Coronavirus Affecting More Than Humans

If you haven't heard of the Coronavirus by now, you must be living in a bubble. Although, considering the rapid growth of the virus across the world, bubble life may not be a bad idea. As of March 4th, 2020, there were a total of 94,348 Coronavirus cases. Of those cases, 54,539 had been closed with 94% of them resulting in recovery and 6% resulting in death. At that time, it left 39,809 individuals infected. By this week, it is almost guaranteed that those numbres are not the same. 

While not officially considered a “pandemic”, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and member of the White House coronavirus task force, reported the virus as reaching “outbreak proportions and likely pandemic proportions.”  His statement, along with several others about the virus, has caused many Americans to fear the illness and, therefore, dissociate themselves with anything “Corona” related, including the beer.

Aside from the name, Corona beer has absolutely no correlation to the Coronavirus.  However, since the outbreak, several surveys have surfaced showing that Americans are becoming skeptical of buying it. According to 5W Public Relations, 38% of Americans wouldn’t buy Corona “under any circumstances”. Similarly, according to YouGov, a global public opinion and data company, there has been a noticeable uptick in “corona beer virus” and “beer coronavirus” searches on google.

However, Constellation Brands, whose portfolio consists of several popular imported beers including Corona and Modelo, stated recently “sales of Corona remain very strong and we appreciate the continued support from our fans” and “our advertising with Corona is consistent with the campaign we have been running for the last 30 years and is based off strong consumer sentiment”. Regardless, Constellation Brands stock dropped 8% on Thursday and 4% on Friday of last week.

We at TXADPR feel bad for Corona, the beer brand. Hopefully, people will soon realize that the beer is in no way related to the virus. However, we want to know what you think! When considering the unfortunate naming of Coronavirus, would you consider this a PR crisis for Constellation Brands and Corona beer? Should they change their marketing direction and incentives during this time? More importantly, knowing there is no link between the beer and the virus, would you still drink Corona? Let us know on any of our social media channels!