Former Pabst Execs Tee Off on New Owners with Gusto

By JoshMogerman in News on Jun 5, 2011 7:00PM

Break ups are hard. And that’s why it would be easy to dismiss the ugly words uttered by departing employees from Pabst Brewing Company. Since the company was sold to food scion C. Dean Metropoulos and his sons, there has been an angry exodus of execs flustered at the company’s new direction from their suburban Woodridge headquarters. And since Chicagoist's Chuck Sudo broke the story that the company would be moving to L.A., the volume has only increased. But an excellent story from the Trib’s Julie Wernau makes it clear that this isn’t just bitter folks on their way out.

Pabst has been on an amazing winning streak in recent years. Metropoulos praised the company’s sales when he made the purchase, but has since done a 180 on the marketing tactics that got Pabst and its long-retired brands back on the map. Gone is the guerrilla marketing with working-class heritage and hipster focus, replaced with an effort to bring more “glamour.” Easy enough for sons Daren, known for his purchase of the former Playboy mansion, and Evan, known for his MTV “True Life” episode “I’m the Youngest Tycoon in the World” to rope in celebrity acquaintances like Snoop Dogg and Jeremy Shockey. And that is where they lost the folks who had seen themselves as protectors of a special brand:

"I want it to fail,'' said Bryan Clarke, former vice president of marketing.

His wrath is aimed at billionaire C. Dean Metropoulos and his two sons, who took control of the Woodridge-based company a year ago. "I hope they lose every dollar they have. If our core PBR drinker knew that what they were drinking is owned by guys like these, it's the last beer they'd want to drink."

It should have been clear from the get-go that the new direction wouldn’t work with those who had shepherded PBR, Schlitz and the company’s other brands.

"I love this company," [former Marketing Director Kyle] Wortham said. "I was a Pabst drinker before I worked there. I sort of was the audience. I ride motorcycles, I listen to country music and I live in Humboldt Park."

And it clearly hasn't worked with the beer-buying public either:

Since the family took over the company, Pabst Blue Ribbon's growth has steadily slowed, and the company's four other largest brands collectively saw double-digit declines for the 52 weeks ended Dec. 26 and May 15, according to data from Symphony IRI Group.

And as they consider ending a long-term partnership with the Cubs, deepen ties with Snoop Dogg to push a new Four Loko-esque product that is raising hackles in the African American community (not to mention semi-discerning beer consumers) and run around to liquor stores around the country getting the name of their own company wrong when introducing themselves, you have to wonder how far things will drop as Pabst gets deeper into territory Joakim Noah would clearly describe as “Hollywood.” Not that it would likely matter to the Metropoulis family who sent this email to a Pabst staffer expressing concern:

"Success is what our family has proven in 75 acquisitions over the past 25 years and is respected by every major financial institution in America," Daren wrote. "Check the Forbes list for a reference bud, I guarantee you will only ever be able to read that list, not be on it. If you were so talented you (would) be your own boss by now and not looking for yet another new job soon. …''

Sigh... Enjoy L.A., guys.