Bail-out Bitter

“A bitter ale for bitter times” is the marketing slogan coined by the Howe Sound Brewery in British Colombia which has just launched a new ale in honour (?) of the global financial crisis and the budgetary problems of the Canadian government. They are backing this up by offering Blue Plate depression meals in their pubs priced at affordable levels.

This is just one of the clever ways in which businesses can capture the mood of the times and generate some extra sales through a healthy dose of black humour. Restaurants are offering “credit munch” discounts and one of my students told me this week that millions of us have downloaded tracks which are specifically related to money. Favorites include the classic ABBA track “Money, Money, Money”, and Pink Floyds “Money”. These songs have seen a 28% increase in downloads from the iTunes website.

Has anyone come across other innovative “recession marketing”? If so please add your contribution!