By George Anderson
A new Beer Institute promotional program supported by major brewers plans to put beer in a whole new light for consumers.
According to a CNNMoney.com report, the "Here's To Beer" campaign launching next month will "romance the product" and demonstrate its versatility in a number of social settings.
Robert Lachky, Anheuser-Busch's executive vice president of global industry development, said last week that the campaign will take a page from the wine industry and work on educating retailers and consumers about what foods go best with different types of beer and ale.
The beer industry, however, doesn't plan to follow the lead of wine when it comes to discussing the role of beer in promoting better health.
"I don't think wine has anything over beer in terms of health benefits," said Mr. Lachky. "But we won't say that. It's better that others study it and then we have an open dialogue about it."
Patricia Williams, an associate professor of marketing at Penn's Wharton School of Business, said reshaping a product's image takes time, so trying to accomplish that with an entire category will take even longer.
Moderator's Comment: Is the beer industry on track with the focus of its "Here's to Beer" campaign? Will it add new consumers to the category and/or increase consumption of those who already drink beer and ale? - George Anderson - Moderator