Althouse: "Companies are realizing that women comprise a very heavy percentage of the cocktail-drinking community..."

June 30, 2012

"Companies are realizing that women comprise a very heavy percentage of the cocktail-drinking community..."

"... and I believe they are starting to speak more directly to women without the fear that they're going to alienate the male base."

67 comments:

kentuckyliz said...: I don't drink, but I do believe that I will start!; 6/30/12, 6:16 PM
Scott said...: Have you ever seen a child with fetal alcohol syndrome? I've seen several. Makes you want to ban alcohol.; 6/30/12, 6:17 PM
Jason (the commenter) said...: It doesn't hurt with the gay male audience either.; 6/30/12, 6:17 PM
Irene said...: The kitteh with the beret is very kute.

(And I usually don't like cats.); 6/30/12, 6:19 PM
Shanna said...: The kitteh with the beret is very kute

Mais oui!

That commercial is hilarious and I love it, but limeade and beer for a cocktail?; 6/30/12, 6:24 PM
Palladian said...: It doesn't hurt with the gay male audience either.

Seems designed for gay men, with female pronouns added.

Anyway, if the pretty bitch can make a good martini, I'm there.; 6/30/12, 6:25 PM
Donna B. said...: Black cherry bourbon sounds just awful. I'm not fond of honey in my bourbon either.

If I'm going to drink, I'm not ordering cough syrup.; 6/30/12, 6:28 PM
Beau said...: I'll try the recipe based on the overall brilliantness of this advertisement. The only change being, puppies make everything better.; 6/30/12, 6:33 PM
Palladian said...: If I'm going to drink, I'm not ordering cough syrup

That's what happens when they start marketing cocktails to women.

Soon they'll start making chocolate bourbon, probably with the word "decadent" on the label somewhere.; 6/30/12, 6:33 PM
Donna B. said...: Watched the video and it is hilarious. I'm pretty sure we'll be trying that recipe someday... but I doubt we'll use light beer -- what's the point?

It also reminded me of this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGdWmexwJok; 6/30/12, 6:34 PM
Palladian said...: The only change being, puppies make everything better.

Unless they piddle in the Sauza, of course.; 6/30/12, 6:34 PM
Jason (the commenter) said...: Beau: The only change being, puppies make everything better.

You forget, this is on the internet. Half of YouTube is cat videos.; 6/30/12, 6:39 PM
Donna B. said...: Chocolate is everywhere in booze it seems. I've had chocolate martinis and chocolate wine and... there's this chocolate/cinnamon flavored stuff called "Hot Sex" which I think is a mixer. I don't know if it's got alcohol in it.

All those aren't that bad, but they are way too sweet for me. Plus, I don't seem to like too many flavors mixed together.; 6/30/12, 6:41 PM
Jason (the commenter) said...: Palladin: Soon they'll start making chocolate bourbon, probably with the word "decadent" on the label somewhere.

They already make it, and I bet it deserves the "decadent" label, too.; 6/30/12, 6:43 PM
cubanbob said...: Great way to remind guys that while candy is dandy, liquor is quicker. All in the service of getting laid.
And ladies, drink enough and the slob thats hitting up on you will look absolutely hunky or you just won't care.; 6/30/12, 6:44 PM
Palladian said...: All those aren't that bad, but they are way too sweet for me. Plus, I don't seem to like too many flavors mixed together.

I'm a purist too. I don't think there's any cocktail that I like that has more than around 3 ingredients.

As for chocolate bourbon... eww.; 6/30/12, 6:47 PM
edutcher said...: Does this mean working outside the home has driven women to drink?; 6/30/12, 6:50 PM
Jason (the commenter) said...: Palladian: As for chocolate bourbon... eww.

I'm sure the alcohol works, chocolate or not.; 6/30/12, 6:53 PM
Big Mike said...: So does Meade mix Margaritas or something?; 6/30/12, 6:54 PM
Jason (the commenter) said...: Big Mike: So does Meade mix Margaritas or something?

Shirtless?

(I'm asking 'cause Big Mike was afraid to.); 6/30/12, 6:57 PM
cubanbob said...: My wife loves Mojitos. And to watch the carbs she uses Splenda. I keep plenty of fresh lime, mint, Splenda and booze in stock at all times. And in this heat Mojitos are very refreshing...; 6/30/12, 7:01 PM
ooonaughtykitty said...: RIP OFF of the Brawny dude!

