...and people aren't happy about it.
BrewDog have repackaged their Punk IPA and labeled it 'beer for girls' in a bid to highlight the gender pay gap using the problematic nature of gendered marketing campaigns.
Ahead of International Women's Day, the Scottish brewers are donating 20% of their proceeds to charities supporting gender equality in the workplace for the next four weeks.
The campaign was met with a highly critical reception, regardless of it's good intentions.
This is not ‘beer for girls’. This is beer for equality.
— BrewDog (@BrewDog) March 6, 2018
Pink IPA has landed.https://t.co/MRWnqaADXg pic.twitter.com/J9Kk4khk1h
The problem with the satirical campaign is that the message is not abundantly clear from every angle. Off the shelf, the 'Pink IPA' would be hard to tell apart from Yorkie's 'not for girls' eye-roll worthy packaging or the 'man size' Kleenex tissues that appear to highlight how even today there are marketers that truly believe in a world of fragile masculinity.
Users on Twitter have branded the campaign as 'poorly executed' and 'indistinguishable from lazy marketing'.
Yeah but when it’s indistinguishable from the lazy marketing of “make it pink” then you’ve not quite made it
— Catie (@liedra) March 6, 2018
Nice idea and good cause but poor execution. Could you not have worked with some of the amazing women working in and around beer and had their pictures and stories on the labels? Spread awareness of their work? As opposed to just slapping a pink label and 'beer for girls' on it?
— Oliver Clayton-Green (@WishboneOliver) March 6, 2018
BrewDog have historically used social commentary strategically within their marketing campaigns, most notably when they received backlash in 2015 for their gender-changing hops campaign. Did they miss the mark again this time?
What do you think? Share your thoughts with us on Facebook and Twitter.
The VCA Team
As you expect we’re a diverse creative bunch, which suits the way we think and work. Find out what makes us tick. We’re designers, developers, animators, film makers, photographers, illustrators, bloggers, and technologists. We’re also artists, cyclists, mountain climbers, craft-makers, writers, astronomers, musicians, yoga instructors and linguists.
Careers
We're always on the look out for super talented creatives so if you've got a killer folio of work then please share it with us. We also offer placements and internships for designers, developers, animators, film makers and illustrators.