Beer marketers, worried about flat sales, have decided their product needs a new image. Come February, a new Web site and TV ads will extol beer's more socially redeeming values, teach consumers how
it is made, and discuss which food groups it best complements. The effort is being spearheaded by major brewer Anheuser-Busch in conjunction with the Beer Institute, a trade organization. Even though
beer still leads in total alcohol consumption in the U.S. versus hard alcohol, the ongoing decline in beer sales is a worrisome trend for the industry. According to the Distilled Spirits Council of
the United States, beer currently represents 51.4 percent of the total market for alcohol beverages, down from 53 percent in 2004. At the same time, market share for liquor like whiskey and vodka rose
to 32 percent last year, from 31.2 percent in 2004; wine's market share also increased moderately, to 16.6 percent in 2005 from 15.9 percent a year ago. Beer's market share has been trending lower
since 2000.
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