:(; 6/30/12, 7:12 PM
DADvocate said...: Hell, no, you won't alienate the male base. Get those chicks drunk so they'll be easier to lay.

BTW - How come the shirt disappears when he's pouring the light beer?
When I pour light beer, my pants fall down.; 6/30/12, 7:33 PM
Donna B. said...: "When I pour light beer, my pants fall down."

I'm trying to decide whether I want more information about this or not.; 6/30/12, 7:37 PM
Donna B. said...: I've decided. Not. :-); 6/30/12, 7:39 PM
Wally Kalbacken said...: I've encountered a number of alcoholics in my time. Those in recovery are the worst. Probably very close to 50-50 male/female. But the females seem to have died from their alcoholism at a much earlier age than the males. It's purely anecdotal, by no means a representative sample. And I probably know fewer alcoholics than the average person my age. It is astonishing how much punishment in terms of alcohol, over decades and decades, some people can take and keep on ticking.

When I see women hitting hard liquor - I get bad vibes. But it's a market segment, for sure.; 6/30/12, 7:48 PM
bagoh20 said...: I don't usually drink beer, but when I do, put it in a margarita, because I'm the most disgusting man in the world.

Seriously though, I know I'm in the minority, but I love girly cocktails, sweet wine, and hairy women, but since I don't like cats so much, I'm still very macho.; 6/30/12, 8:22 PM
bagoh20 said...: Ladies, that guy is gay, and I'm not, and if you drink enough of those margaritas before you call me, you won't know the difference anyway. So yes, by all means pay attention to this commercial.; 6/30/12, 8:33 PM
furious_a said...: ...that while candy is dandy... all that extra sugar intensifies the inevitable hangover.

The closer to 'last call' the better you look!; 6/30/12, 8:42 PM
CJinPA said...: "Make it With a Fireman"

No modern ad directed at men would say "Make it With a Nurse." It would *imply* it, but never say it.

Which indicates that this is more than just 'doing for the gals what ads have done for the guys' stuff.; 6/30/12, 8:44 PM
Donna B. said...: Wally - it's really not what kind of alcohol a person drinks that is relevant to whether that person is an alcoholic. It's why they drink it (needing it to feel normal?), how they drink it (alone?) how much they drink, and how often.

Plus lots of other factors.

Please don't let it worry you that over the years, I've come to appreciate the taste of decent whisky.; 6/30/12, 8:47 PM
n.n said...: And why not? Our society has conceived of progress to be marginalization of men. This is some people's notion of justice for past inequities. No, actually progress has come to embrace the marginalization of the general population. Elevating women's stature is, ostensible, a means to an end, but it is also the end.

It's strange that so many people accept without question evolution as a theory of origin, while simultaneously rejecting, with prejudice, evolutionary principles and fitness. We have come to believe that evolutionary dysfunction is normal, and is characterized by dreams of instant gratification.

Perhaps we are incapable of identifying reasonable compromises between the known natural and enlightened orders that direct our world.

Perhaps we are disposable and interchangeable from conception to grave.; 6/30/12, 8:49 PM
Jane said...: I'm more persuaded by subtlety - I think that was a commercial that a man imagines a woman doing to turn *him* on or something.

Or maybe it would work if I were younger and less cynical.; 6/30/12, 8:56 PM
Cedarford said...: Culturally, the media tries to shape public perception who are the most desirable of each sex.

Not just deserving more pay and benefits...but more sex!
Hero beauty queens, hero cops, hero firefighters, Cosmo girls with Ivy League degrees 'Having It All!" , and hero media moguls!

There will be no "how much sexier can you get than a female Walmart checkout clerk!" ads. No "make it with a hero government employee in sanitation & removal!" as the next booze ad spokesmodel.; 6/30/12, 9:10 PM
MadisonMan said...: I had a very nice gin martini tonight (I don't like calling them gin martinis, since IMO all martinis are made with gin, but there are yahoos out there who don't know any better who make martinis with potato extract), and drank it while looking out over the Bay here, and it was delicious. My wife was drinking a G&T at the time. The tonic was flat. She didn't like that.; 6/30/12, 9:19 PM
Shanna said...: It's why they drink it (needing it to feel normal?), how they drink it (alone?) how much they drink, and how often.

Never drink alone, Scarlett. People always find out and it ruins the reputation.

