Survey: Growing Number of Americans Avoid Corona Beer As Coronavirus Spreads

‘What brand wants to be linked to a virus which is killing people worldwide?”  – Ronn Torossian, Founder and CEO of 5WPR

Things are getting shaky as the risk of the coronavirus grows… Not just for the world, but also for Constellation Brands who distribute Corona Beer in the US.

On February 25 & 26, 5W Public Relations, one of the Top 10 PR agencies in the U.S.,  conducted a phone survey of 737 American beer drinkers over the age of 21, regarding their opinions about the popular Mexican beer brand, Corona, as a result of the deadly coronavirus that’s spreading around the world.

As American Craft Beer has reported, there has been a consistent uptick in searches for “corona beer virus” and “beer coronavirus” over the past few weeks and some confusion.

5WPR’s survey found that:

• 38% of beer-drinking Americans would not buy Corona under any circumstances now
• Among those who said they usually drink Corona, only 4% said they would stop drinking Corona, but 14% said they wouldn’t order Corona in a public venue
• 16% of beer drinking Americans were confused about whether Corona beer is related to the coronavirus

“There is no question that Corona beer is suffering because of the coronavirus. Could one imagine walking into a bar and saying “Hey, can I have a Corona?” or “Pass me A Corona,” said Ronn Torossian, Founder and CEO of 5WPR…

“While the brand has claimed that consumers understand there’s no linkage between the virus and the beer company, this is a disaster for the Corona brand. After all, what brand wants to be linked to a virus which is killing people worldwide?”

YouGov’s buzz score, a net score based on whether US adults have heard anything negative or positive about the brand, reported that Corona beer’s buzz score decreased among those who have an opinion of the brand, from a high score of 75 at the beginning of January to 51 as of late February, 2020.

And the beat goes on…