Comments on: Beer Brawl IV: Gusto Rides Again

By: Tim S.

Tim S. — Tue, 14 May 2013 12:46:40 +0000

I read this with great interest. I’m 43 years old and I live in England. In my teens, circa 1986, there was a big ’50′s Americana’ trend that hit the city I lived in (an industrial city of metal-based manufacturing … Birmingham). Someone had the wisdom to import a beer that complimented the moment, and my good friend and I took to Schlitz with Gusto. It wasn’t really the product itself… we were way too young to evaluate the quality of the beer… it was the iconic, American retro (Germanic inspired) branding and packaging that appealed to us. It appealed to us so much that we spent many hours of many weekends constructing photographic sets and scenes, within which we would place the packaging, and then conduct photoshoots on black and white film, using old 35mm cameras we had purchased from a junk store. I was fascinated by the brand, and it became my intention at that young age to be the UK’s advertising creative for Schlitz. I put all the photographs into a portfolio, but I had no idea at all how to go about approaching Schlitz, so I simply sent the portfolio off to the address on the can with a letter explaining, who I was, where I was, and what I wanted to do. Never heard back of course. Some of those shots were pretty nice though. We would pull out all the stops in our own limited way. I’ve always loved Schlitz since then. Hardly anyone over here has ever heard of it, and I haven’t seen it for years, but whenever I’m in the States (increasingly rarely) I always look out for it. Really nice to read this series and learn about the slings and arrows of Schlitz’s fortunes! Thanks!

By: George Betts

George Betts — Tue, 07 May 2013 16:58:02 +0000

Well, I’ve learned something. I haven’t looked for Schlitz on the shelf in ages, and have probably overlooked it. Now you’ve made me curious. I’ll pay more attention and maybe even try it based on your writing. I am in their target age demo, after all, but just barely! Your words are sudsing up my faculties, or what little is left of them. Thanks to you, I’ll never look at a beer on the shelf the same way again… I’ll just get headaches!

By: Chris K

Chris K — Wed, 01 May 2013 05:23:47 +0000

Excellent narrative about the hubris and insanity involved in the marketing game. I enjoyed it so much I posted it to my FB friends – not something I do often. Cheers!

By: Jennifer R

Jennifer R — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 22:16:25 +0000

I can remember the old Schlitz beer–it was cheap but my Dad loved it.