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Searches for “corona beer virus” began on January 9, according to Google Trends. Photo: Shutterstock

‘Corona beer virus’ searches surge as China coronavirus spreads

  • Google search trends indicate people from the US to Singapore seem to be confusing the Mexican lager with the deadly virus
  • While memes about the virus are also showing up, some attempts to use the similar-sounding names as a marketing stunt have fallen flat
As cases of the novel coronavirus spread across the globe, so has interest in two unusual search terms – “corona beer virus” and “beer virus”.

From the United States to Cambodia, and even in Israel, Ireland and Singapore, internet users seem to be confusing the Mexican lager Corona for the virus.

According to Google Trends, the first searches for “corona beer virus” started on January 9, the day the World Health Organisation (WHO) said a string of pneumonia-like cases in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province in China, were caused by a previously unknown type of coronavirus.

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The number of searches then continued growing as the outbreak moved out of mainland China, keeping pace with reports of infections in Taiwan, the US, Thailand and Vietnam during the Lunar New Year holiday.

“Corona” means “crown” in Latin, which is how the virus got its name. The term “coronavirus” refers to a family of viruses that have spikes on their surfaces resembling little crowns.

The virus causing the current outbreak is a newly discovered strain that has been named 2019 novel coronavirus (2019 n-CoV). The coronavirus family includes Sars-CoV, the virus that caused 2003’s severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) epidemic, and Mers-CoV, which was behind the outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers) in 2012.

Corona beer reportedly takes its name from the crown that adorns the church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Mexican town of Puerto Vallarta. The pale lager was first brewed in 1925, four decades before the first coronavirus was discovered.

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The “corona beer virus” search term is most popular in Cambodia, followed by Slovenia, Singapore, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates. “Beer virus” searches were most popular in Singapore, then Latvia, Slovenia, Australia and Canada.

It is unclear if the search terms are getting popular thanks to ignorance or humour. There are plenty of memes about the coronavirus, including one showing a fridge stocked with bottles of Corona beer and little else. Another meme shows a bottle of Corona facing off against a mask-wearing group of Heineken bottles.

The most recent coronavirus strain has infected almost 8,000 people around the world, killing 170 people. Most of the infections and all of the deaths are in China, and as the disease spreads experts have urged the WHO to declare a world health emergency.

A bar in New Zealand recently tried to capitalise on the outbreak, offering discounts on Corona beers “every day while the pandemic lasts”. The Facebook post was accompanied by a photo of two men in medical suits and masks holding up bottles of the beer.

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Some users were not amused, saying the outbreak was not something to joke about. As one comment read: “While New Zealand might not be directly affected at present, these people are literally suffering and it’s honestly shameful to use their deaths as a marketing strategy.”

Corona’s distributor in New Zealand has asked for the promotion to be discontinued.

Bars in Singapore’s central business district, however, have not reported any increase in sales of Corona beers – or coronavirus jokes accompanying those orders.

Jessie Chew, who does marketing for the food and beverage sector, said she would not advise her clients to capitalise on the outbreak. “The fact that it encourages any misunderstanding of a serious problem is wrong. And also, honestly, it’s not a great marketing move to associate a beer with a virus.”

However, she said the memes could be a humorous way for people to cope with the pandemic – as long as the public was aware that the posts were satire.

Marketing consultant Pat Law said brands can “news-jack” trending topics but they have to be mindful of the context. “A simple rule would be this – steer clear from health-related news because it is a serious matter and one should be respectful,” said Law.

This is not the first time the name of a disease and a consumable product have overlapped. During the Aids crisis in the 1980s, an appetite suppressant confectionery called Ayds suffered a 50 per cent fall in sales.

Other misinformation about the novel coronavirus that the WHO has debunked include rumours that it can be spread to pets such as cats and dogs (there is no evidence of this as of now), and that it can be treated with antibiotics (antibiotics only treat bacterial infections, not viral infections).

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