There is probably no more famous commercial in Canadian history than the Molson, "I Am Canadian" ad. As a patriotic symbol it is up there with "O Canada". But, in 2005 Molson merged with Coors. Merging with an American company makes Molson somewhat less Canadian but that is not the end of the story. You have to be careful with your brand and what it represents, especially when stepping into the realm of politics and Coors, it would seem, is little more than a money gathering operation for U.S. extreme right wing politics. The Coors family has funded, amoung other things, the Adolph Coors Foundation and in turn, either separately or through the Castle Rock Foundation, the Independent Women's Fourum, the Young America's Foundation, and the Free Congress Foundation among others.
These groups have obviously strongly supported right wing Candidates in the US but have also gotten involved in a number of issues from funding the Nicaraguan "Contras" in the 1980s to opposing a woman's right to choose, opposing labour rights and equal rights for gays. The full list would make this post far too long but if you're interested I would urge you to read:
- the Dark Side of Coors Light
- the Times Remembers Joseph Coors, "Right Wing Nut"
- Media Transparency on the Free Congress Foundation
- Media Transparency on the Castle Rock Foundation
Just to get you started. I don't know about any of you, but I used to not buy Molson because I didn't like it very much. If you're buying it though out of some kind of patriotism you might want to think again. Buying Molson or Coors is now a political act. It makes a statement about what you believe in and puts money into the pocket of some of the most extreme right wing groups in North America. Just a little something to think about the next time you see an ad for Molson.
This is part of the ongoing Truth campaign in response to Advertising Standards Canada who say:
""Fact is, truth is an essential part of any successful ad campaign. Smart advertisers have known this for years. That's why the advertising industry created the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards. For more than 40 years, the Code has set the standards for acceptable advertising in Canada. It helps ensure that the ads you see and hear are truthful, fair and accurate. Check it out for yourself. Becausethe more you know about advertising, the more you get out of it."and who..it appears paid a visit to the site recently (from Washington, D.C. no less)!
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