Comments on: Do Budweiser’s Customers Talk Like This?

By: Don

Don — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 01:20:13 +0000

“Drinkability”? Drink-able is a pretty lame positioning statement. Doesn’t everyone assume that all beer is at least drink-able (i.e., not poisonous or so bad tasting you’re going to gag on it and spit it out. Kind of like saying, “buy Firestone tires, they’re round,” or “buy a Chevy, it’s got an engine.” Probably the worst slogan to come along since “An Army of one.”

By: Sue Horner

Sue Horner — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:46:28 +0000

I agree with Dustin that “drinkable” is hardly a selling feature. I’ve used the term myself referring to a wine; you could drink it, but you probably wouldn’t go looking for it again. The word “superior” doesn’t make the term any more appealing.

Miller too has an ad showing actors casually saying something no real person (at least, anyone I know) would. A man asks his date if she’d like an “MGD.” It took me a minute or two to figure out that this was short for Miller Genuine Draft. Sorry, real people offer a Miller, or maybe they just say “beer” first and specify which brands are on hand later.

By: David Fideler / Core Message Analysis

David Fideler / Core Message Analysis — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 22:50:58 +0000

I think that “drinkability” is a great word, if you are an advertiser targeting hillbillies.

For some reason, the tone of that term hearkens back to “Billy Beer.”

Here’s to drinkability!

Cheers,

David

By: Fern

Fern — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 19:00:21 +0000

Dumb saying. Overall though their commercials are good and I’d even say their radio ads are terrific (“Here’s to you Mr. Foam-Finger Maker”).

By: Nathan Bowers

Nathan Bowers — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 17:39:13 +0000

I guess “BARELY POTABLE” was taken.

By: Dustin

Dustin — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 15:24:23 +0000

I’ve never heard anyone say “drinkability” but I have heard “drinkable” — it’s what we used to say when I was a younger, drunker man about beer that wasn’t completely awful but wasn’t particularly good, either. In that sense, Bud’s slogan is dead on the money, though I’m not sure that’s a “feature” I’d build my brand on…

By: Hjörtur Smárason

Hjörtur Smárason — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 15:23:33 +0000

Well, it did get publicity, right? I think it delivers nothing but being weird or strange. That means it will grab attention now but will be completely useless in a few months from now. So for short term, fine, for long term, terrible.

Creating a word or a phrase can be clever, specially if you succeed in making it a part of the common language. But I doubt this one will be one of the few that do.

By: Jennifer Bucklin

Jennifer Bucklin — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 15:19:42 +0000

And yet, they have achieved at least part of their goal, because here we all are…

Talking about Budweiser…

This Bud’s For You Mr. Sloganmaker who has us all talking about his product.

By: Jonathan Fields

Jonathan Fields — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 15:08:14 +0000

Not only is it couched in language I’ve never heard used by real-life human beings, it also fails to create any clear picture or feel for the experience of drinking a Bud, it’s completely devoid of emotion and, honestly, it’s so unmemorable, halfway though writing this sentence I had to check back to recall exactly what it was.

Oh, thats right, “superior drinkability.” Well, I’m sure everyone will define that term preciesly the way it was intended, too. Put 100 beer drinkers in a room and ask them what the slogan means and you’ll get 50 different answers plus 50 glazed looks and shoulder shrugs.

C’mon people, that’s the best Madison Ave can do?

Why don’t they just say, “Bud, it goes down easy?”

By: Rachel

Rachel — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:43:18 +0000

But you have to admire them on the syllable count: no fewer than 9! Wow … my hat is off.