Boycotting Is a Slippery Slope

Very well done article. I for one see no problem in accepting advertising dollars from "big beer." Their money is as green as anyone else. My one question, is this woman a supporter of your website?

 

This is beer advocate, not Craft Advocate or Anti AB-Inbev Advocate. This website is about the promotion of beer and the consumers who enjoy it. We are not always going to be on the same page on what we drink and support. Cheers!!!!!!!

 

I think, if I read the article right, she was not complaning about the site but about an ad in the magazine (for which I assume she paid).

Not like that gives her any more right to determine advertising, but she has the right to drop her subscription.

 

I agree with you that this forum should just simply be beer advocate.

@dlcarst astutely posted above: "So last month it's "stop the zombie beer brand apocalypse" and "support independent brewers"..."

So, it is not always clear what the specific advocacy is on this forum.

Cheers!

 

I am all for boycotting companies who don't line up with what I think are ethical practices. Sometimes it's difficult, but that's the only power I have.

Unlike some sites BA is a site that is thoughtful and honest about where they stand on issues of Big Beer and forthright when accepting ad revenue from them. I understand where people like Sadie are coming from, but where does it end? Do I have to move because the city I live in allows Walmart to advertise on the bus kiosks? I liked the article, but I don't think BA even needs to defend themselves.

 

I understand that this is "beer advocate," a website dedicated to bringing awareness to all about all beer, craft or non-craft beer and allowing anyone with an opinion to review any and all beers and places.

However, just like we're seeing in these older breweries that are at a "fork in the road" of how they wish to continue their business, some of them are at the juncture to take the money from big beer or not? In turn, I understand that this is the Bros' website and they should do as they please with their website, a lot of us have the luxury of being able to be here. None of us have the right to review or "sound off" on beer advocate, keep this in mind. Yes, they will keep this site going with what they can get and for how they see fit, but I hope this quote will remain in their hearts and minds:
"We’ve always had a firewall between our content and ads." This is what counts the most!

In defense of Sadie/partly playing devil's advocate here as it seems there's a bunch of people quickly jumping on Sadie's back. Rhetorically, what is exactly the "slippery slope" behind the scenes of it all? After reading @McFinniganOfTheFinnigans post, I am curious to wonder what "it all depends on what you're looking to do." I do find it odd that one person who threatened to stop supporting Beer Advocate sparked this article. Five months ago, Sadie decided to speak up about the ad that bugged her and then this article comes out this week? But keep in mind, "AB rarely advertises with us [BA] these days." I'm wondering what "these days" actually mean in terms of calender days because apparently they'll (AB) let one of their subsidiaries- 10 Barrel to have an ad that was only back in March of this year.

One more thing - "boycotting" is a strong term and can be construed a negative one but am I in the wrong if I choose to drink water when I'm at a bar that doesn't have the beer that I want?

 

Disappointing and at least moderately duplicitous.

It absolutely IS an endorsement. You don't have to accept advertising money from anyone, just like the breweries of The High End didn't have to sell out to ABI.

The cognitive dissonance is REAL.

Indeed.

 

Oh, okay, I can understand now for the first part.

Yes, I read the article. However, I guess I'm trying to understand this whole "slippery slope" thing that seems to "want" to criminalize "boycotting." If it's one's beliefs to not support big beer, why is that person wrong? So you lose the Sadie's of the world support, is it that big of a deal? I'm guessing they don't make up a large portion of supportive efforts for BA. Life moves on.
I mean if I were in your shoes, I understand that you have a business to run - I get it, but why run ads of big beer at all? But I guess that could mean "being selective" then. But we all know there's many other breweries that do have the funds for ad support.

 

What's getting me about this whole discussion is that if we looked carefully at any business that we purchase from we could find something about their business dealings, political viewpoints, hiring process, religious viewpoints, beliefs or any number of other things that we disagree with. Therefore we could come up with a reason to boycott every company. We need to filter out what is really important in the big picture and not sweat the small stuff such as BA accepting an ad from an AB owned brewery.

 

except for @EvenMoreJesus, I don't see the usual anti inbev crowd railing on the bros for accepting the money. Yes, they have a business to run, and my opinion won't matter to them, but they are indeed being very contradictory in their statements against big beer and their taking the bucks from same. I myself am a capitalist and don't really care who makes the money as long as the product doesn't regress, so I have no problem with it. But you anti everything big people are being very quiet. Why aren't you speaking truth to power(the bros)?

 

People look at ads?

 

We live in a capitalistic society and to stay in business you have to do what you have to do. I have no qualms with that.

 

I think the last two words in the article (and one of the foundation principles of this website) say it all - Respect Beer. I completely agree, from what I have learned, that we probably shouldn't like the business and marketing practices of an ABI. Does the beer really have nothing to do with it?

My view has changed substantially as we're looking at inevitability here. Buyouts and mergers are going to continue and there's not a whole lot anybody can do to stop them. It's reality and maybe to some it is an "ugly truth" of the business. Sooner or later, one of my binkies will be bought out, I'm sure. When that day comes, I might have to think about it a little, but I have moved into the neutrality camp for now from the "vote with your wallet" enclave.

As far as the site, I would hope this remains a place where people can discuss all of these things freely. That includes the magazine, where the writers are free to editorialize and offer their opinions just like we do on the forums. What I would not want to see is the open promotion of an agenda one way or the other.

 

As long as you are charging for your ads based on a brewer's bbl volume I see no issue with taking ABI's money....

 

More than many admit to. Often people don't even know they are.

 

The cool thing about that is that if folks aren't aware of the ad (or that something is an ad) it's effects are also less noticable.

 

Amen to that!

A simple question, which you can feel to ignore, have you recognized an "open promotion of an agenda" here?

Cheers!