October 30th 2024.
Have you ever felt deceived by clever marketing tactics? It can happen to anyone, and a recent survey revealed that even 90% of Brits have fallen for it. The culprit? Madrí Excepcional, a beer that many believed to be brewed in Spain, but is actually made right here in the UK.
At first glance, it's easy to see why people would be fooled. The name itself is a nod to Spain's capital, and the logo features a man dressed in the traditional 19th-century 'chulapo' style. The tagline, "el alma de Madrid," and the bright red branding with hints of yellow, reminiscent of the Spanish flag, only add to the illusion. But the truth is, Madrí Excepcional is not a Spanish beer. It is actually manufactured in Tadcaster, Yorkshire, and was invented in Burton-on-Trent by Molson Coors, the US company behind popular brands like Carling, Coors Light, Pravha, and Blue Moon.
The revelation of Madrí's true origins has surprised many, as seen in tweets from people who were shocked to find out they had been drinking a "Spanish" beer that was actually brewed in the UK. Even a friend of the author, who was drinking Madrí, was taken aback when they learned the truth. This misconception seems to be widespread, with many Twitter users expressing their surprise and feeling "betrayed" by the brand's marketing tactics.
This misconception is not just limited to consumers, as even family members of the beer's creators were unaware of its true origins. This suggests that there may be a generational element to the misconception, with younger individuals more likely to believe that Madrí is a Spanish beer. This could be due to the fact that 50% of respondents in the survey claimed they were willing to pay more for continental beer, while only 12% of this age group knew that Madrí is brewed in the UK.
Despite its British roots, Madrí has become a top-selling lager in the UK, with its popularity only growing during the pandemic. It has even topped £100 million in UK supermarket sales in just over a year. Molson Coors claims that the beer is marketed this way because it is "in collaboration" with La Sagra, a brewery near Madrid, and is inspired by Spain, but produced in the UK for environmental reasons.
To test the impact of branding on sales, Innis & Gunn, a Scottish brewer, conducted an experiment where they disguised their own lager with a Spanish label and found that customers eagerly purchased it, assuming it was a continental beer. This supports the idea that consumers are drawn in by the image and promise of continental beer, and end up paying a premium price because of it.
But while many may enjoy the taste of Madrí, some are questioning the honesty and ethics of the brand's marketing tactics. The founder of Innis & Gunn, Dougal Sharp, has called it a "scandal," while Aitor de Artaza, the international managing director of Estrella Galicia, has criticized it for not being honest. Creative agency Southpaw has even labeled Molson Coors as "noisy pretenders" in an interview with The Grocer.
In the end, if you enjoy the taste of Madrí, it may not matter to you where it's from. But for those seeking an authentic Spanish pint, they may need to look elsewhere. Have you ever been fooled by clever marketing? Share your story by emailing us.
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