The tag line, if you couldn’t quite make it out, is “Anything but sweet.” See, the point of that beer ad is to demonstrate that the new Raspberry Ale from Jamieson brewery in Australia isn’t as sweet as one might think, given that it’s a fruit beer. Naturally the best way to communicate that idea is to tart up one of the sweetest cartoon figures ever, Snow White.
Okay, so maybe that wasn’t the best way to do it but it’s damn funny anyway.
Beer ads are universally known for two things – exaggeration and base humor. There’s nothing wrong with either and both can be fun when, like beer, they are served and consumed with moderation.
A recent poster ad from Tiger Beer is the perfect marriage of these two aspects. The poster prominently features a transvestite which, of course, catches the eye of the passerby. A second look reveals a small image of a Tiger beer bottle in the corner of the ad and the claim that Tiger beer is the number one export from Asia. (The ads were displayed in the UK.) A number three strategically placed over the “ladyboy’s” boyishness hides any incriminating bulges and implies that whatever it is that she represents ranks two spots behind Tiger.
Good silly fun, right? It’s an attention grabber which is great for any ad campaign. It’s certainly memorable; another plus. And it pokes fun at the typical T&A that has been used to sell beer for generations.
Not everyone was amused, though. The ad was pulled after some leapt on claims that the ad encouraged the sex-trade and human trafficking. Perhaps, but it seems like this is more of an invented excuse for those that find themselves squirming at the sight of a man in stockings.
It is a little comforting to know that we here in the US aren’t alone in having to tolerate the insufferably moralistic.
