At this time of year, with giving in the air, some people choose to forgo their own desires and donate funds to a worthy cause. Ad agencies and beer companies are probably the last to come to mind when most people plan their acts of goodwill, but this year the good-hearted can show support for both industries with one simple gesture:
Born out of the principle of crowdsourcing, two advertising agencies have come together for a first…to buy Pabst Brewing Co., brewers of over 25 well known beer brands. The asking price is $300 Million, not a small number, but through crowdsourcing pledges of as little as $5.00, the cost of a bottle of beer, this can be achieved based on the largest crowdsourced audience assembled, ever.
-From the Buy a Beer Company homepage, via Carnk n’ Pabbles
Hollywood agency Forza Migliozzi and international creative franchise The Ad Store are behind the project. If the running counter on the campaign website is to be believed, over 55 million dollars has been pledged so far. No real money is changing hands, and they’re offering a nifty certificate of ownership as incentive to pledgers, so it’s not completely unrealistic to think that they might actually reach their $300,000,000 target.
Whether or not they reach their goal, the campaign is sure to generate a lot of publicity for both agencies involved, not to mention Pabst.
If you like the idea of (more) alcohol fueled advertising, you can make a pledge of up to $250,000 on the Buy a Beer Company website. Here’s hoping they don’t decide to collect on those cash promises.
Photo by Flickr user prettywar-stl
About the Author: Jon is a former adbuster and perpetual media junkie who shares well with others. He spends his days concocting social strategy at SmarttNet, a Vancouver Internet marketing firm. Follow him on twitter!