Brewing pro-tip: Don’t market your beer to children.
The creativity behind craft beer births tons of unique flavors and ideas. Craft brewers are also fans of creative marketing to build buzz around their brews. But we could all take a lesson from a Brazilian brewer that thought a little too outside-the-box with its beer-flavored ice cream marketing.
Underage drinking is a serious issue. AmBev, the biggest Latin American brewery, was reminded of that with the controversy surrounding its beer-flavored ice cream.
Global brewing giant AmBev, the biggest Latin American brewery and fifth largest in the world (no relation to Anheuser-Busch InBev, or is there?), invited customers to head to the bar for ice cream and showcased can-style packaging in its advertisement for non-achololic, beer-flavored ice cream. Fox News reported that regardless of the alcohol content, the National Council for Self-Regulation, a non-governmental consumer watchdog group, warned that it could promote underage drinking.
From Fox News:
Since it’s linked with a beer company, you must be be 18 or older to buy the ice cream — per Brazil’s legal drinking age.
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This isn’t the first time Ambev took a classic food item and added beer flavoring. Last year, the company received another warning for beer-flavored Easter eggs.
A case of a gigantic brewer being out of touch with its customers or marketing gone wild? Either way, it’s a good reminder that beer is for adults to enjoy responsibly. You can’t drink your beer and eat it too.
