Molson Coors Canada is marking the national rollout of its Mad Jack Premium Apple Lager with “Crazy Good,” a lighthearted, playful campaign designed to match the spirt of the brand.
The lager, aimed at those who prefer their beer a little less bitter and with a crisp apple flavour, launched last summer in Ontario and Quebec, as well as beer and liquor stores and select establishments in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, PEI and Newfoundland in April.
According to the brand, the 2014 launch saw one of the highest ever conversion rates from trial to purchase for a new Molson Coors product. The lager also received the Canadian Living 2015 Best New Product Award for New Beer.
Last summer, the brand ran a small pilot campaign, also called “Crazy Good” with OOH and digital pushes in Montreal and Toronto.
Unlike cider, which is made from fermented apples, Mad Jack is made using malt, and contains natural flavours and no preservatives.
“There’s been a need for this type of product for a while,” said Paul Weaver, manager of innovation at Molson Coors Canada. “The packaging, tone and look and feel of the brand is what you’d expect from a beer. So it still gives the same look and feel of beer, but has a very different and unique taste. What it allows people to do is still maintain what they love about the beer occasion and try a new flavour.”
The current incarnation of “Crazy Good” was developed by the brand’s creative agency Monk Williams (who also created the 2014 effort) and includes TV, digital, OOH and social. The same creative is running in Quebec.
The biggest push is a massive takeover of Toronto’s Yonge and Bloor subway station, where the brand has erected wall murals, pillar and fare booth wraps, posters and digital screens. The screens feature a series of humorous, fake ads for things like, “Don River Snorkeling Adventures” and an online dating site called “Up For Anything.” But thanks to SmartAd technology, when a train enters the station, the phoney ads disappear to reveal related Mad Jack ads.
Weaver said “Crazy Good” marks the first time SmartAD technology has been used in a Canadian ad campaign, and is, in part, an attempt to come off as a big brand with a big budget—even if that’s not the case.
“The mantra for Mad Jack from day one has been to act bigger than we are,” Weaver said. “We are a smaller brand. We’re still establishing loyal drinkers… Doing these types of large-scale takeovers allow us to not only reach a large number of consumers… but also do so in a way that is highly-polished, top-notch and with the expectation of a big brand.”
Weaver added that since Mad Jack hit stores across the country, Molson Coors has had to ramp up production to meet growing demand, a sign the new brand may be hitting its stride.
Molson Coors worked with MEC for media planning and buying, and Pattison Outdoor provided the transit media space. Pattison’s experiential agency, Fourth Wall, was responsible for implementing the SmartAd technology, while Harbinger was responsible for PR.
“Crazy Good” launched May 26 and runs until July 19.
