Why marketing beer products as male-centric needs to stop

The debate of beer being a drink for everyone, being upheld during a time when it is still being marketed as a male-centric product, has become an paradoxical echo within the industry.

Drinks, which have historically – and somewhat archaically – been marketed in the past as engendered products, as either ‘strong enough for men’ or ‘sweet enough for women’ have made great strides in terms of diversity, inclusion and equality of late. However, recent reports suggest that marketing to single sex demographics still exists, especially across beer, despite its popularity with all gender identities.

The discussions followed reports on Australian beer brand Victoria Bitter (VB), brewed by Asahi-owned Carlton & United Breweries, being an ingredient in a skincare range that was intended to be specifically marketed to men – a brand that “has real beer in it”.

The VB men’s grooming range, which includes an exfoliating scrub, face moisturiser and face masks, VB marketing manager Marc Lord confirmed in a recent report. The range also reportedly includes a bath bomb shaped like a beer stubby and the items go on sale this week.

Despite the category being a skincare range, the product itself is still connecting beer and male consumers only – the only sticking point for an industry purporting to uphold beer as a drink for all. Even by association, this range targets men as the sole consumer and positions beer as an engendered item.

Comparatively, this week, global brewer Heineken also branched out beyond its liquid beer remit to launch a pair of trainers with beer injected into the soles, named Heinekicks.

The initiative, helped by Le Pub and BBH Singapore along with sneaker designer Dominic Ciambrone, aka ‘The Shoe Surgeon’ saw Heineken launch the limited-edition pair of shoes that allegedly faithfully reflect the smooth taste of the new Heineken Silver variant. The difference in this campaign was, however, that the off-shoot product was not engendered and only targeted at men, in fact it went out of its way to highlight it was a product for all.

Speaking to the drinks business about the launch, Heineken brand global PR lead JD O’Lone said: “Our ‘Heinekicks’ are for anyone no matter what their gender is. They have been created to deliver a smoother step for those lucky enough to get their hands on a pair…designed to reflect our Heineken Silver offering, being a smooth tasting lager. They have been made in a selection of sizes. The sneaker trend is one that appeals to all and something we, working with The Shoe Surgeon, are excited to take part in.

Taking beer and inclusivity and equality talks further, Heineken has also been doing some work within sports sponsorships, especially with its recent ‘Cheers to All Fans’ campaign that focused on female inclusion in football, with an especially great translation of this strategy with the UK’s 12th Woman campaign for the Women’s Euros.

Heineken marketing manager Stephanie Dexter told db: “Heineken is a brand for the fans and we’ve always been passionate about bringing people together to celebrate the things they love. We aim to be the most inclusive sponsor in football, and as part of our sponsorship of the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022, we launched a campaign all about tackling gender bias affecting both players and fans.”

Dexter added: “Through our ’12th Woman’ campaign, we invited conversation about the entrenched bias and inequality that persists across football culture by challenging the norm. It’s clear that the Lionesses’ and the tournament’s success has had a positive impact on society, with a movement towards more people debating, challenging and getting involved in sport.”

With examples in the beer industry of how some brands can get things right and others continue to marginalise the beer products as engendered, the evolution of beer’s diversity continues to be up for debate as marketeers catch up on best practice.

Asahi was contacted for its views on beer marketing, but was unavailable for comment.