With the public outraged over the tragedies caused by drunken drivers, the liquor industry has been under pressure to encourage “responsible drinking.”
“Know when to say when.” “Live responsibly.” “Think when you drink.” The slogans became almost as famous as Budweiser’s claim to be King of Beers.
So what’s with the Coors Light “Rock On” campaign?
If you watch much television, you’ve seen the commercials. They’re the ones that show frenzied partying; women in bathing suits playing in the snow, then shaking their “thang” in the steam rising from a hot tub; a dancer bumping and grinding under a “Flashdance” shower.
In one ad, titled “Rock Around the Clock,” a barmaid uncaps a line of about a dozen bottles between quick shots of revelers prancing and dancing to a pounding, hip-hop beat.
Other ads show people yanking bottles from an ice-filled pail or a well-stocked fridge between shots of a bacchanal in full swing.
The activities in these ads bear a striking similarity to news footage of college students binge drinking.
These ads are even more lurid than those for “alcopops” (Skyy Blue, Bacardi Silver), which have been denounced by the Center for Science in the Public Interest and Mothers Against Drunk Driving. One critic said alcopop commercials prove “voluntary alcohol advertising standards are a bust.”
It’s not as if Coors has no standards. To quote the Coors Pledge: “We will not portray or encourage drunkenness or … excessive quantity of drinking. We will not promote our products as a means to intoxication. We will not portray sexual passion, promiscuity or other amorous activities as a result of the consumption of our products.”
Coors spokeswoman Hilary Martin said the commercials do not violate the pledge.
“We’re not portraying overconsumption,” she said. “The people in the commercials are alert and aware. If you heavily consume alcohol, you’re not going to be alert and active through the night.”
As for the sexy women in the ads, Martin said they’re “flirtatious,” but “it’s not suggesting that if you drink our beer, it will lead to promiscuity or sexual activity.”
