SABMiller CEO slams ‘lager lout’ ads

Beer brewer SABMiller’s CEO Alan Clarke has criticised the “insulting” tone of beer advertisements over the years for driving away female customers.

SABMiller CEO Alan Clark said that “lager lout” marketing should be scrapped (Photo: SABMiller)

Speaking after the company published its full-year results this week, Clarke is quoted by the Financial Times saying, “We have to acknowledge that core lager, for many years, was either dismissive of, or insulting to, women.”

Calling on the industry to “modernise” its image, he said that women should be brought into the fold and that the “lager lout, laddish, college frat” approach to beer marketing should be scrapped.

Clarke, who has led the world’s second largest brewer for over two years, said that in beer advertising over the years women were “either not present at all or entered as a butt of a joke” and claimed the industry had to “modernise beer”.

His statements come as the company reported completely flat revenue and profit growth for the year to March 31. He blamed on “the strengthening dollar” for holding back the company’s performance in 2014/15.