Budweiser changes the color of its can....

[MadHopper]

.....to improve sagging beer sales. More red it seems. Pity the beer inside is still the same.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/08/04/138991964/budweiser-dresses-up-its-cans-for-2011

 

[Shooter]

What's this??!?! Suddenly I gots me a bit of a hankerin' for a Bud. The new can WORKS!!!!

 

[Bubba]

They are the King of marketing.

 

[codyjp]

Sales down 7%. Win!

Now I'd just like to start seeing Bud show up in the Imports section of the beer menus in restaurants.

 

[FatherJack]

I think it's rather snazzy.

Too bad I still won't drink it.

However, it could be enough to convert some people over from the MC drinkers or any others who just don't expect much from their beer.

 

[Xantus954]

Sales down 7%. Win!

Now I'd just like to start seeing Bud show up in the Imports section of the beer menus in restaurants.

I agree, a french company making an american style beer shouldn't be considered domestic.

 

[robtotten]

The new can actually looks good

 

[ksbrain]

I prefer the old can. That held some nostalgic value to me. Now that is gone... as if I woulda bought bud anyway!

 

[madbaldman]

It looks good but...

On the upside I saw a twelve pack of Harpoon IPA in cans at the store today. Now that looked good.

 

[donquixbrote]

Trying...to...resist...buying....4 cases...but...I just....can't....beat...them. Too...powerful.

Now that that's over, I think I'll go for a 312. All that evil empire business really works up a thirst.

 

[sockozz]

It looks very "Chef-Boyardee" now, like a can of tomato soup.

 

[BigEd]

I agree, a french company making an american style beer shouldn't be considered domestic.

InBev is Belgian but that's right next to France. It does seem ironic that since the purchase of AB most of the Bud advertising has stressed the "Americanness" of the beer, like that "Great American Lager" campaign, as if to detract attention to the foreign corporate takeover.

 

[lumpher]

It looks very "Chef-Boyardee" now, like a can of tomato soup.

chef-boyardee... french... budweiser... hmmmm

 

[frydogbrews]

budweiser is fine for what it is. bud light blows, but come on, budweiser is not the devil. anybody remember a few years back when they brought back the gold eagle claw can from the 50's? they only did it for a summer, but that was a cool can!
no matter what, i still drink busch or budweiser when i'm fishing. anything else and i"m pretty sure i'd jinx the whole damn day!

 

[Homercidal]

The first comment under the article was, "Gagably Delicious"...

 

[Weizenwerks]

BMC makes a crappy style of beer very well. That's it.

 

[unionrdr]

Actually,that logo isn't exactly new. I remember many years ago that was the logo on the light up signs where it was sold. You can still see it pop up now & then on facebook.

 

[Revvy]

Actually,that logo isn't exactly new. I remember many years ago that was the logo on the light up signs where it was sold. You can still see it pop up now & then on facebook.

All bashing of the contents aside, I kinda like the can. It has a retro feel to it, especially the red in the bowtie and the font for the text. It sort of reminds me of the cans from the era of maybe cans 3 and 4 in the picture, maybe early 1970's, but updated a bit. (Sort of like the logo for the re-released 1970's schlitz recipe.)

But what's with the sideways logos on the cans? The first 8 iterations the logo is upright with the can, BUT they rotated it for a can, then for the millenium the went back to the original position, then flipped it again. Why? Is it about packaging in the carboard? It can't be about vending machines since they're extinct. Did they change it when they started boxing 12 packs instead of having canned 6 packs with those plastic doohickeys holding them together that used to strangle ducks?

 

[count_dookie]

I like the can its kind of a retro futuristic design, I could see George Jetson drinking those after a hard day making sprockets.

 

[Revvy]

I like the can its kind of a retro futuristic design, I could see George Jetson drinking those after a hard day making sprockets.

Yeah, that's EXACTLY the term for it.

 

[usfmikeb]

But what's with the sideways logos on the cans? The first 8 iterations the logo is upright with the can, BUT they rotated it for a can, then for the millenium the went back to the original position, then flipped it again. Why? Is it about packaging in the carboard? It can't be about vending machines since they're extinct. Did they change it when they started boxing 12 packs instead of having canned 6 packs with those plastic doohickeys holding them together that used to strangle ducks?

I would theorize that they want the size of the beer's name to be large, and by making it that font it would wrap around the can if it was horizontal. Ergo, vertical allows them to maximize the font size.

 

[Revvy]

I would theorize that they want the size of the beer's name to be large, and by making it that font it would wrap around the can if it was horizontal. Ergo, vertical allows them to maximize the font size.

Good point, I didn't really notice that til you mentioned it. The text of the name does fit without wrapping around the can.

