The Midwest Beer Company That Once Released A Disturbing Ad Campaign

The beer industry has produced some of the most iconic ads of all time, from Budweiser's 1999 "Wassup?" campaign becoming a pop culture sensation to Dos Equis' "The Most Interesting Man in the World" campaign turning into a viral meme. But some ads have attracted attention for all the wrong reasons. One infamous example came from Schlitz Brewing Company, which released an ad that essentially gave viewers the choice between buying Schlitz or being killed. 

The Milwaukee-based company released an ad that has been jokingly dubbed by fans as the "Drink Schlitz or I'll Kill You" campaign. Released in 1977, the campaign featured stereotypical "macho" characters, like a boxer and an outdoorsman, who threatened the narrator for trying to take away their Schlitz. This odd marketing strategy was the brain-child of advertising company Leo Burnett & Co., who were (unsurprisingly) fired shortly after the ads aired. Perhaps the aim of this campaign was to use shock value to bring attention back to the brand, which had been facing sagging sales. However, despite its comedic intention, the joke fell flat and left viewers uncomfortable. 

People like to say there's no such thing as bad press, but the attention this controversial campaign received only alienated customers from the struggling brand. Thanks to the overwhelmingly negative public response, the ad was pulled after just ten weeks. It's also widely accepted that the ad — in combination with other factors — played a major role in Schlitz's historic fall from grace.  

The Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company was founded in Milwaukee (which remains one of the best beer cities) all the way back in 1849. In its early years, the brand was immensely successful and, by 1902, was the largest brewery in the world. Back in its heyday, it even enjoyed successful ad campaigns and popularised the slogan, "The beer that made Milwaukee famous." But today, brands like Michelob Ultra, Modelo, and Corona are best-sellers, whereas Schlitz is one of many that are almost impossible to find.

The downfall of Schlitz can be traced back to the 1960s and '70s. While the ad campaign was certainly disastrous for the brand's reputation, it was just one of many factors that led to its downward spiral. To cut costs, management altered the brewing process to make it cheaper and faster. They replaced the traditional malted barley with a cheaper corn syrup and reduced its brewing cycle time by 50%. The result was a noticeably lower-quality product. This, in combination with its terrible PR campaign and a costly recall, ultimately caused sales to plummet between 1976 and 1981.

Following a massive four-month worker strike at the flagship Milwaukee plant in 1981, the historic brewery was permanently closed. In 1982, the Stroh Brewery Company acquired Schlitz. However, the bad fortune of the brand seemed to rub off on Stroh, and it collapsed in 1999. The majority of its remaining assets were sold to Pabst Brewing Company, which remains the current owner of the Schlitz brand. In an effort to return Schlitz to its former glory, Pabst made the wise decision to replicate its beloved original recipe, but even this was unable to resurrect the brand's former position as a market titan.