Description

"Total Destruction of Schlitz – How to ruin the #2 brand in the world in five years" analyzes the catastrophic collapse of Schlitz beer. In the early 1970s, Schlitz was the second-biggest brewer in America, rivaling Budweiser. Then, CEO Robert Uihlein decided to cut costs. He changed the formula, used cheaper ingredients (corn syrup), and shortened the fermentation time ("accelerated batch fermentation").

Business writer Robert Brooks details the result: The beer went flat quickly and formed disgusting white flakes floating in the can. Instead of fixing the beer, Schlitz blamed the customers. By the time they tried to return to the original formula during the Super Bowl live taste test, the brand's reputation was dead.

This book is a warning against the "financialization of quality." It shows that you can trade reputation for profit for a short time, but eventually, the product actually has to be good.