Tommy Bell Super Bowl Schlitz Commercial
Oct 23, 2021 15:41:08 GMT -5
FredFan7 and howard63 like this
Post by jdodez on Oct 23, 2021 15:41:08 GMT -5
I know this topic has been mentioned, but I couldn't find the background story, so here it is.
On Super Bowl Sunday, Jan. 25, 1981, retired NFL referee Tommy Bell came on live during the Super Bowl and put “100 loyal Michelob drinkers” to a blind taste test against Schlitz. It was part of a larger $4 million ad campaign where Schlitz ran live taste tests against Bud, Miller, and Michelob during the Playoff and Championship games, and the Super Bowl. When asked about why he decided to do the ads, Bell mentioned the fact that he was paid more for the ad campaign than the players would be paid for the Super Bowl that year.
For those of you too young to remember Schlitz, it was the #2 beer brand in America in the 1960s, right behind Bud. In 1974, they got the idea that if they could speed up the brewing process using a technique called “accelerated batch fermentation”, they could cut the brewing time in half, dramatically cutting their costs! In extensive taste tests at the brewery, customers couldn't tell the difference between the traditional beer and the newer cheaper version, so Schlitz changed over to the lower cost process.
Schlitz management had one small problem. They failed to test the beer after it sat for a month or two, which often happens during the process of moving beer from the brewery to the grocery store. When loyal beer drinkers picked up a six pack of their favorite brew, it was often 6-8 weeks old. When loyal Schlitz drinkers took their first big swig of the new recipe, it tasted like...... well, it didn't taste like Schlitz! Sales plummeted overnight.
By 1981, the new management had switched back to the old brewing process and was desperately trying to save one of the most valuable brands in beer. Their new ad agency tested their beer in focus groups, and customers actually preferred it to Bud and Michelob. They came up with the idea of a live taste test, overseen by the most trusted man in American football -- retired NFL referee, Tommy Bell. Schlitz "won" the taste tests because they couldn't really loose. Most people can't tell the difference between the taste of the leading lager beers. Around half of the Bud and Michelob drinkers picked Schlitz as expected. About 1/3 of the Miller customers picked Schlitz, which they spun as a victory.
The clear winner in the taste test was Tommy Bell.
