Pabst Blue Ribbon pulls a KitKat: Why brands are turning cargo theft into marketing stunts
Earlier this month, Pabst Blue Ribbon took to Instagram to announce that, in a very real heist, someone stole 40,000 pounds of beer from the company. In the post, the brand gave the thief “18 days and 44 minutes to return our truckload of beer, no questions asked” and called on its audience to “help us solve this mystery” for an undisclosed reward. If that sounds familiar, it’s because an almost…
Pabst Blue Ribbon recently announced that someone stole 40,000 pounds of beer from their distribution center in Montclair, California. In response, the brand called on its followers to help find the missing cargo and offered a reward. This isn't the first time a brand has turned a cargo theft into a marketing opportunity; KitKat did the same thing five months ago when they stole more than 413,000 candy bars.
Both incidents involved high-value shipments of consumable goods being taken from a distribution center. While cargo theft is not uncommon in the food and beverage industry, brands typically try to keep these incidents quiet to avoid negative publicity. However, KitKat's theft garnered widespread support from fans, leading the brand to create a "Stolen KitKat Tracker" to keep customers engaged.
Pabst seems to be hoping for a similar positive reception to their own heist. As of now, the brand has eight days left to find the missing beer and has already received over 50,000 likes on their announcement post.
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