BeautifulSo, this was kind of all over the interwebs earlier in the day and while we threw it up in the Good Shizzy section, we thought it definitely deserved a post of its own.
First published at MGoBlog where Brian half-jokingly called for a boycott (and his fine readers obliged by passing on the email address of some poor PR employee), the Key Bank building in downtown Columbus is featuring a 300' Maker's Mark ad that says simply:
Here's to football season.
Especially Michigan's.
First, let me state that I hereby pledge to drink a whole hell of a lot more Maker's Mark in the future, but also, have any of you seen this thing? The building is in a great location to rock this and any of you working near the statehouse (or valeting at City Center) should have had a chance to peep this out.
If this is the real deal, then it makes the State Farm wolverine billboard look kind of lame in comparison all of a sudden.
Comments
I do a lot of work in and around this area, so I see this every couple days. At first, I thought it was toasting Michigan's next season, but after a few seconds realized it was dig on the ugly pile of fail that was last year. I lol'd. I also called all the Michigan fans actually offended by this (you'll notice my boys at the WLA didn't give a shit) vaginas, because that's what you have to be to get worked up at a lighthearted dig at your football team when it is so incredibly shitty.
Michigan Football fans will need more than whiskey to get through 2009 and beyond. How about getting real athletes underneath that winged helmet.
The winning streak will go to 6 in a row in Ann Arbor 11/21/09.
GO BUCKS!!!
The readers at MGoBlog are being little bitches about this too. So I took them to task on the blog for being hypocritical pussies who can't take a joke.
Cheers!
It's all in good fun, sure, but just as Jason says he'll be drinking a lot more of the stuff, I'll be avoiding it all together. It's not really about being offended, but--in the spirit of the rivalry--it is about choosing sides (even if it is just an otherwise meaningless PR stunt). So I'll be damned if I let their swill touch my lips again! Go Blue!
Matt, I demand you stop using my tagname.
Don't be a tool. I guarantee you that Maker's Mark is opening up their advertising campaign into the sports realm. Expect soon to see advertisements everywhere ripping on rivalries. This isn't some new fandangled idea as this happens all over the sports world where advertisers will take jabs in one city at that particular city's rival.
If you're that sensitive to the idea that your team of choice was targeted may I suggest a nut check?
First, has anyone from Columbus actually confirmed that this is real? Second, if it is I doubt that Makers Mark will run a similar add in Ann Arbor. That would just be undermining the intelligence of both OSU and UM fans. The only thing I'm hoping for now, if it is real, that Makers Mark sells a 39 cent bottle of bourbon for our 3-9 season. Kind of like when Papa John's sold 23 cent pizzas across Ohio for making the Lebron's a cry baby shirt for the Washington Wizards game. However, that would just mean the hobos will be lining up around the corner from the liquor stores instead of Papa John's. GO BLUE! and GO CAVS!
pogue confirmed it in the very first reply.
It's real - see the first comment in this thread.
Ya I just don't really believe anything pogue has to say. Seems like he will say anything to get anyone fired up. Just looking for a second verification
or confirmation
Yea, but your a dirty scUm fan who probably DOES believe that Dick Rod will turn things around with his 3-3-5 Defense and drop back QB running the spread LOL
Go get some Makers Mark and wallow in another loss come November
No need to be an asshole and I never mentioned anything about rich rodriguez or the upcoming season. My statement was entirely about the banner. Ill toast some makers mark to you for your clever use of scUM and Dick Rod. HAHA scUM. HAHA Dick Rod. Never heard that before. Genius
oh and one more thing. It's you're, as in you are, not your.
The Papa John's analogy doesn't really work, because that was a nationally televised blasting of the NBA's golden boy. This however is just a localized ad catering to its regional market. I doubt any UM fan changed out of their State Farm policy just because of the billboard Jason posted (which I have to lol at every time I drive by), so it's silly for them to get their panties in a bunch over this.
