Ten steps forward,
none back At the British Guild of Beer Writers' recent annual dinner, its chairman Morning Advertiser editor Andrew Pring presented a 10-strong list of challenges for the beer world 1) Better advertising This is a plea for funnier, wittier beer ads that appeal to a slightly more sophisticated audience than that many of our national ads are aimed at. We used to be very good at that in the trade Heineken, the early Stellas, even the Carling bouncing bombs what a contrast to Carling's Wild Thing. There are some decent ads around but not enough: One that stood out, not so much because it was funny, but because it was so cleverly worked was Hobgoblin's "What's the matter lager boy, afraid you might taste something". Apart from that, what else new really caught the eye? Wadworth with 6X appeal, Young's had its hooker sheep, Charles Wells had its stylish Englishness ads, Fuller's had its "Worth travelling for" ads and Adnams produced its intriguing and classic Southwold beach ads, and there were some others, including Greene King's. But where are the ads that get people at large talking the iconic beer ads? Where's the beer copywriter to match the Tesco gem rushed out after Jonny Wilkinson's mum had been in its store to avoid world cup tension "She shopped til he dropped". We need a lot more wit and style from a lot more people if we're to get beer noticed more by the people we've lost to wine. 2) We need beer on television We need another Beer Hunter. How wonderful if a film company could be funded by brewers to make a fully up-to-date version of Michael Jackson's 1980s classic. With so much utter drivel on television these days, why aren't there any beer programmes? 3) Beer and health Isn't it crazy that even when research show Guinness really is good for you, Guinness is too nervous to restate that claim? Of course, with so much talk of Britain being a nation of alcoholics and binge drinkers, brewers and nervous. But they musn't run scared and we know that beer in moderation is good for you. There must be a way for that message to be stated safely. Why can't we find doctors to acknowledge the health qualities of beer? Why can't we say heart disease is less likely for moderate drinkers? Or that women reduce their chances of osteoporosis if they drink moderately? Alongside the kind of crude hedonism of the Faliraki crowd, there's a kind of Puritanism out there which makes it politically incorrect to state such truths we've got to fight it. 4) Enlist the celebrities to help make beer more popular Madonna was an absolute godsend her totally unsolicited endorsement of Timothy Taylor's Landlord on the Jonathan Ross programme was manna from heaven. But it needn't be just a one-off fluke there are many other influential people who enjoy beers or real ales. Let's identify them out them! and find ways to get their likes into the wider consciousness. All the better if they're young and trendy getting young people to move away earlier and quicker from sweet sugary products to more challenging and interesting flavours is crucial for the future of beer. 5) Use the media Get beer talked about by big name journalists, columnists, rather than pushing our message to food and drink writers on national papers. Target editors, target Simon Jenkins, Patience Wheatcroft, Libby Purves, Richard Littlejohn even! If they can pick up on some of the messages we're pushing out, think of the positive influence they could have. 6) Beer image This is a complex debate, and one that the estimable British Beer & Pub Association announced a year ago it would be managing with a view to conceiving a fresh and powerful new beer image. But it's one that's being conducted behind closed doors at Nine Elms Tower, which is very frustrating for friends of beer like the guild, who would like to get involved in the discussions. I think we have something to offer, and will be staging our own debate on the subject in the new year. We will invite the BBPA! 7) Sales reports One of the biggest frustrations of the year for many of the brewers here tonight has been the statistical reporting of their sales success too often, their gains have failed to materialise in the reports that get so widely reported in the press. Let's hope this is the year a more accurate bead can be trained on real ale's successes. 8) Reclaiming the high street for beer drinkers This is a plea for more town centre pubs for the over 30s somewhere in the high street that people of that age and over can go and feel comfortable. As we know, most town centres are virtual no-go areas for anyone over 25 at the weekends and sometimes in the week. It's not right that older people have to drive away from where they live or work to find a pleasant pub. There'd be a lot more decent beer drunk if people didn't have to drive to find it, and then restrict themselves to a couple of pints. I'm just amazed market forces haven't created these pubs yet let's hope as the so-called circuit falters, these traditional pubs will resume their rightful berths on the high street. 9) Beer labelling notes The supermarkets have been brilliant with wine notes: now beer must do the same and on the labels. It's something the more progressive brewers are working on but let's find simple informative language to describe the tastes and qualities of beer. Too often, it's bog standard, non-compelling language that's used. Surely we can do better. 10) Make beer the official drink John Grogan (MP for Selby) is determined Government departments should serve British beers as a matter of course at official functions, receptions, lunches and so on. Presently, wine from round the world is the offering. Crazy. John's really on to something here, and we should all do our bit to make our feelings known with our own MPs and at local government level too.
