropriate slogan “‘Tis the Season … To Share the Tradition.” The ad is from 1990 and is for the now retired Coors seasonal Winterfest. From here through the end of the year I’ll be featuring holiday beer ads because Coors is right, ‘Tis the Season.
