The Puffery of Brand Positioning

BEER MARKETERS READY 'HEALTH' BREWS

"Every three to five years something like that happens," Mr. Davis (Heineken USA's vice president of marketing) said, "and it goes nowhere."

I couldn't have said it better myself. I am referring to the new breed of beers aimed at the so called health-concious beer drinker.

Upstart Long Beach Brewing Co. this month begins testing Thin Ice, with 1 gram of carbohydrates per serving, while Anheuser-Busch Cos., hard on the heels of its low-carb Michelob Ultra, is relaunching Doc's Hard Lemon as a lower calorie, lower-carb version of the original.

When will marketers realize that consumers are not stupid? We know that alcohol is alcohol. We know what alcohol does to us. Don't hide it. Don't pretend it is good for us. Hey, I drink and I love it. But I don't need some corny ad campaign to lie to me about a "healthy" version of my favorite brew.

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