The National Advertising Division (NAD) of BBB National Programs has recommended Molson Coors discontinue using its “light beer shouldn’t taste like water; it should taste like beer” claim.
Anheuser-Busch InBev (A-B) filed an NAD challenge against Molson Coors’ use of the phrase last spring, claiming it was misleading.
The phrase first appeared in advertising for Molson Coors’ Miller Lite brand in April. One of the ads in question depicts a cyclist pouring an “Extremely Light Beer” onto his head out of a dark blue can, as one would usually do with water after a long ride. A narrator follows up saying “beer shouldn’t taste like water. Miller Lite has more taste…”
The ad does not specifically call out any competitor brand. However, A-B’s own light beer brand Michelob Ultra frequently has fitness-themed ads and partners with professional athletes. Elizabeth Hitch, Miller Lite senior director of marketing, also noted that Molson Coors has “been taking swings for a while at Michelob Ultra,” in a comment to AdAge about the advertising campaign in question.
The NAD determined that while “no specific competing light beer is identified by name in the challenged videos,” the claim that a beer tastes “like water” is a “measurable attribute” and “not puffery or a mere opinion.”
“Reliable sensory testing could demonstrate whether consumers detect a watery taste or the complete absence of taste,” the NAD said in a press release. “Consumers may also reasonably expect that the statement is supported by such evidence.
“Because Molson Coors did not submit evidence supporting the claim that any other light beers ‘taste like water,’ NAD recommended that the claim be discontinued,” the NAD continued.
Molson Coors has filed an appeal of the NAD’s decision, claiming “the ads do not expressly identify [A-B’s] Michelob Ultra or any other light beers” and it should not be precluded from publicly sharing its ‘opinion’ that “light beer should not taste like water.”
“We vehemently disagree with this decision because we believe light beer should taste like beer, not water, and we are well within our right to share that belief,” Molson Coors’ chief communications officer Adam Collins said in a statement to Brewbound.
A-B applauded the NAD’s decision.
“Anheuser-Busch appreciates NAD’s thoughtful review and conclusion regarding Miller Lite’s baseless advertising claims about light beer,” an A-B spokesperson said in a statement to Brewbound. “True stewards of the beer industry should be working together to strengthen the beer category instead of resorting to misleading attacks that denigrate products enjoyed by millions of beer drinkers.”