Every once in a while, someone in the marketing world makes a public statement that seems so wrong, yet no one seems to care. Or maybe everyone else thinks it’s perfectly fine.

Case in point: Bob Pease, President of America’s (Craft) Brewers Association, did an interview in late November with industry publication Beverage Daily [1]. In the context of providing a point-of-view the effect legal cannabis may have on the craft beer industry in the United States, he said:

“We look at cannabis as just another product beer consumers can choose to enjoy with their disposable income—just like wine, spirits—just like the iPhone. We think the iPhone is a bigger threat right now, probably, to beer than cannabis. You used to go out to meet people, go out to a bar…now you just swipe right on your iPhone, you don’t need to go anywhere. All this is just part of the evolving society.”

I’m thinking Mr Pease may not be evolving fast enough:

  1. Finding a date isn’t the only reason people go to a licensed establishment. Dining, watching sports in company, live music, dancing with other human beings and general comradery come to mind as other possible reasons to visit a bar.
  2. Dating services have been around decades (and centuries) longer than iPhones. If anything, smart phones and apps have made it easier to use dating services inside licensed establishments [2].
  3. Historically, the majority of craft beer volume has been consumed off-premise. As the craft segment continues to move through its lifecycle, off-premise consumption growth has slowed and current on-premise growth is strong. Beverage Daily reported this trend earlier this year, based on research provided by (Mr Pease’s) Brewers Association [3].

Even if none of the above were true, the iPhone would be a problem for everything enjoyed and/or consumed in a licensed establishment. I don’t believe that’s the case.

Without the exercise of due diligence, this quote became a headline in other non-industry publications. Controversial media coverage, based on facts or informed opinion, can be very good for a brand. Quotable comment that is nonsensical is just bad press. Despite the old adage, any media coverage is not necessarily good media coverage.

Notes and references:
  1. Rachel Arthur, “The iPhone is a bigger threat to craft beer than cannabis!”, beveragedaily.com, November 27, 2018.
  2. Happn, Tinder, Tinder Places, etc.
  3. Mary Ellen Shoup, “Craft beer consumption enters new ‘third space channel’’’, berveragedaily.com, March 6, 2018.