Covid- 19, otherwise known as the Coronavirus, is taking its toll on the world economy, often in ways that few would have imagined. The most interesting among them is the impact of this disease on Corona beer, one of the best- selling malt beverages in the world.
There is, of course, no relationship whatsoever between the Coronavirus and Corona beer, but because they contain the same word, consumers have become wary about making a purchase of the light, fizzy, Mexican- made lager. It is starting to take its toll on sales and has presented an unforeseen business crisis for Corona parent, Constellation Brands.
Just how badly has Coronavirus impacted Corona beer’s image and sales? Well, 5W Public Relations, which happens to be one of the top independently-owned PR agencies in the United States, took a phone survey of 737 American beer drinkers just a few days ago, asking their opinions of Corona beer. This is what they found:
· 38% of beer-drinking Americans surveyed said they would not buy Corona under any circumstances now
· Among present Corona beer consumers, just 4% stated they would discontinue drinking Corona. However, 14% stated they would not order Corona in a public venue
· A full 16%, or roughly one in every six beer drinking Americans, admitted confusion about Corona beer’s relation to the dreaded Coronavirus
Ronn Torossian, founder and CEO of 5W Public Relations, says that while most people are fully aware that Corona beer and Coronavirus are not linked in any way, the fact that the word “corona” is the name of a deadly virus is having a marked impact on the brand and its reputation.
“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,” said Torossian. “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?”
It has been noted by Google and other search engines that the past few weeks have seen a significant uptick in the number of internet searches for “Corona beer virus”, “Coronavirus beer”, and other like terms. In addition to that, YouGov’s buzz score reported that Corona beer’s buzz score has slipped from 75 at the beginning of January to only 51 as of late February. This buzz score is a net score that weighs negative and positive information that consumers have heard about a specific brand. To drop this much, in such a short span of time, can be devastating to a business.
Corona beer will, I am certain, survive the Coronavirus scare and return to its glory days once the virus has been laid to rest. In the meantime, I wouldn’t be surprised if Corona beer and Constellation Brands decide to counter the negative image with a new advertisement campaign, helping to put consumers’ minds at ease. Short of changing the beer’s name, they need to do something to turn the tide and put this business crisis to rest.
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