The New York Times reports this morning about how Miller Beer seems to believe that "the days of beer commercials stocked exclusively with brainless party boys and buxom blondes are over," and is now using a campaign that features a group discussion by a bunch of guys about what manhood is all about. "Among others," the Times writes, "they are the former National Football League star Jerome Bettis; the World Wrestling Entertainment wrestler Triple H; Aron Ralston, the rock climber who cut off part of his arm after being pinned under a boulder; and the discussion group's leader, the actor Burt Reynolds."
The Times writes, "In the ads, the actors are assembled around a large square table, sitting before beer bottles and solemnly debating 'Man Laws,' the rules by which men should ideally govern themselves. When toasting, should one clink tops or bottoms? (Answer: bottoms.) Is the high-five officially played out? (Yes.) How long must a man wait before dating his buddy's ex-girlfriend? (Six months.)"
The Times writes, "In the ads, the actors are assembled around a large square table, sitting before beer bottles and solemnly debating 'Man Laws,' the rules by which men should ideally govern themselves. When toasting, should one clink tops or bottoms? (Answer: bottoms.) Is the high-five officially played out? (Yes.) How long must a man wait before dating his buddy's ex-girlfriend? (Six months.)"
- KC's View:
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First of all, we have to believe that Burt Reynolds would rather be hanging out with bodacious babes than sitting around talking about how to clink beer glasses. (Unless everything else about him is as fake as his hair.)
But we also think that while we'll buy into Jerome Bettis and Aron Ralston, the use of someone like Burt Reynolds only points to the fact that someone at Miller or its agency is desperately out of touch. We're not suggesting that they use Ryan Seacrest instead…but if they think that anyone in their target demographic is going to use Reynolds as a role model for modern manhood, they are sadly mistaken. Assuming, of course, that the target demographic even knows who Burt Reynolds is.
