Washington D.C. [USA], Feb 28 : The coronavirus crisis has given rise to a strange hysteria among some of the beer-chugging folks who now feel compelled to steer clear of the popular Corona brand of beer.
According to the New York Post, a survey conducted by 5W Public Relations on 737 American beer drinkers has revealed that nearly 38 per cent of them have completely shunned the Corona brand amid the global coronavirus outbreak.
Founder of 5WPR, Ron Torossian, stated in a release that "there is no question that Corona beer is suffering because of the coronavirus".
The only similarity between the bug and the beer is their name.
However, the name plays a huge role when it comes to the brand image of a product.
"Could one imagine walking into a bar and saying 'Hey, can I have a Corona?' or 'Pass me A Corona,' New York Post quoted Torossian as saying.
Also, 14 per cent people out of the sample admitted that even though they regularly drink Corona, they never ordered it while in public.
Some 16 per cent geniuses from the entire lot weren't sure whether the beer and the virus are related to each other.
Torossian said that "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?" he jokingly added, according to the report.