Seriously, just because you have a cocktail now and then doesn't mean you are an alcoholic, or likely to become one. And the type of alcohol you drink doesn't really have anything to do with your likelyhood of becoming an alcoholic. Have you see those beer drinking alcoholics? It is insane how much beer they drink, but they don't switch to vodka.; 6/30/12, 9:20 PM
MadisonMan said...: (straight up, with a twist); 6/30/12, 9:20 PM
yashu said...: Heh, funny ad.

I think the key to its effectiveness is not just the all-too-obvious appeal to women (hot fireman! kittens!) but the self-deprecating appeal.

If it appeals to female fantasies (hot fireman who's also sensitive & attentive & speaks French) and soft spots (kittens!), it's also making fun of those fantasies and soft spots. It's appealing to women but also making fun of both women and cliches about women: or, appealing to women to laugh at themselves and at cliches about themselves as women. As the article puts it, it "let[s] women know they're in on the joke."

LOL at the quick cut to the pussy cat after he licks the spoon.; 6/30/12, 9:40 PM
MadisonMan said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 6/30/12, 9:45 PM
ALH said...: You've come a long way, baby!; 6/30/12, 9:47 PM
Petunia said...: Real firefighters can't have beards, because they interfere with the fit of their face masks.

You'd think the commercial makers would have done a bit of research. Or found a real firefighter.

That guy isn't hot at all. From someone who used to date a REAL hot firefighter.; 6/30/12, 9:47 PM
Anonymous said...: Cubanbob, Mojitos with Splenda? I'm going to have to try that one.

Chocolate bourbon, mmmmm.

Now I'm going to watch the video. The dude is gay?; 6/30/12, 9:53 PM
Anonymous said...: He said he would go antiquing!! Pant, pant.; 6/30/12, 10:00 PM
MadisonMan said...: Why is he only shirtless while pouring the beer?; 6/30/12, 10:01 PM
Alex said...: Real men drink Jose Cuervo gold straight up.; 6/30/12, 10:12 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: We have a gay player at the Red Sox.. and he just made a great catch.. and hit a humongous home run last night.; 6/30/12, 10:18 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Je t'aime moi non plus

Somebody cover Cracks ears..

Where is Crack these days?; 6/30/12, 10:30 PM
Anonymous said...: I don't know, but I kinda miss his abuse in the comments section.; 6/30/12, 10:39 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Body Talk; 6/30/12, 10:40 PM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: And ladies, drink enough and the slob thats hitting up on you will look absolutely hunky or you just won't care.

OK. I can't help myself. Linking to this!

The worlds best duck flambe makes me laugh every time.; 6/30/12, 10:43 PM
madAsHell said...: My son is a fireman.

He can't have a beard because it interferes with the breathing mask.; 6/30/12, 10:47 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Hes probably still in sock from when the professor showed him waht she could do.. See Turley.

He's always telling her and Insta something to the effect that she would never do something like that..

You know, now that we are on the subject.. I was thinking how certain aspects of Hip Hop and blogging are very similar.. in tune as it were.

What the professor did with Turley is common place in Hip Hop.; 6/30/12, 10:50 PM
Richard Dolan said...: A cocktail aimed at women used to be a concoction made with kahlua, never tequila.

You've come a long way, baby. But not far enough if today's MadMen (no, not you MM) think that the drip in this add might appeal to them.; 6/30/12, 11:13 PM
Michelle Dulak Thomson said...: DBQ,

OK. I can't help myself. Linking to this!

Good heavens. Wherever did you find that?; 6/30/12, 11:30 PM
Donna B. said...: A few of y'all are doing some serious overthinking about this commercial.

Perhaps a drink would help?

DBQ -- love it!!; 6/30/12, 11:48 PM
garage mahal said...: "Companies are realizing that women comprise a very heavy percentage of the cocktail-drinking community..."

Realizing? Well for crying out loud I could have told you that a long time ago! Women dig money too. My ex wife loves my money. It's one of the few constant things in this world: the sun rises in the east, and checks go out from me, to her. I guess you've just got to hold on.; 7/1/12, 12:25 AM
Chip Ahoy said...: They're kind of alienating me a little bit.

Kidding.

I had 1/4 oz whiskey with 4 oz chocolate and nearly barfed.

I promised God I wouldn't do that again and God was all LOL everybody says that.

That was a couple days ago.

