Looking to take advantage of some negative press that Beck’s has been receiving in recent months, rival German beer maker Warsteiner has started an advertising campaign in Times Square touting their authentic German credentials.
Beck’s, which is now owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev NV, has been accused of watering down their beer and recently settled a U.S. class-action lawsuit over the beer’s slogan “originated in Germany” as it led consumers to believe the beer was imported from Germany when in fact it was made at a brewery in Missouri.
So Warsteiner, which still imports the beer from their German brewery, decided to put up a 15-story-high billboard in the heart of New York’s Time Square with the slogan, “Warsteiner. Premium German Beer From, You Know, Germany”.
Brian Elliot, CEO of Amsterdam Worldwide, Warsteiner’s ad agency, explained that the company needed to “reassure consumers that every drop of our beer in America is bottled and brewed in Germany”.
Look around, #TimesSquare – German authenticity is right in front of you. #BrewedInGermany pic.twitter.com/EzKRG2PFO0
— WARSTEINER USA (@WarsteinerUSA) July 3, 2015
Warsteiner has also been using social media to get their message across with the hashtag #BrewedInGermany and other creative taglines like “So Authentically German It Needs A Passport”.
Crisp. Light. Refreshing. The perfect way to close out the weekend. #BrewedinGermany #WARSTEINER pic.twitter.com/0WRZljgTkH
— WARSTEINER USA (@WarsteinerUSA) July 6, 2015
Sources: Bloomberg
Photo: Warsteiner via Twitter
