Brewery Owner Addresses "Goes Down Easy" Blonde Beer Slogan
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - A Dallas brewery was trying to get the word out about one of its brews. So it came up with what was thought to be a catchy slogan. But the idea kind of backfired when the ad campaign came under fire online.
Dallas Blonde Beer is brewed in Deep Ellum. It launched last year and the slogan was added to cans back in February. It was just this week though that the slogan started getting widespread attention.
Brewery owners say the slogan "goes down easy" refers to the drinkability of the alcoholic beverage. But some say when you consider the name of the drink, Dallas Blonde, and the fact that the mascot is a wide-eyed doll… it's hard to miss the double meaning.
"We're a company that doesn't take ourselves all that seriously," explained Deep Ellum Brewery owner John Reardon. "I was a little shocked that a little tongue-in-cheek joke got this much attention.
A few weeks ago Reardon posted a picture online of the ad on the company's delivery truck. A liberal political blog, The Burnt Orange Report, responded by accusing the campaign of fueling "the acceptability of rape culture."
Critics then began attacking on Twitter and soon the story spread worldwide.
Bobbie Villareal, the executive director of the Dallas Area Rape Crisis Center (DARCC), was clear about her impression of the ad campaign. "It's not funny," she said.
Villareal finds the joke insulting. "The number one date rape drug is alcohol, so you combine that it's on a can of alcohol and then you're perpetuating the myth of it 'going down easy.' It is offensive."
In turn, Reardon said he's offended by some of the criticism. "I think it's just completely out of proportion, complete overreaching," he said. "Likening a tongue-in-cheek campaign to sexist capitalism and rape culture that's just gone too far."
Reardon did apologize to anyone offended by the sexually suggestive slogan and he has decided to remove it from the truck, but the slogan will stay on the beer cans.
All in all Reardon said this has been a learning experience and he has learned about serious issues of sexism. But he still doesn't think those issues have anything to do with his beer.
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