But before that I discovered banana liqueur, which is a word I just now spelled without getting a red line under it, for cupcakes, thinking it would be dreadful like everything else, but it turns out to be delicious, and I recommend it.

I can also drink a Newcastle from a glass in one gulp. That happened once. I had one sip and put the glass down. Then went for the glass again and it was empty and I'm all who snuck in here when I wasn't looking and drank my beer?

Scott, thank you for telling us the number is useless. It's been a blessing.; 7/1/12, 1:41 AM
Bob_R said...: I look for bars that refuse to make cocktails with limeade. I found one. In my kitchen.

If you are watching carbs, try EZ-Sweetz. I like it better than Splenda. Makes very good low carb Mojitos, Daiquiris, Old Fashions, etc. - any drink where the primary source of carbs is simple syrup. When I figure out a low-carb version of Cointreau life will be good.; 7/1/12, 5:35 AM
Rusty said...: MadisonMan said...
(straight up, with a twist)

If I want a martini, I'll make a manhatten.

Really the only thng to do with mediocre bourbon.

Like my old dad used to say," Only drink the best you can afford, and if you can only afford the worst, don't drink at all."

Cheers.; 7/1/12, 8:15 AM
Shanna said...: Linking to this!

Love the Dropkick Murphy's!!!; 7/1/12, 8:19 AM
Bruce Hayden said...: Great way to remind guys that while candy is dandy, liquor is quicker. All in the service of getting laid.
And ladies, drink enough and the slob thats hitting up on you will look absolutely hunky or you just won't care.

What seems to have changed in the almost 40 years since I graduated from college is that a lot of the women there are really into binge drinking. On Fri. and Sat. nights, probably more females than males are getting "transported", which is a euphemism for calling the paramedics to take them to the hospital. On a campus of maybe 1500 undergrads, this is happening once or twice a night on weekends.

On the flip side, there is a lot less "dating", people going steady, getting engaged, etc. A lot smaller percentage expecting to get married right out of college, etc. And, a lot of that is a result of the culture of dependency we now have, along with the War on Men, where many of them don't want to marry until 30s or so.

With mostly "safe" sex with the college kids, and then through their 20s, women getting drunk is the way that sex happens. And, keep in mind that these kids (and beyond) are fully sexually mature, with no other real outlet available.

What are they drinking? The women are drinking shots, which include a lot of those cocktails. Why shots? Because beer is still predominantly a guy thing. The guys can drink a lot of it, and not put on weight, while the gals do put on weight at that age drinking beer. Plus, you have to develop a taste for it. Sweet tasting drinks are much easier to learn to drink.

Back to the drinking and sex thing. Read a book awhile back that pointed out that in HS, and even MS, one of the big reasons for females to drink is to get laid, without becoming known as a slut, whore, etc. Being known as a lush is apparently much less disreputable. My theory is that at those ages, the girls compete in girl world, and part of that is to get attention of the guys, but that the sluts, etc. can do so directly through sex, and that is considered cheating. And, it is a race to the bottom, with is not to most of their benefit.; 7/1/12, 10:02 AM
richard mcenroe said...: So the Madison Avenue Metterseckhsuls down found out what the backwards flyover states have always known...

http://youtu.be/Kr1BiEvb6Iw

http://youtu.be/Nj2700em-JQ; 7/1/12, 11:14 AM
ken in tx said...: Most men have an enzyme that allows them to metabolize alcohol, that women, and some ethnic groups don't have—American Indians most notably. That means that they are harmed more by it. I have been drinking regularly since I was 11 years old when I learned to make my own wine. It's a major food group to me.; 7/1/12, 1:23 PM
Synova said...: Oh dear that was painful.

And funny!

And painful.

and the kitten was cute. :); 7/1/12, 5:31 PM
Synova said...: "Why is he only shirtless while pouring the beer?"

Wait, what?

I watched the whole thing and I never noticed.; 7/1/12, 5:38 PM
Synova said...: OMG.

I honest to... didn't notice his shirt was off. I went back to check and it wasn't even subtle.

LOL.; 7/1/12, 5:41 PM
Blue@9 said...: Real firefighters can't have beards, because they interfere with the fit of their face masks.

You'd think the commercial makers would have done a bit of research. Or found a real firefighter.

Dude, it's a commercial featuring a kitten in a beret. Realism isn't necessary nor desirable in a commercial like this.; 7/2/12, 4:16 PM