Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Crying for My Beer
I should say from the outset that, on the whole, I support globalization.
I know that sounds strange, given how much anti-globalization protest there is these days, and I'm sure there are some readers who'll want to tear a strip out of me for saying it. I'm not an expert, I stand to be corrected, but my understanding of economics is that countries generally benefit from the free movement of capital.
Further, I think that corporate globalization is an important (but sometimes unpleasant) phase in the eventual unification and pacification of the human race. When the day comes that the pension funds of Chinese workers are backed by investments in North American and European companies, and vice versa, the world will be a much safer and better place.
Still, while this may be an inevitable process of evolution, there are some days when it's hard to swallow some of the traditions that get killed off along the way. Today is one of those days:
Molson Coors and SABMiller have merged. The new company will be known as MillerCoors. The 221 year old Molson corporate name is dead.
On top of being my personal brand loyalty, Molson had become synonymous with patriotism in this country. A few years back they dominated the Canadian beer market with their "I AM Canadian" ad campaign, which featured a regular guy standing on a stage in front of Canadian flag, defiantly and humorously shouting a list of things that make this country special and different. The ads were so widely imitated and parodied that they could be a textbook study in viral marketing.
The merger between Molson and Coors a few years back was spun on this side of the border as being, effectively, a conquest by Molsons. The Molson name was out front. The Molson brand was going to grow beyond Canada and become one of the world's dominant brewing companies.
The current merger puts the lie to all that. Pete Coors is the new chair. SABMiller Prez Tom Long takes the job in the new company. No one with the last name "Molson" anywhere in sight.
Will this make a difference in any real way to me? No. I've long since lost those college-student taste-buds that once allowed me to distinguish differences amongst bland, generic commercial beer brands. The consolidation might even make my favourite brands cheaper, which would be good.
Plus, there's the whole historical / philosophical perspective. Stuff changes. You can't get attached to unstable things, such as who owns what. Traditions are important but they have to change eventually. Europe is full of rotting castles because the aristocratic families who once owned them can no longer afford to keep them up. The Earl of Sandwich has stooped to hawking subs in Texas. Time is a cruel mistress.
Still, I'll shed a quiet tear for the Molson brand today. And maybe toast it with a pint. Or two.
Here's the original Molson's Joe Canada ad:
This was Molson's follow-up ad. Fuck me but my eyes still well up when I watch this:
posted by Mentok @ 11:12 a.m.,
7 Comments:
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At 2:52 p.m.,
Rachel said...
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You know what is funny? The thought of seeing you tear up while watching these beer commercials...
And is it just me or was that a commercial for beer or for Canada? I couldn't tell...
But I am sorry that America has bought up the Molson name...Damn Americans. -
At 2:53 p.m.,
drainpip said...
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I think I speak for all American's with a taste for ale/beer/swill/what have you, when I express my sincerest of apologies. While I do agree with you that capitol should be traded freely between all parties, I will say that Coors has brought nothing but mediocrity to beer and in fact has been instrument in the reason why foreigners hate our "horse piss" so much. Myself, I'll stick to my favorite local breweries... I do hope that this doesn't spell the end of Canadian pride as far as maltey adult drinks are concerned.
ps, my word verification was bheer... imagine that :) -
At 3:36 p.m.,
Mentok said...
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rachel - an ad for beer or for Canada? Well, the point of them was to create that confusion I guess. If you're not familiar with Cdn beer brands it probably wasn't clear that the specific sub-brand they were flogging is called Molson Canadian (as opposed to their other sub-brands like Pilsner or Molson Export.)
That sub-brand has always focused on patriotic/nationalistic marketing. Since the Molson/Coors merger, the Molson Canadian ads have dropped the Joe Canada character and switched to an asshole American character. In these ads, a snotty Yank monologues about how shitty Canadian beer is and is then lynched in various ways by an angry Canadian mob. Here's an example. (The American is played by the Daily Show's Jason Jones who, ironically, is Canadian.)
drainpip - no need to apologize. Frankly, on either side of the border the big breweries have always been guilty of draining anything resembling flavour out of their beers. So no matter where one lives, sticking to your local breweries is probably a good idea.
That is very cool about the word verification. The beer gods have spoken! -
At 6:21 p.m.,
said...
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back when i was in college, drinking molson was really splurging. it was the good stuff. this makes me very sad indeed.
even more so because i've been boycotting coors for years and years--probably since college, in fact--and i wouldn't touch miller with a ten-foot pole. i'm not sure where that leaves molson in all this.
that first commercial was really good, btw. almost makes me want to be a canadian, too. ;-) -
At 9:44 p.m.,
Mentok said...
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marcy - the beer, I'm sure, won't change in the slightest. Cdn beer taste differences seem to be genetically ingrained so no profit-driven company will screw with that. The other Cdn major label, Labatts, has been owned by that Belgian conglomerate for decades and it still tastes the same. It's just the nationality of the corporate ownership I'm bemoaning.
"Almost makes me want to be Canadian"... ha, ha, quit being so coy. We all know full well: Everybody wants to be Canadian! ;-)
Right? Right? -
At 9:23 a.m.,
Rachel said...
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You know I want to be Canadian!
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At 9:05 p.m.,
cchang said...
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I copy drainpop's commentary. I didn't know about this mereger, actually and I'm surprised.
I mean, Molson was the good *imported* stuff. You buy it in bottles. Coors was...cheap beer. You bought that by the keg.
I dunno. I guess I'm spoiled. Austin has a lot of local breweries and Shiner Bock the large commercial brewer in the area is actually pretty good. I hear 'Coors' and I instantly think 'pee colored water.'
Anyhow, those commercials were quite amusing.
