Sorry, HOW much? Forty dollars? Forty *dollars?* That's what... 240 RMB for a bottle? Jesus, they saw you coming, didn't they? Well said, Claire, but "mutton dressed as lamb" is only the beginning!

So I take it you won't be shelling out RMB240 for it Narsf? I've also noticed that Pizza Hut is another brand vying for an elite image over here.

Evan Osnos also blogged about it here.

Dead hipsters are rolling over in their graves.

Frankly Claire I'd balk at shelling out $3.50 for it, so paying 240 RMB is about as likely as me gluing myself to the toilet in protest over the plight of the South American Dung Beetle. "I've also noticed that Pizza Hut is another brand vying for an elite image over here." I know... my in-laws still believe they have to get "all dressed up" to go there.

Trash beer indeed. Undrinkable. Speaks volumes about the availability of decent beer in Shanghai.

Harsh headline. I wouldn't consider PBR a trashy beer in the United States, particularly because of how long it's been around. And unless someone has actually tried the new Chinese PBR beverage, I think it's a little early to be balking at the company just because they upped the price. Here is a more relevant question to this whole discussion: Who (which establishments) will be selling the beer?

Harsh headline. I wouldn't consider PBR a trashy beer in the United States, particularly because of how long it's been around. And unless someone has actually tried the new Chinese PBR beverage, I think it's a little early to be balking at the company just because they upped the price. Here is a more relevant question to this whole discussion: Who (which establishments) will be selling the beer?

Harsh headline. I wouldn't consider PBR a trashy beer in the United States, particularly because of how long it's been around. And unless someone has actually tried the new Chinese PBR beverage, I think it's a little early to be balking at the company just because they upped the price. Here is a more relevant question to this whole discussion: Who (which establishments) will be selling the beer?

my bad for having the previous post come up three times ...

Harsh would be putting it nicely. It is a trashy beer in the US as well.

Pre-1920 "bullet in your head" style advertising... IMHO, China's actually one of the only countries in the world where the media audience, for a variety of reasons, seems to be stuck in a pre-cognitivistic limbo. 4A agencies are loving it. "Buy this cream it makes you white", "buy this overpriced beer it makes you look rich (by virtue of being overpriced)". Moreover, the fascination for foreign products and everything "exotic" (even when of questionable absolute quality, like Johnny Walker or Chivas whisky) is so evident in ad campaigns, where most of the messages are: "this thing comes from the West, it's good, buy it!". People blindly follow such messages, it seems to me. Lack of pluralism also contributes to this situation. In addition, I think that here in China it is widely understood that anything overpriced HAS to be amazingly good - another old-time trick, systematically abused by market player, that works wonders with nouvelle riches.

Fantastic re-positioning. I remember the days at SF's Drunk Tank bar when we used to get a PBR and a shot of Jaeger for one dollar on Thursdays. I've noticed that (regular) PBR continues to have a pretty strong presence in a number of second and third-tier cities. The statement by Kornhauser doesn't seem to suggest that there is anything too special about the deluxe brew, though. Has anyone tried this?