"Marketing Milwaukee: Schlitz and the Making of a National Beer Brand" published in GHI Bulletin

The latest Bulletin of the German Historical Institute includes an article presenting some recent research related to the Immigrant Entrepreneurship project. In an article focusing on the marketing history of Schlitz beer, Uwe Spiekermann, one of the project’s general editors, explains how Schlitz grew to become one of the most well-known brands nationally in the early 20th century through their adoption of timely technological improvements and clever marketing that allowed them to expand beyond Milwaukee’s borders and
concentrate on creating a middle-class national beer market. In contrast to former branch studies, Spiekermann proves that the German-American firm defined a specific American ideal of both quality and, later, Gemütlichkeit. The article also gives an example of how leading brewers continued to promote key elements of beer advertisement even during prohibition.

• Download: Uwe Spiekermann, “Marketing Milwaukee: Schlitz and the Making of a National Beer Brand, 1880-1940.” Bulletin of the German Historical Institute 53 (Fall 2013): 55-67.