Alex the Dog

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Alex the Dog was the advertising mascot for Stroh's beer in the 1980s and precursor to Budweiser's Spuds MacKenzie.[1] At the peak of his career, Alex appeared in parades, on Good Morning America, and the Today show. He even inspired a series toys, posters, cologne, shampoo and hand lotion.[2] Hip-hop artist Tone Loc referenced Alex the Dog in his song "Funky Cold Medina".

Alex was known for a series of commercials wherein he would fetch beer for his owner. Peter Blum, the archivist for Stroh's, describes Alex's most famous commercial:

"These fellows are playing poker. One guy says 'Alex, get me a beer.' The dog goes into the kitchen. You hear the sound of the refrigerator opening. 'That's Alex opening the refrigerator,' he says. Then you hear a bottle popping and a pouring sound. 'That's Alex pouring the beer.' Then you hear the sound of a dog lapping. The guy yells, 'Hey, that better be your water!'"[3]

Alex, whose real name was Banjo, was part Golden Retriever and Irish Setter. He was found by trainer Alvin Mears of Alvin Animal Rentals at an animal shelter.[2] Alex served as the Stroh's dog from around 1984 until 1989 when the creators of the Alex the Dog commericials, Lowe Marschalk, lost the contract with Stroh's (who at the time was the United States third largest brewer.) The new campaign, tried to take Stroh's in a completely different direction, Essentially, what they're doing is appealing to a whole different category of drinker ... They are going from a lowbrow image to one that seems almost aristocratic.[4] Critics of the campaign condemned the shift as it tried to sell Stroh's beers as a premium import beer---"something it is not."[4]

Alex died of cancer a "few years" after the advertising campaign ended.[2]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Carolyn Smagalski. Beer Dogs and Party Animals bellaonline.com Accessed 5 March 08
  2. ^ a b c Alex, the Stroh's dog TVacres.com Accessed 5 March 08
  3. ^ Julie Johnson Bradford Beer (and) Man's Best Friend For Beer Dogs Everywhere AllAboutBeer.com Nov 2001. Accessed 5 March 08
  4. ^ a b Michael Freitag THE MEDIA BUSINESS: Advertising; Stroh's Shift: Is It Bold or Desperate? August 3, 1989. Accessed 5 March 08