Yes, Jim Mahfood's designer beer cans for perennial malt liquor fave Colt 45 are the new "Joe Camel," according to critics who feel the "comic book" type designs are meant to appeal to young people.
My take? Well... the depicted beer drinkers on the cans and the site do look like teenagers, at first glance. Maybe they need disclaimers like on illustrated Internet porn where it says "all depicted persons really of legal age."
Misses the old days of responsible beer advertising:
(via Comics Reporter)
I read: moral panic. Are kids actually that big of a beer buying market, anyhow? (<- actual question)
ReplyDelete"Are kids actually that big of a beer buying market, anyhow? (<- actual question)"
ReplyDeletethey were when I was growing up. a few of our candy stores would readily sell us liquor and cigarettes, too.
The only people I have ever seen drinking Colt 45 was my dad, and some of my uncles. I was surprised to know it's still around.
ReplyDeletecandy is dandy, but malt liquor is quicker
ReplyDeletemy friends were all fancy, we would drink Sapporo when we could. They came in these big missile-like cans.
ReplyDeleteCorona was also a favorite.
Nowadays I really don't like drinking beer.
A good ale or cider, on the other hand...
nah... kids today get drunk on Zima. And if they can find someone to buy, they usually get the harder stuff.
ReplyDeleteWhat am I saying... I turn 39 today... me, I prefer stuff with caffeine inside. Hard Cider. Mint Juleps while the sunsets.
And when it gets freakin' hot... a watermelon filled with Absolut, tossed in the fridge overnight.
The "kids" in that ad don't look like teens to me. They look like 21 year olds, 24 year olds, 28 year olds.
ReplyDeleteOf course, anyone who though that the 90210 "kids" looked like teens, or were fooled by 21 Jump Street, would certainly be shocked by the (presumed) youth in the ad.
Those people need to get out more.
I think you're all missing the point - until advertising and television came along, kids never drank alcohol, had sex or smoked cigarettes because they had Jesus in their corner.
ReplyDeleteIs this the new panic for middle America - is everyone over terrorism already?
The problem is, only kids like cartoons and comic books. Never in the history of the world has anyone over the age of 14 even so much as looked at a caricature, drawing or animated film.
ReplyDeleteTherefore any company using imagery other than photographs is deliberately attempting to sell their products to children. It's so obvious!
Actually, everyone knows kids like Budweiser.
Yeah, the people in the ads don't look underage to me.
ReplyDeleteThey just look young.
Sigh....
I see Colt 45 becoming the new PBR. Seriously.
ReplyDelete-costa k
fistfightatthearthouse.wordpress.com
Or at least Colt 45 is trying to position themselves that way. What makes cheap ass beer "cool" and "trendy", I don't know.
ReplyDelete"For when Bud Light is too sophisticated for you." Gurk.
Jack West and Joel Bryant....You are severely out of touch.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, kids have always been mischievous, T.V. didn't start that, and advertising has been around since the dark ages, besides, When did television start raising your kids ? If you raise them with the values and morals that you have, then you won't have to worry about the influence of T.V. , Movies, and Advertising.
Second..Two of the top shows on T.V. are cartoons (The Simpsons and Family Guy, not to mention King of the Hill, American Dad, and everything on Adult Swim) and they are geared to adults. To say that only kids watch animation is putting your head in the sand.
The ridiculous part of the Colt 45 campaign is that the picture shown, is part of a group of murals in Philadelphia, that have snuck in the the cities beautification project, that has been previously known for murals of Frank Sinatra, Martin Luther King, Malcom X, and many others.
...and of course they are only in black neighborhoods.
They are having a new can design contest for it right now. There are some really cool designs there... you all should check it out....
ReplyDeletecheck out the site where they are having a new design contest for the cans...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.talesofcolt45.com/inkthecan/