Pabst Blue Ribbon pulls a KitKat: Why brands are turning cargo theft into marketing stunts

Earlier this month, Pabst Blue Ribbon took to Instagram to announce that, in a very real heist, someone stole 40,000 pounds of beer from the company. In the post, the brand gave the thief “18 days and 44 minutes to return our truckload of beer, no questions asked” and called on its audience to “help us solve this mystery” for an undisclosed reward. If that sounds familiar, it’s because an almost identical scenario played out for KitKat five months ago. Back in March, the candy brand turned the (again, real) theft of more than 413,000 candy bars into a marketing campaign that included multiple social media posts, a bespoke website, and countless of organic media placements. KitKat ultimately won multiple awards—including a prestigious Cannes Lions this summer—for seizing upon the heist and spinning it into a marketing opportunity. Now, it seems like Pabst is looking to have its own lemons-to-lemonade moment. What’s happened? Since August 21, Pabst has taken to Instagram multiple times to implore users to be on the lookout for a “missing truck” carrying its 40,000 pounds of beers. According to the county police department in Montclair, California, the beer was indeed stolen in two c…