Why Did Old Milwaukee Ad w/ Will Ferrell Tonguing Asian Woman Only Air in Plains States?

Here's an Old Milwaukee Light ad scripted and produced by Will Ferrell. It aired during yesterday's Super Bowl but, according to reports, it only ran in a handful of tiny markets in Montana, Texas, and Oklahoma.

Beyond the obvious question of costs or air time, I'm left wondering why those specific markets were chosen (there are plenty of cheap markets after all). And, as befits someone who wants to reduce stupid government spending, what sort of shooting subsidies the film company received.

Comments

[Episiarch]

Is it because Will Ferrell is an abomination who signals the death of comedy?

[Raven Nation]

I'm with Stewie from "Family Guy" when it comes to WF.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

Family Guy is the second signal of the death of comedy.

[sarcasmic]

Will Ferrell was all I needed to know.

[Jeff]

Why did it air at all?

[EDG reppin' LBC]

They were trying to sell Old Milwaukee.

[Bill Dalasio]

Well, a more full description would be "They were trying to sell Old Milwaukee and knew there was a high correlation between Will Ferrell fans and Old Milwaukee drinkers."

[sarcasmic]

They're thinking that complete morons drink Old Milwaukee? I can believe that.

[kinnath]

http://www.slate.com/blogs/bro.....video.html

A year ago, Will Ferrell brought his odd, low-budget-looking Old Milwaukee campaign to the Super Bowl?but only in the North Platte, Nebr., TV market. Then this past fall, he brought the campaign, inexplicably, to Sweden (and spoke decent Swedish).

The one above reportedly aired in Oklahoma, Texas, and Montana. With its close-up on a long, surprising kiss, it echoes one of the worst ads of last night. But its wordless long take and the Chinese song (identified as "Mother, Where Are You?" on Reddit) seem like a nod to Wong Kar-Wai or Hou-hsaio Hsien. Or something.

Ferrell has said that he doesn't get paid for the ads, but is "given creative freedom to revive a brand and shoot crazy fun commercials."

Slate covered these ads this year and last. Why would you assume that government subsidies are involved. It's just a vanity project by a bad actor with a weird sense of humor.

[Jordan]

Hmm. If I had free reign to make a commercial, I'd probably tongue an Asian woman too. But not that one.

[SIV]

Where is the government subsidy Nick alludes to?
I'm not seeing the usual Nick Gillespie link to something that fails to support what he is saying.

[Brandon]

Why is everyone being a dick to Gillespie today?

[Death Rock and Skull]

It was a joke. Hopefully commercials do not actually get subsidies. Why do I get the idea that you are a dick?

[Mike Laursen]

I don't think Old Milwaukee is distributed out here in California. That could be part of it.

[Killazontherun]

Distributed here in the South East, but it's not shelved like a top selling beer.

[ChrisO]

I've rarely, if ever, seen Old Milwaukee ads on Washington DC television. It's such crap beer that maybe think only midwesterners would want to drink it. I seem to recall it was a "last ditch couch cushion spare change" beer back in my college days.

[AlmightyJB]

Its last ditch couch cushion change beer in the midwest too. Its what we played quarters with in high school when we couldnt afford anything better. Maybe the random bus make out is a nod to those days.

[ChrisO]

I only made the "midwestern" comment because that seems to be the last part of America where I recall seeing bars that gave you nothing but a choice between Bud and Bud Light. Perhaps that's a thing of the past now.

[ChrisO]

By the way, as a former Pacific Northwesterner, Old Milwaukee was slightly higher on the desperation beer totem pole than Hamm's, which was the last step before you broke into the cough syrup.

[Raston Bot]

i typically serve this beer in an inverted can after punching a small hole in the side w/ a housekey. cheese pairings include gorau glas or caciocavallo podolico.

[Mickey Rat]

" I'm left wondering why those specific markets were chosen (there are plenty of cheap markets after all)."

Because those markets got the biggest bang for the buck and they were counting an confused internet bloggers to distribute the commercial for them for free.

[GILMORE]

it only ran in a handful of tiny markets in Montana, Texas, and Oklahoma

i.e. "PLACES WITHOUT ASIANS"

[Ornithorhynchus]

There are a lot of Asians where I live in Oklahoma. But most of them are college students, not permanent residents.

I do have two cousins here who are married to Asians, though.

[GILMORE]

RACIST MOTHEFLACKER~!

WHERE IS 'ASIA' ON MAP! THERE IS NO ASIA~!~ YOU NO TAKE TIME TO TELL DIFFRENCE TWEEN CHINESE JAPANESE KOREAN VIETNAM!!??? NOOOOO~! WHITE PEOPLE ALL LOOK SAME TOO, HOW BOUT THAT ROUND EYE!! AND YOU SMELL LIKE WATERBUFFALO ASS!

[Joe M]

I'm left wondering why those specific markets were chosen...

Because Will Ferrell gets off on offending rednecks.

[Jason S.]

Could be. It's a stupid commercial, nonetheless.

[The Late P Brooks]

Why is everyone being a dick to Gillespie today?

Haven't you heard? He's a cosmotarian.

[Gladstone]

Gillespie supports social safety net, thinks that gun controllers are reasonable, thinks that guns are useless against the US military and that the Nazis weren't into gun control.

[Bobarian]

At this point, I think Gillespie is just showing us that he can do pretty much whatever he wants because he's got the money for it.

That and "Why ? Because fuck you that's why."

[The Late P Brooks]

and Montana

I'm am pleased and relieved to report I did not see it.

If the commercial involved a bus driver drunk on Old Milwaukee who ran over Ferrell and continued on for a few thousand feet with his mangled body entangled in the bus' undercarriage, I'd watch.

[GILMORE]

is "not being driven into a furious rage" by Will Ferrell weird and non-libertarian?

Its a little weird he should be considered more offensive than Tom Friedman/Ezra Klein/and Naomi Klein wrapped in a picture of Stalin

[Raston Bot]

I thought Semi-Pro was one of the funnier movies of the last decade.

[brec]

Was her wearing a crucifix a deliberate part of the costuming?

[BrokeBroker]

Man, that's 2 minutes of my life I will never get back.

At this point, I think Ferrell is just showing us that he can do pretty much whatever he wants because he's got the money for it.

That and "Why ? Because fuck you that's why."

[Dallas H.]

Why did you watch it twice?

[16th amendment]

Dumb ad. I like that song? What is it?

[ihaveherpes]

the ad is, actually, quite genius. you're dumb.

[ihaveherpes]

marketing, bro. they wanted it to go viral by itself. duh.