Beer Ad Placements Reach Highest Level Since 2009

Beer ad placements are at their highest levels since 2009, despite a drop in overall alcoholic beverage ad pages according to MagazineRadar – a data provider for magazine publishers.

The company said beer ads were up 17.3 percent in the third quarter of 2012 compared to overall alcoholic ad pages which dropped 7.6 percent during the same period.

A recent Business Insider article – citing the MagazineRadar data – lists the most active beer advertisers in both online and print mediums. The industry’s most active advertiser is Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB-InBev) – the world’s largest brewer. The company has run 97 ads in 17 magazines this year for its Bud Light brand, mostly featuring Bud Light Platinum. It also increased marketing efforts behind the Michelob brand, running 92 ads in 21 magazines. Most of those ads focused on Michelob Ultra and Michelob Ultra Light Cider, which launched in May.

The increased ad spending from large domestic and international brewers represents an attempt to combat declining US beer shipments. According to Beer Marketer’s INSIGHTS, AB-InBev lost 3.2 million barrels between 2010 and 2011. Heineken USA (HUSA) – which also increased its ad presence in 2012 – lost 325,000 barrels last year.

Also mentioned are the publications running the most beer ads. Time Out New York led all publications with 50 beer ads, primarily featuring Stella Artois (AB-InBev) and Amstel Light (HUSA) brands. Sports Illustrated, Rolling Stone, Us Weekly and Playboy rounded out the top five.