Forget the Beach. Poretti’s Taking You to a Stranger Place
The beer category is no stranger to a cliché, especially when it comes to good-looking friend groups clinking bottles on Mediterranean terraces, football fans going absolutely mental over a pint, or golden-hour drenched sweaty cans on the beach.
Amongst this, Poretti has taken a swerve into the unexpected. With its new campaign, ‘Welcome to the Lake’, the brand invites drinkers to leave the ordinary behind and step into a world of abstraction.
At the helm of this beautifully strange journey full of strolling goldfish and boat-driving foxes, are creative directors David Shirley and Charlie Gee at Pablo, whose vision set the tone for a campaign that’s as filmic as it is surreal. Bringing it all to life is Jeff Low, who has long had a knack for turning eccentric ideas into stylish, cinematic storytelling. Adding the final touch of magic is Jungle, whose audio world-building turned a whimsical fever dream into a fully immersive experience.
Set against the haunting beauty of Italy’s northern lakes and shot entirely in black and white, the campaign trades the glossy sameness of beer advertising for something more poetic, strange, and genuinely unforgettable. With a soundtrack like ‘Prisencolinensinainciusol’ – Adriano Celentano’s absurdist Italian(ish) banger from ‘72 – the tone was never going to be predictable.
Today, LBB’s Zoe Antonov speaks to Jeff Low, and the teams at Pablo and Jungle to find out more about the creative choices, production challenges, and sonic intricacies that brought ‘Welcome to the Lake’ to life.
LBB> What was the original spark or brief that led to the creation of ‘Welcome to the Lake’?
David and Charlie> The brief was rooted in provenance, a space all world beers play in. The challenge – the opportunity – was to do it like no other. No sun-drenched Mediterranean clichés, or groups of beautiful young friends smiling insipidly.
Instead, we were asked to step out and offer an original take. One that brought a sense of place to life, but in a way that wasn’t expected. To do that, we took inspiration from Angelo Poretti’s own unconventional life and work, and created a world that didn’t deal in ordinary. An oddly captivating set of stories that demonstrated the benefits of not opting for the usual.
LBB> Was there a specific insight or challenge in the beer market that inspired this surreal approach?
David and Charlie> World beer advertising has been plagued with a sea of sameness for some time now. Vibrant, sunny, happy, good times. So, we knew we had to create something that would keep wrong-footing the audience. Impactful, memorable and unusual. As the world beer market grows more competitive, it’s increasingly important we cut through with work that puts its little fox claws to use, burrowing its way into consumers’ hearts and minds.
LBB> How did the team land on the northern lakes of Italy as the setting and symbolic heart of the campaign?
David and Charlie> Angelo Poretti gets the credit for this bit. That’s where he started brewing his beer, 148 years ago.
Besides this, the northern lakes gave us a setting that felt opulent yet accessible. Beautiful, but not obvious. It wasn’t just a backdrop. It became a character in its own right – the host to every story we intend to tell. There’s a sense of mystery and depth to ‘the lake’ that let us create a world of character and intrigue. It gave us the freedom to lean into something more cinematic and surreal – the perfect canvas for a brand that doesn’t just show you provenance, but welcomes you in.
LBB> The campaign embraces a filmic, black-and-white aesthetic – what inspired that choice, and what feeling were you hoping it would evoke?
David and Charlie> From the very beginning, we wanted a timeless feel that nodded to classic Italian cinema – scratching our cinephile itch, while standing apart from the colourful sameness of modern beer ads. The aim was to evoke a little envy and make people yearn to be there, with those characters, drinking that beer.
LBB> Surreal elements like statue garden parties and harmonica-playing foxes are wildly unexpected – how did you approach developing those ideas without losing cohesion?
David and Charlie> Conviviality is a word thrown around the beer industry like confetti. But we didn’t want to do it the usual way. We were desperate to avoid groups of pretty people smiling in social gatherings. Using statues, foxes, string quartets, or a goldfish being taken for a walk, allowed us to convey that sense of conviviality and relatability – without doing it in a way that’s been seen 876 times.
LBB> The use of ‘Prisencolinensinainciusol’ is bold. What drew you to that track and what did it bring to the tone of the campaign?
