Recently you may have seen an advertisement from Guinness Anchor Berhad (GAB) anywhere from newspapers to local restaurants that looks something like this.

So since the deadline of this program has already passed (9th Feb 2009), I shall pen down some of my views about this program.

Help GAB raise RM2.5 million for Chinese Schools. By getting tipsy. Or better still. Drunk.

I can’t help but feeling a bit pissed after seeing these series of advertisements, because maybe to you, this advertisement’s tagline is :

Help Us Raise RM2,500,000 for Chinese Education.

To me, the tagline reads :

Get Tipsy or Pissed Drunk in order to help Chinese Education or we ain’t gonna donate a freaking cent to them, You Drunkard!

In other words, to help donate more money to build Chinese Education, you should buy more Booze.

Well of course, you can always say to me, “I only buy but never drink them mah… For Chinese Education’s sake!” 

And I will say to you, “Cut your bullshit because no one will buy Booze because they want to help Chinese Education. They buy because they want to drink them!”

Like my friend here.

Normal Case.

And this friend.

Serious Case.

And this friend.

Gone Case.

So apparently what happens in this program is that whenever you buy any product from GAB, the company will donate a certain amount of money to a Chinese School in that vicinity.

1. 33 cents for every big bottle of Tiger, Guinness, Heineken or Anchor.

2. RM1.00 for every 2 jugs or 1 bucket of Tiger, Guinness or Heineken.

3. RM3.33 for every 27 can pack of Tiger, Guinness or Heineken.

4. RM1.33 for every 15 can pack of Anchor.

5. 50 cents for every 24 can pack of Anglia Shandy.

According to the Global Alcohol Policy Alliance, “Malaysia, though a small country, is the tenth largest consumer of alcohol in the world. Each year Malaysians spend over US$500million on alcohol.”

And “There are two main breweries, which are located in or near the capital city of Kuala Lumpur. Guinness Anchor Berhad is a joint venture between Guinness and Asia Pacific Breweries of Singapore, itself a joint venture with Heineken and a local soft drinks company. Carlsberg controls the largest shares of Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Berhad.”

Ladies and Gentlemen. Assuming that GAB has a market share of say… 20% ONLY out of the US$500 million per year, that will make up to around US$100 million per year worth of revenue. That’s RM330 million based on today’s exchange rate. Perhaps higher.

And say if out of that RM350 million, GAB has a net profit of ONLY 3% after deducting expenses and dividends and taxes.

That’s RM10.5 million.

What’s RM2.5 million to GAB then? They could have just donated the money to Chinese Education, and take the money used on these printed advertisements to spend on a National Broadcast on how generous they are to Chinese Schools, instead of asking the public to “Help” them to help these Chinese Schools.

Because people ARE going to get drunk anyway, and they ARE going to buy GAB products anyway.

So why wanna have such a sarcastic campaign?