First Brand Apology of 2022 Did Not Take Long

Pabst's crude posts made fun of 'Dry January,' an alcohol-free movement to kick off the new year
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 4, 2022 8:37 AM CST
Updated Jan 8, 2022 7:15 AM CST
Pabst Blue Ribbon Isn't Having It With Your 'Dry January'
In this photo taken on Nov. 8, 2018, cases of Pabst Blue Ribbon and Coors Light are stacked next to each other in a Milwaukee beverage store.   (AP Photo/Ivan Moreno)

A brand is usually going to do whatever it can to sell itself—which is why one of Pabst Blue Ribbon's latest tweets simply reads "Beer"—but other recent tweets in the new year from PBR have generated backlash, and now an apology. The Daily Beast reports that the hubbub began Monday, when Pabst referenced "Dry January," a health initiative in the first month of the year when people abstain from quaffing alcohol. "Not drinking this January? Try eating a--!" the brand wrote in a since-deleted tweet.

As that post went viral, Pabst then went on to deliver crude replies—also since deleted—to the people who responded to it. Forbes notes that Pabst also put up multiple tweets earlier in the month regarding "Wet January," including a post that read "what if January wasn't dry" alongside a photo of people in raincoats carrying beer. "Legal must have off until the 4th," snarked the Slim Jim snack brand in response to Pabst's bizarre derriere-centered post. Others were more irritated than amused. "Grade school sexual innuendo combined with making light of people trying to push back against alcoholism," one commenter noted.

What emerged afterward is what Adweek is calling "our first brand mea culpa" of the new year. "We apologize about the language and content of our recent tweets," Nick Reely, VP of marketing for Pabst Brewing Company, said in a statement. "The tweets in question were written in poor judgment by one of our associates." Reely added that the matter is being handled "internally." Meanwhile, Pabst has gone back to basics online: Its most recent share is a retweet of its "Beer" post. (More Pabst Blue Ribbon stories.)

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