David and Charlie> We’ve been fans of the track, and the story behind it, for years. So, it was integral from the very beginning – writing the scripts and inventing this world both happened with the track playing on repeat in the background. It just ticked all the boxes. Unusual, Italian (kind of), with a totally unique character behind it all in Adriano Celentano. But also, there’s an undeniable attitude to the track, that gets toes tapping and heads nodding. Everyone was hooked from the start, so we felt very privileged to get to use it.
LBB> What was it like working with director Jeff Low and Biscuit Filmworks on bringing this surreal world to life? Any standout moments on set?
David and Charlie> Jeff’s mind is so focussed. He’s like a really basic flow chart. From the broader concept down to the smallest details – it can fall into two camps. Is it good, or is it not good? Has it been done before, or is it original? Is it expected, or is it unexpected?
He brings such clarity, collaboration and immaculate taste. It was a joy to work with him. And because he and Biscuit are so damn good, you get to work with the best artists and technicians in town. There’s a domino effect of talent that tumbles into place that just made the whole project fly.
LBB> The campaign talks about ‘ditching the usual’ – how did that idea lead both the storytelling and the execution?
David and Charlie> It became a constant challenge we set ourselves – “If it feels familiar, then we’re doing it wrong.” It would’ve been easy for us to choose a classic Italian music track, perfectly crooned by the likes of Peppino Gagliardi.
Instead, we opted for a nonsensical toe-tapper that almost passes for early Italian rap. We didn’t come up with a couple of stories to support the hero film, we devised dozens, then kept trying to better them – killing off the lesser stories as we went. How these stories then come to life is a challenge we’ve set ourselves and the agencies we work with. We’ll keep you posted on that one.
LBB> How do you see this brand world evolving in future campaigns? Are there already plans to expand this universe even further?
David and Charlie> The world continues to grow behind the scenes. We’re lucky to have a client who shares our aspirations – who wants to keep delving into this world we’re creating – and doing it in a way that’s anything but ordinary.
LBB> How does this campaign reflect the spirit of Angelo Poretti himself, and how do you hope modern drinkers connect with that legacy?
David and Charlie> Angelo wasn’t satisfied with the usual ways of doing things. He was passionate about his beermaking and travelled far and wide, looking for inspiration to make something different. Something better. That’d be what we wish for modern beer drinkers. There’s comfort in the routine of ordering your usual. We get it. But when did that ever lead anywhere fun? Leave ordinary in a crumpled pile on the shore and come join us for a dip in the lake. The water’s fine!
LBB> From a production standpoint, were there any creative or logistical challenges in bringing such whimsical and surreal moments to life?
Jeff> I decided early to shoot it on a stage so I could control everything. All the whimsy and surreal was mapped out pretty much. It’s a very kind compliment though. Thank you.
LBB> Tell us about the group of foxes featured in the film – how were they crafted, and what were you hoping they’d represent?
Jeff> The foxes were made by Untold who are weirdly good at animals. They are good at everything but animals are very popular in advertising so it comes up. We spoke about them breathlessly and that’s more or less how they were crafted. The feel we were after was to make it almost journalistic. It’s not LIKE this is happening - it IS.
They represent companionship to that guy. He hangs out with foxes and that’s all you get to know. The rest is up to the viewer.
I mean it’s a fox driving a boat. If you aren’t into that you might be also having a terrible life.
LBB> There’s a lot of unexpected storytelling in this world. How did you approach building a soundscape that felt cohesive yet just as absurdist as the storyline itself?
Jungle> In a way we wanted to place the viewer in the moment with the sound design. We start under the water, so not in our fox's world. As the camera moves up past the boat we are now in the middle of the lead and fox's world. So, the atmos falls away leaving us being part of their world. As the camera pulls out at the end shot, we come back into the world of sound around us and are left as the boat departs with the real diegetic sounds of the lovely lake.
LBB> The campaign has such a strong filmic and atmospheric style – were there specific cinematic or sonic references that inspired your work on this?
Jungle> The track led the style of sound. That slightly older analogue recording, so I used a sound pallet that reflected that quality.
LBB> What was the most creatively challenging part of crafting the audio identity for a brand platform that’s all about ditching the expected? And what about the most rewarding?
Jungle> For me, the transition from under the boat to in it was the most challenging. I wanted it to really stand out. The cinema mix was lovely to help create an immersive world at the start. Also the unexpected light sound on the glass at the end was a nice touch, as the colour flickers on in the glass. Not a sound you'd be expecting to hear at the end. Then again, foxes driving across Lake Como in a boat is probably more unexpected!!!
