Marketing Inspiration #38.2: Advertisers Watching Ads
Your weekly dose of data-driven marketing insights
Marketing Inspiration on Advertisers Watching Ads - our show where brands watch other brands’ ads and discuss what they liked - and often, what they didn’t! - in partnership with Contagious.
Beer brands often put out entertaining, surprising, and attention-grabbing ads. From singing pints to claiming to trace their origins hundreds of years back through paintings, we’ve had some interesting creative on the show. But it doesn’t always hit the mark in terms of campaign effectiveness. Here are three we debated - want to weigh in?
“I don't really feel this is telling me something about Stella that I recognize. It doesn't feel like it's kind of reinforcing their brand positioning. You know, I'm not really sure what it's saying.” - Adrian O’Brien, Health & Wellbeing General Manager Europe at Unilever
Stella Artois brought together art and science by using data and paintings in its ad, “The Artois Probability.” It was fun and clever, but what consumer need was it answering? They used AI, but our marketers argued that there was not even a need for it, simply to establish the brand’s long tradition in Europe - they could have achieved the message with just some simple examples of art pieces or taking historic figures and mentioning their connection with the beer.
Is this an ad designed to just win awards, but not connect with the consumer? Is Stella making a statement about anything relevant today? Watch and have your say:
“The mistake that beer brands often make is that it's really yes, women like the taste of beer, but it's really the image of beer that's the problem… Actually, women are looking for an acceptable beer they can drink in mixed sex groups, right? So they're not looking for having their own distinctive brand that only talks to them. ” - Lucas Bergmans, Marketing Consultant at Rocket Fuel Inc
For Women’s History Month, Miller Lite sought to… connect with women, but their approach definitely fell flat when we reviewed it on the show. It’s one thing to talk critically about your own organisation, but to come out swinging against all beer brands, claiming that they’ve been treating women poorly, and trying to position yourself as the hero, is bold, to say the least.
Miller Lite’s risk/reward gamble doesn’t quite add up. They tried to ride a wave of “woke-ness” that was already falling off-trend. Perhaps the better option would have been to go back to audience insights, find out what consumers are really looking for. Is it a new brand that celebrates women fully, rather than a knee-jerk Women’s History Month campaign? What do you think?
“It’s clever, reaching people and getting them connected with different media, and just the visual appeal causing someone to say “What the heck is that?” - it makes you at least look it up to learn about it. ” - Andrea Katsivelis, Director Global GTM Strategy Lead at Microsoft
Guinness is the “antique of beer” - a brand not to be messed with. So why are they employing singing pints and Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding out for a Hero” song to advertise zero alcohol beer on St Patrick’s Day? Is this ad fun and meme-worthy or a completely off-brand risk that won’t pay off? Our panel didn’t love it but… there might be something in it?
Does it make you want to sing along?
Many thanks to all of our guests:
Tatyana Kahl (Marketing Director, Activation and Usage, at VISA Europe), Catherine Chappell (Head of Platforms and Investment at Mediahub Worldwide), Adrian O’Brien (Health & Wellbeing General Manager Europe at Unilever), Lucas Bergmans (Marketing Consultant at Rocket Fuel Inc), DJ O’Neil (CEO at Hub Strategy and Communication), Karin Davenport (Strategic Marketing Leader, Individual & Family Plans at Cigna Healthcare), and Andrea Katsivelis (Director Global GTM Strategy Lead at Microsoft).
Do you want to share your thoughts about these ads or suggest a new one for us to debate? Email us on hello@automatedcreative.net.