Sexist Lager: Why on Earth was a Sexist Campaign Launched by South African Beer Company

The froth, the lager, the taste-often oscillating between delicious, palpable and bitter- how much of a delight does a beer hold to you? The near-perfect drink for all occasions, except for when one’s not experiencing the pink of health- a beer bridges the power between silence and revelry.

The realm of beer culture has witnessed some rather fantastic communication campaigns.  They have got among the world’s favourite beverages talking and reaching many a mile. The art of communication holds as much power to make or break a brand as does the suddenness of inclement weather spoiling plans on a seemingly insipid day. The love for the beer, if it could be said, often always makes it a ruler of the roost. We’ve seen what established brands like Fosters, Heineken and, Stella Artois have done to raise the bar of what to expect from the frothy beverage.

But while there are the success stories, there are also some brands that haven’t exactly advocated the right message: their filtering of communication not being the most precise point.

A case in reference is South Africa’s beer brand, Vale Bru.

Currently, under fire from the global food and beverage community around the world (that spans nearly every country that loves the ‘friendly beverage’), Vale Bru’s recent marketing campaign hasn’t perhaps driven the message it would’ve intended to originally. For starters, the naming of a product, ever implicit in defining the initial, eventual success for a tangible left Vale Bru’s case charred in debate.

That women are not objects to be commodified but instead, real beings that should be championed and considered respectable, equal, passionate, tolerant, amazing, enigmatic- is the current sub-text for many a brand attempting to make the right noises out there. .

But was that ever considered as something serious and justifiable in the first place is something that could be debated extensively given Vale Bru’s controversial beer campaign.

Why on earth were distinct beer varieties named rather abhorrently, such as- Filthy Brunette, Easy Blonde, Raven Porra, Ripe Redhead- is something that a Sherlock would have to solve, albeit holding a beer can in hand instead of the pipe. For a genre where an aptly named brands hold enough power to spin around some handsome bucks, was the first of the debauched steps taken by Vale Bru- that has only just apologised for the rather controversial treatment of the beers?

The second, laughable step undertaken by Vale Bru, was siding with a headline that was particularly scathing. For Easy Blonde, the caption, “All your friends have already had her” does not really need too much exploration or debate. After being criticised for being sexist, the brand was quick to take responsibility for all its actions and even went ahead to remove the labels that had been dished out for the varied beer drinks. The social media campaigns, that often drive the acceleration for a brand carried the following messages which weren’t the most discerning truth be told. For social media propulsion of the brand Vale Bru advertised Filthy Brunette as: “When gushing and moist are used to describe something‚ then you know.”

In the immediate aftermath of the beer brand taking to social media to spread its advertising, the word was out from the fraternity condemning the brand. Some users of Insta even went ahead and shared that the South African beer brand should be, “Ashamed of themselves.” Thankfully, instead of justifying its actions, Vale Bru took a “Full accountability for our actions” and have anyhow served an interesting talking point in a spectre that functions on innovation and is driven by marketing communication.