Cheap beer is good. But generally speaking, design for cheap beer is not so good. As time goes on, the major players have gone through phases, evolution and reinventions in their marketing and design. Miller keeps piling one more gradient on top of one more swoosh; Coors has color-changing cans (because apparently people can't tell how cold their beer is by just touching it); Bud touts "drinkability" (i.e. dumbed down).

Amidst all that fussy marketing and branding, there are few major brands that have just said, "No." Most notably perhaps being the venerable Pabst Blue Ribbon. Simple, honest, and virtually unchanged after all these years. Despite a having a relatively sturdy following, Pabst has refused to "cash in" on the opportunity to convert this momentum into a bigger marketing effort to increase "brand awareness," as they say. Many would argue that it's a lost opportunity, but I guess it depends on one's priorities. Is it worth losing that sense of "authenticity" that over-marketing inevitably leads to? Instead, the company has found a more organic and subtle approach to generating buzz via promoting live music, local businesses, and dive bars. And really just staying honest to who they are. I'd imagine if the can were ever to change, it would incite more of an uproar than even Chipotle.

In the end, PBR may very well have moved more cans with a glossy new ad campaign. Or hi-tech cans. Or bigger type and brighter gradients. But in lieu of chasing the dream, they've avoided becoming a cliché, having to cover up shortcomings with moar marketing, and thus have remained an honest brand and unmistakable cultural icon. Cheers.

Photo from Flickr.

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