High Five: The Best of Beer Ads
I’m a beer drinker, a beer lover and a beer writer - and it turns out I think about beer a lot in my free time, too. So what better gig that choosing my five fav beer ads of all time? Beer is a great category. Fun, social, mainstream, gender-neutral, creative, often using humour or parody to sell. Looking at my choices below, I realise that most are from the '90s or early 2000s, at a time when I was incredibly ‘advertising conscious’. I loved the sense of anticipation these ads brought, leading to a product reveal at the end. The story and values were the star, rather than shoving the brand down your throat (metaphorically) in every scene - ultimately leading to a longer, more meaningful, memorable and emotional connection with the product...
Guinness - 'Surfer'
Agency: AMV BBDO
Director: Jonathan Glazer
This is my favourite ad of all time. It often gets voted best ad in the world, so I’m not alone. Blimey it’s good. Gives me goosebumps every time I watch it. It transcends simple advertising into feature film, proper. It’s the story of a surfer waiting for - and then conquering - the perfect big wave in Hawaii. As a writer, I obviously love the gravelly Scots spoken word poetry of the script, but it’s also the heart-rattling modern score (I became a big fan of Leftfield afterwards), and the epic surprise of the white horses CGI - and just the tension of it all. It doesn’t really ‘sell’, it just ‘stays’ with you on an emotional level. It’s the pinnacle of the brand’s long-running ‘Good things come to those who wait’ campaign, which frankly were all rather good.
Boddingtons - 'Athlete'
Agency: BBH London
For me, Boddingtons represents the '90s. ‘The Cream of Manchester’ campaign was just so classically British. Over-flowing with irony and taking the micky out of all cultural tropes of the day, whether beauty cliches or pastiches of Cornetto and over-the-top luxe holiday ads, they usually ended with a ladettte declaring “By ‘eck, it’s gorgeous” in a Mancunian accent. The one I’ve chosen is called ‘Athlete’, and sends up the ridiculous Nike ads of the time, with an extreme runner chasing down an ice cream van where he’s served beer by Melanie Sykes. Yes, you heard that right. Top drawer. Not sure legal would approve it these days, mind.
Stella Artois - 'The Pilot'
Agency: Lowe
Production: SMUGGLER
Director: Ivan Zacharias
Sound: 750mph
Oh, the Stella Artois ‘Reassuringly Expensive’ campaign blew my mind in the early 2000s. These beautiful mini films, usually in black and white, told perfectly formed human stories in a bewitchingly taught old-school cinematic style. They were almost always better than the TV programmes they were sandwiched between. The concept alone was genius - basically that Stella Artois was really expensive (try getting that past a research group these days!) but worth every penny. Each story focused on how a beer lover would do anything rather than waste a drop, like that of an English World War I pilot shot down over Belgium. He hides in a local bar but is given up by the barkeep rather than watch his Stella overflow, much to the disgust of his daughter and the hilarity of those watching. The priests on a frozen lake is also a classic. No words. Classical score. Black and white. Marvellous!
Budweiser - 'Wassup'
Agency: DDB Chicago
You can forget Bud frogs croaking the name ‘Bud-weis-er’ - this ad was on a totally different cultural level. It was a modern phenomenon that went on to spawn the catchphrase of a whole generation. "Waaaassssssssuuuuuppppp" - said a billion times across pubs and parks for years afterwards. There’s no real story, just a normal group of buds enjoying Buds, but it’s so joyful, enduring, and downright surreal and bonkers. It’s dated for sure (landlines, anyone?) but it still raises a smile. Proof, if needed, of the cultural power of advertising (admittedly before the endless competition of multiple media channels).
Carlsberg - 'Broken Down Truck Driver'
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi
I’m a big fan of Carlsberg, the Danish beer with the epically long-running campaign and strapline ‘Probably the best lager in the world’. It ran for about 40 years, and with that sort of longevity, it’s no wonder creativity and bravery flourished in so many wonderful ways (it shows that brand slogans don’t need to change every time a new Brand Director is appointed!). Yet I’ve chosen an ad for Carlsberg Export, which had a slightly different line – ‘so good, the Danes hate to see it leave’ – which has stayed with me for over two decades. It has all the horror film feels. Isolated house in the woods. Muted colours. Scary old cat lady. Trapdoor. Great storytelling. Chills. Perfect.
