HILLARY RHODES 'interviews' the renowned bottle babe St. Pauli Girl about her makeover.
You'd think a nice cold one would be seductive on its own. But no: St. Pauli Girl is changing, trying to keep her barmaid character -- and the beer it represents -- a sales hit in its third century of existence.
The marketing decision to take the beer-brand vixen's hair out of a bun and allow it to flow to her shoulders is the most recent change in a long-term image adjustment. It was only in the 1990s, after all, that she went from brunette to blonde.
asap transcended reality for a moment to "interview" the bottle babe. OK, OK, it was actually Bill Ligas, a spokesman for Barton Beers, the company that imports St. Pauli.
So take a swig of fantasy and learn more than you probably ever wanted to about a two-dimensional advertising icon. Here's our quick glimpse into what public relations can to do to turn a beer label into what you could almost believe is a human being. German purity laws notwithstanding.
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Tell me about your new look. It seems like you're letting your hair down.
St. Pauli Girl: I wanted to let my hair down to be more welcoming and approachable. This change helps my look remain fresh and stand out in a crowd at a nightclub (or on a grocery shelf).
Is there a sex appeal to it too, or is it all about being an approachable girl-next-door type?
St. Pauli Girl: The new look is about maintaining my mystique as the St. Pauli Girl icon but yet being approachable and fun. I can't get too far out there since I must adhere to the "German Purity Law" of brewing standards.
Who created you?
St. Pauli Girl: An artist in a German pub sketched my original look in 1878 based on a waitress -- I'm not saying it was me, but since then I've been discovered and have appeared on billboards and in magazines nationwide.
I feel like I've seen you walking around in the real world. Do you have three-dimensional lookalikes?
St. Pauli Girl: Yes, every year the brand selects a real-life St. Pauli Girl spokesmodel to bring the brand's image to life.
Are you wearing a bra?
St. Pauli: I'll leave that to your imagination.
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Hillary Rhodes has been waiting 128 years for a St. Pauli's Boy.
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