And it's not like the entire nation hasn't already made fun of UM's 3-9 season anyway. I figured they'd be desensitized by now.
Maker's Mark does use sports for advertising. When Rick Pitino came back to coach in the state, but went to Louisville, Makers had a billboard right when you came into Louisville that said, Welcome back Rick, we look better in red too. And they had the wax dripping on the billboard.
They sponsor a huge horse race here in KY at Turfway park and they dip horseshoes in red and green wax. They are always dipping something in wax.
This is true. However, even though the ad was meant to cater to the regional market of Columbus they should know better in that it'll reach national attention. For instance, I live in Charlotte and I'm aware of the ad. No one's getting their panties in a bunch. Never drank Makers Mark and never quit eating Papa John's. If for some reason I do have a craving for bourbon (which won't happen) I'll skip the Makers Mark. So in short we can agree to disagree.
Blue--Please ignore BuckeyeSki, he has been a complete moron on 11W for awhile
haha ok man. I figured we should keep it civil since we are a long ways away until next football season and we won't play each other in basketball again unless both teams have a lil run in the conference tourney. I'll root for OSU vs. UM in the conference championship game.
Its never civil......but I'm a "moron" right? What do I know.....
You don't know very much. Grammar for one. The second being we don't have a drop back quarterback in a running spread offense anymore. Steven Threet transferred leaving it up to the two freshman dual threat QBs coming in. Do your homework before posting.
Ill get right on that professor. all of you scUM fans are so pretentious. At least you have academics I suppose......no need for you to reply with a spell check or grammar correction either. We've already covered that I'm not very smart, right?
C'mon gents. Let's play nice. Even if our friend favors a bad football team.
Using proper English isn't being pretentious. It's called being somewhat intelligent, since it is a third grade subject. Plus, I'd rather be pretentious than a complete ass-hole who can't have a civil conversation with a rival fan. It's just sad that I have an overall negative view on OSU fans because of one bad apple like yourself.
LOL that didnt even deserve a response......
love me some makers mark, mmmmmmmmmmmm....................
I'll respond for you. Listen scUM your a piece of shit fan from that team up north. You and Dick Rod can go suck on each overs bottles of bourbon. We scarlet an grey an bouts to win 6 strate
Even if they end up offering the 39 cent bottle deal? Can't pass up cheap liquor, unless of course it's those quality 15 proof grocery store brands.
Honestly, until now I've never even heard of this company. And I'll likely forget about them by next week.
I am not a reliable source under any circumstance.
Haha I wouldn't pass it up. I know it won't happen, but if it did there would be a lot of drunks stumbling around.
Don't get me wrong, I'm in favor of these type of ads generally. If I was neither a fan of the OSU or UM I would probably be more inclined to MM because of it. And I have a lot more respect for it if they DON'T run a similar ad in Ann Arbor ripping on the Bucks, which is just wishy-washy pandering to both sides BS.
That said, I am a Michigan fan, so screw them! I've made plenty of purchasing decisions for far more arbitrary reasons than this.
That's funny...I just realized I wrote "the" OSU...see the power of marketing!
Being a very Proud Makers Mark Ambassador, I am very pleased with the response Makers Mark is getting on their marketing. For those who do not know the background of Makers Mark, it is wildly successful bourbon in Kentucky that took a huge leap in the collectible world when they introduced different colors of wax for specific events. While over the years over 200 unique bottles have been created and offered to the public, my most prized bottle is my Gray over Scarlett Wax bottle representing the 2002 National Championship that has been autographed by every player.
Some great sports ads have come from Makers Mark, and they have a huge following in the southern part of the state. They also sold more bottles of the Buckeye's National Championship than any other college bottle not from the state of Kentucky.
But of course no scUM fan would know what a bottle honoring a national championship would look like in the recent past.
One final note. Go to their website and sigh up for the Makers Mark Mile. Its hosted in Lexington KY and is the greatest weekend of the spring!!