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June 18, 2009

Schlitz embraces the more recent past.

Schlitz

My grandfather had a silver cup that hung on a hook in the kitchen of 2020 Moyle Street. Printed on clear glass at the bottom of the cup was the phrase, "When you're out of Schlitz, you're out of beer." I drank Dr. Pepper out of that cup every summer as a kid. Zipping home the other day, I heard a radio spot announcing that, "...the classic Schlitz formula, the one that made Schlitz the most popular beer in the country in the 60's is back." I thought it was an interesting enough play and hopped on the Schlitz site where I found that the campaign was paid off with loads of 60's ads and merchandise (sorry, no silver cups).

Then I saw this post on Adpulp. The retro trend has been hot forever it seems. For years, however, we played more with iconography that hailed from 50's and early 60's (yeah, 30's and 40's, too). Today, it seems that retro design is sprinting toward late 60's, 70's and even, gulp, the 80's. It all makes sense, of course. Since 2001 times have been more than a little unsure. Whether they really were or not it's soothing to our senses to look back at "simpler times." Well, that that and all the art directors are watching Mad Men.

Somewhere someone got asked the question, "How do we make Schlitz relevant again?" I think the decision to just let its old brand shine again is right play (although I am certain there were meetings where someone said, 'Why do we want to look old? We need to be contemporary!").

Could be I'm biased by my grandpa's old cup, but I'm buying Schlitz this weekend.

File under: marketing to men

Posted by John on June 18, 2009 at 10:26 AM | Permalink
Categories: Advertising , Branding , Brands , Classics , Design , Food and Drink , Marketing to Men , Marketing Trends , Opinion , Pop Culture

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Comments

I think it is great they kept the old branding and feel. I think that works better and I look forward to my first Schlitz this weekend.

Posted by:Javier Rios | June 18, 2009 at 10:55 AM

Here in Wisconsin, from the minute they test-marketed the old formula last fall, it was a scarce commodity. The movement of enjoying old-guy, simple beer, trailblazed by Pabst, suited Schlitz just as well. Good to have the gusto back!

Posted by:Todd Weber | June 18, 2009 at 01:07 PM

I ADORE this campaign. They have an experiential arm of the whole idea that rolled thru town, with classic muscle cars & "Gusto Girls." I think it was in the fall. They went to Harry's Country Club here in KC. :)

Posted by:a beer sort of girl | June 18, 2009 at 03:18 PM

Same tactic that Canadian Club use to get me into the fold... Fantastic retro advertising.

Posted by:Jeremy Fuksa: Creative Generalist | June 19, 2009 at 05:21 PM

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