Craft-beer maker BrewDog has announced that it is launching a new 'Pink IPA' ahead of International Women's Day.
The brewer says that the beer is part of a campaign calling for the closure of the gender pay gap in the UK and around the world, and to 'expose sexist marketing to women, particularly within the beer industry'.
It describes the new 'Beer for Girls' as an 'overt parody on the failed, tone-deaf campaigns' that other brands have used in order to attract women.
The bottle contains BrewDog's classic Punk IPA, but is packaged differently in an effort to highlight gender imbalance.
Additionally, 20% of the proceeds from Punk IPA and Pink IPA sold over the next four weeks will be donated to charities that fight inequality and support women, including the Women's Engineering Society in the UK, and 9to5 in the US.
This is not ‘beer for girls’. This is beer for equality.
Pink IPA has landed.https://t.co/MRWnqaADXg pic.twitter.com/J9Kk4khk1h— BrewDog (@BrewDog) March 6, 2018
Campaign Criticism
Although BrewDog has stressed that this is a satirical campaign to raise awareness of inequality, Pink IPA has faced some criticism, with many online describing the move as a marketing stunt.
it says “beer for girls” on the label in the picture you attached https://t.co/qP3cwxdosQ
— Beth McColl (@imteddybless) March 6, 2018
RE: this Brewdog conversation
Why couldn't they just have donated % and advocated for pay gap/equality without the weird pink IPA and beer for girls crap? Misses the mark and the actual good from the campaign gets lost I think— tara (she/they) (@Catstello) March 6, 2018
"A lot of lip service is being paid, but not enough action is being taken to tackle inequality".
WE agree, BrewDog.
So we look forward to seeing the action - starting with publishing those pay gap stats in full - rather than more ironic gimmickshttps://t.co/ETFV2g3hPA— Women's Equality Party (@WEP_UK) March 6, 2018
In a similar move, Diageo recently announced that it is rolling out a 'female version' of its Johnnie Waker scotch, named Jane Walker.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Sarah Harford. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
