With little to gain and a lot to lose, playing politics is something brands generally do from a position of neutrality ("7-Election"), low-brow humor (Gas-X's "Gas Crisis") or outright mocking of the system (Etch A Sketch; Reebok's 2003 Terry Tate candidacy). So when the Most Interesting Man in the World chose to host a fundraising event for President Barack Obama, Dos Equis's parent Heineken USA was understandably vexed, forced into one of those frustrating statements all brands hate to make that include the words "views are strictly his own, and do not represent."

But maybe Dos Equis — and Heineken — should play to their brand strengths. According to a recent study, both brands' drinkers trend Democratic, with the former rated the most popular beer amongst lefties. So when viewers drunkenly yell at the TV during the first 2012 presidential debate on Wednesday, chances are they will do so with very partisan bottles in hand.Continue reading...

Molson Coors makes almost all of its sales in Canada, the U.S., and Great Britain, so it's no surprise that the brewer is looking to expand internationally. The Chicago-based company is also developing new products to entice those new markets.

Case in point: an iced tea brew called Coors Light Iced T, which it unveiled in a presentation on Tuesday to analysts. "The citrus-like, iced tea-flavored beer will have roughly 4% alcohol content but no caffeine," the Wall Street Journal notes. The drive to innovate and develop new products is simple. "Someone else is eating our lunch in the alcohol space," Molson Coors CEO Peter Swinburn told analysts.

The tea brewski will be found in Molson's homeland of Canada first, according to Reuters, “where consumers are interested in flavored beers,” and could end up appearing on U.S. shelves in time as well. Reuters reports that Molson Coors will also introduce the citrus-flavored Carling Zest, which will be sold for a limited time, as well as an autumn-inspired Leinenkugels beer.Continue reading...

American Airlines sees shares plunge on concerns over its cost structure and future.

Apple continues to stoke anticipation over today's iPhone announcement, as SEC presses on Nokia litigation.

Bloomingdale's goes nostalgic by extending Popeye and Beetle Bailey lines.

Chobani launches integrated campaign for Champions line for kids.

Citigroup faces struggle to sell assets.

Coors Light expands Jean Claude Van Damme campaign.

Cosi and activist investor scrap over company's future.Continue reading...

General Mills' "Coccoon" spot is oddly disturbing, not great at making people want to eat fruit snacks.

Creepy but more effective: Warner Bros. promotes new movie Matt Damon/Gwyneth Paltrow movie Contagion with a "bacteria billboard in Toronto."Continue reading...

Toyota is often the follower that finally gets it right in its industry, so it’s interesting to see the Japanese auto brand staking out a pioneering position in a digital marketing method that is new to automakers.

With its new ToyoTag, a logo inside a ring powered by SpyderLynk's SnapTag technology, Toyota says that consumers can snap the image with their mobile phones (whether or not they’re smart phones) and access a whole array of brand and vehicle communications, from product brochures to safety tips.

Toyota joins a handful of other trailblazing brands in these SnapTag applications, including Coors Light, Coke, Bud Light and the Marines.Continue reading...

British Royals Branching Out into Bubbly

Although Britain’s royal wedding is over, presumably bringing a halt to the proliferation of beer brands capitalizing on the event with special brews, the royal family is not done creating new boozing possibilities. The UK's Telegraph reports that more than 1,600 grapevines will be planted in Windsor Great Park, a former hunting park that is part of the Crown Estate. Chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier will be planted with the aim of making an English sparkling wine. The news is getting quite a bit of buzz among English winemakers. “It is quite simply the biggest boost the English wine industry has ever had. It’s fantastic,” gushed Bob Lindo of Camel Valley vineyards.

Twitter Toasts Start of Paid Alcohol Ads

If the British royals decide to sell their sparkling wine to the masses, they just might use Twitter to advertise it. Clickz reports that Jack Daniel’s became the first alcoholic beverage brand to buy ad space on Twitter, touting its Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey flavored whiskey (@jackhoney on Twitter) with promoted tweets. Previously, alcohol ads were banned according to the rules of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) because Twitter’s audience was too young. Now that more than 70% of Twitter’s audience is over 21 years old, the tweets are allowed. The rules also mandated that all promoted tweets for Jack Daniel’s had to include a disclaimer that said, "Msg 4 21+ only.”

Marjorie Dufek, interactive marketing director at Jack Daniel’s parent Brown-Forman, said that Twitter reported "significantly higher than average" engagement rates for the campaign, as well as greater use of the brand name within tweets than usual for advertisers.Continue reading...

Silver Bullet Aims at Bud for No. 2 Beer Spot

MillerCoors CMO Andy England recently told distributors that Coors Light will overtake Budweiser as the no. 2 selling brew in the U.S. Analysts are saying that’s not just braggadocio, considering Budweiser’s long-running drop in sales and Coors Light’s steady trajectory upward. According to Beer Marketer’s Insights, Coors Light ended 2010 with an 8.5% market share, while Bud is barely ahead at 8.7%. Bud Light is the leader of the pack at 19.1%. MillerCoors is increasing marketing spending by $50 million this year, and part of its efforts for Coors Light include signing hip-hop artist Ice Cube to appear in ads for the brand.Continue reading...

MillerCoors is hoping that cold cans will warm up beer sales this year.

The veteran brewmeister plans to increase spending on marketing and introduce new packaging for Coors Light.

The new Coors Light packaging will include an indicator to show when the beer has reached a “super cold” temperature, MillerCoors CEO Leo Kiely told the Wall Street Journal.

Introducing new packaging is a strategy that has worked in the past to boost sales for Coors Light, which is expected to overtake Budweiser as the No. 2 selling beer the U.S. this year, behind Bud Light.

However, MillerCoors and other beer makers are also going to need an improved economy and more jobs for 21- to 32-year-old men to get them drinking more mass-market beer.Continue reading...