GROLSCH
Grolsch’s new campaign touts the brand’s “unique” features and multi-sensory experience. A print ad shows the green bottle with the copy “Open the cottage. Open the bunkie. Open the cold swingtop. Congratulations… Summer is officially open.” An out-of-home ad uses the headline, “Nonconformity has a taste.” Though this line is a bit of a stretch (owner SABMiller is one of the world’s largest breweries), playing up Grolsch’s differences (green bottle, swingtop) is an effective way to stand out. Of course, it’s what’s on the inside that counts, and it helps that Grolsch is actually a decent beer.
STEAM WHISTLE
In May, SharpeBlackmore Euro RSCG handed Toronto’s Steam Whistle a spec ad and the marketing team at the brewery loved it. Steam Whistle’s first TV spot loops the sound of a bottle being opened to create the chugging sound of a train, with various drinking scenes in the background. As the chugging gathers speed, the brand’s whistle logo appears and a voiceover calls out “all aboard.” It’s a cool and clever ad, but after reading comments about the spec work on our website, (“freebies just lead to a downward spiral in client expectations”), the ad goes a little flat.
CORONA
A new campaign for Corona (distributed in Canada by Modelo Molson Imports) introduces “The Promise,” a series of declarative statements that tout the importance of leaving behind the stresses of work and the bad economy. While the cynic in me cringes at the motivational-poster-type copy: “tan lines are more attractive than worry lines” and the urban patio-lover in me scoffs at the clichéd image of upper-class folk in Muskoka chairs at the cottage, it’s a timely message that will undoubtedly appeal to stressed-out Canadians eager to celebrate summer.
