A survey of more than 700 beer drinkers has revealed some stunning results. First, there are apparently no signs of intelligent life for the human race left on Earth. And second, people are completely ignorant as to what the coronavirus is, how it is transmitted and what can be done to prevent it.
We say that because 38% of those people surveyed have said they “would not, under any circumstances,” buy Corona beer as a result of the deadly coronavirus spreading, according to KRON/CNN. There’s obviously zero link between the two, aside from them both having similar names.
16% of the people surveyed said they “were not sure” whether the virus is related to Corona beer and 14% of respondents who regularly drink Corona beer said they would no longer order it in public.
Sometimes your brand just gets unlucky.
Ronn Torossian, Founder and CEO of 5WPR, the public relations firm that conducted the survey said: “There is no question that Corona beer is suffering because of the coronavirus. Could one imagine walking into a bar and saying ‘Hey, can I have a Corona?’ or ‘Pass me A Corona’?”
He continued: “While the brand has claimed that consumers understand there’s no linkage between the virus and the beer company, this is a disaster for the Corona brand. After all, what brand wants to be linked to a virus which is killing people worldwide?”
Constellation brands, brewer of the beer, says the timing couldn’t be worse. They were on the precipice of introducing a new Corona branded hard-seltzer product for the summertime. Promotion for the drink, which uses the phrase “coming ashore soon”, has already been criticized.