 

[lschiavo]

I don't like it. The old can has a lot more personality. It reminds me of what Old Milwaukee did a while back (the new design didn't last long). I don't buy it anyway so I guess my opinion doesn't matter.

 

[Revvy]

I was trying to do some digging online about the orientation of the can, and found an email address for someone I think in the design department. I sent them a quick note, and got a response within 20 minutes.

I never thought I'd get a response back.

To: Bulthaus, Michael
Subject: A question about your can design.



I was reading an article about the new can design (which I like) and looking at the accompanying photo of the evolution of the can. I never realized it until then, but in the history of the design your designers rotated everything on the can, then re-oriented it for the "millennium can" then rotated it back to it's current iteration. I'm really curious about it from a historical and design stand point. Was there a specific reason why that was originally done?

I was discussing this with some fellow beer enthusiast and we were coming up with various speculations, that it represented perhaps the end of beer vending machines in the Us, or the shift from those plastic can holders that would tie together 6 cans rather than being in cardboard boxes.

Someone else just thought it was simply because the name Budweiser could be read without wrapping around the can.

So I found your email and thought maybe I'd ask directly.

Thank you,

The response.

--- On Fri, 8/5/11, Ryan, Lindsay A <[email protected]> wrote:


From: Ryan, Lindsay A <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: A question about your can design.
To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Date: Friday, August 5, 2011, 4:00 PM

Hi Michael,

Mike forwarded your email to me, and we wanted to thank you for your email.


In working with our company historian to track the can design over time, we didn&#8217;t actually find any documentation on why some of the design orientation changed over the years, because we were curious about that as well. In speaking with some company employees who have been around awhile, we heard anecdotally that perhaps it was to increase the size of the beer&#8217;s name, but just a speculation too. You have some great suggestions below, which we&#8217;ll pass along to our historian. She just went on maternity leave today, so maybe she can look into it in a few months.



Thanks again,

Lindsay

 

[usfmikeb]

Wow, surprised you got a response that fast in corporate America.

 

[Revvy]

Wow, surprised you got a response that fast in corporate America.

And on a Friday afternoon after 4pm no less.

 

[IrregularPulse]

Trying...to...resist...buying....4 cases...but...I just....can't....beat...them. Too...powerful.

Now that that's over, I think I'll go for a 312. All that evil empire business really works up a thirst.

Goose Island is distributed by AB. AB owns a stake in Widmer, and Widmer has a stake in Goose Island. So you..are...buying...beer..and...making...them...money
If you care.

 

[unionrdr]

That is surprising. I don't get responses from the state that fast. At least they were truthful. Cool.

 

[KCBrew]

Trying...to...resist...buying....4 cases...but...I just....can't....beat...them. Too...powerful.

Now that that's over, I think I'll go for a 312. All that evil empire business really works up a thirst.

You know 312 and Bud are owned by the same company, right? Or was this a sarcastic post?

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Dude, the new bud tastes awesome.

 

[Bradinator]

I like the new can design. Looks... Fast.

Its still lipstick on a pig though.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

I'm gonna buy a bazillion of the new cans!....Then suddenly stop buying them for no apparent reason.

That should screw with them pretty good.

 

[Revvy]

I'm gonna buy a bazillion of the new cans!....Then suddenly stop buying them for no apparent reason.

That should screw with them pretty good.

Maybe that's better than what my strategy has been.....just not buying. Somehow that's only resulted in a 7% loss of sales.

 

[azscoob]

Maybe that's better than what my strategy has been.....just not buying. Somehow that's only resulted in a 7% loss of sales.

Holy crap, you made up 7% of their sales???? You must be an epic drinker!!!

 

[Broncobum]

One thing that I wonder about, is that about the same time that Miller started doing the pull-tabs for the troops, Bud changed from a standard pull tab to one that is red with a crown on it. Why?
{speculate Bud hates the troops... and go}

 

[LVBen]

InBev is Belgian but that's right next to France. It does seem ironic that since the purchase of AB most of the Bud advertising has stressed the "Americanness" of the beer, like that "Great American Lager" campaign, as if to detract attention to the foreign corporate takeover.

In that sense, I guess we can't call our homebrews Belgian, English, Scottish, or German since they are made in America, and made by Americans.

 

[bottlebomber]

And on a Friday afternoon after 4pm no less.

What you of course neglected to mention in your uncharacteristically courteous email was that the "beer enthusiasts" mostly think your beer is watery mass produced crap. Hopefully their marketing gal hasn't been drinking during her pregnancy...

 

[usfmikeb]

Thye do get several cases a month in free product as employees...

 

[Ralelen]

You know what they say; "You can't polish a turd."

 

[bottlebomber]

You know what they say; "You can't polish a turd."

Actually you can. Quite magnificently they did a Mythbusters episode on it. Its actually a japanese art form to make polished spheres using only mud and water, but they did it with poo