With sales of Yuengling skyrocketing to 2.5 million barrels in 2011, America’s oldest brewery decided it was time to give its television ads a makeover.
Yuengling is again partnering with the Harrisburg, Penn-based advertising agency Pavone, for five new spots that are scheduled to air in the spring of 2013 across the brewery’s 14-state distribution footprint.
According to press materials, the spots will air in both 30-second and 15-second formats. The strategy for the ads builds on Yuengling’s last series of commercials, produced in 2010, which targeted 21-34 year old’s.
David Shoffner, a spokesperson for Pavone, told Brewbound.com that the new ads will have a renewed focus on highlighting the Yuengling beer rather than the Yuengling story.
“This time around it’s about reaching out to some new markets,” said Shoffner. “Expect to see more beauty shots of the beer being poured and different bar environments where the Lager brand is enjoyed.”
Yuengling Marketing Manager Lou Romano said Yuengling is still building the advertising budget with its wholesalers. In 2010, the company shared costs — ‘into the millions of dollars’ – with its wholesale partners and expects the same for this project.
Below are more detailed descriptions of Yuengling’s strategy, courtesy of Pavone.
Yuengling Lager TV Strategy
While the previous Lager television advertising focused on the lifestyle of Yuengling drinkers, the strategy for the newest round of ads places the focus squarely on the beer. The spots will air in both 30-second and 15-second formats.
“No Bull”
The first of two new Lager ads, a spot called “No Bull,” features Yuengling’s signature Lager as an unmoving fixture in a variety of changing settings: a busy small town bar, an upscale urban bar, a roadhouse bar, and a contemporary metro bar. A voiceover communicates the brand’s proud “American owned, family operated” roots before reminding viewers that Yuengling is “No bull, just Lager.”
“Standard Beer”
The second Lager commercial, called “Standard Beer,” features a classic slow pour of a Yuengling Lager while a voiceover reminds viewers of the brand’s nononsense, no-gimmicks approach. “It’s not limited edition. Not cask conditioned. It is, however, a rare breed,” says the voiceover. “From an American owned, family operated brewery. Since 1829, we’ve kept it so simple, we’re still in fashion.”
Yuengling Light Lager TV Strategy
Previous Light Lager TV spots encouraged consumers to “rethink your light beer,” and that strategy will continue in the latest round of ads. With its Light Lager spots, Yuengling and Pavone wanted to show that light beers don’t all have to be the same. Yuengling’s Light Lager, with its dark amber color and richer taste, stands out from the crowd and allows its fans to stand out as well. The spots will air in both 30-second and 15-second formats.
“Lemmings”
The first of two Light Lager spots uses a bar setting to highlight the “sameness” of traditional light beers. A group of men in identical business attire gather at a bar, each texting on an identical cell phone. A woman sits at the bar, largely ignored by the men, before a man approaches with a dark amber pint of Yuengling Light Lager. The man orders a second Light Lager for the woman, while the voiceover reminds viewers that “Different is good.”
“Doodads”
The second Light Lager spot brings Yuengling’s “Doodads” radio spot to life by highlighting the sometimes-absurd methods some people will use to identify their pint of light beer in a sea of lookalikes. Pints of pale light beer are marked with a straw, a napkin wrapped around the outside, or even a cell phone balanced on top of the glass. As a dark amber pint of Yuengling Light Lager slides into the frame, the voiceover tells viewers, “If you find yourself doing strange things to keep your light beer from getting lost in the crowd ÔǪ It’s time to rethink your light beer.”
Yuengling Family of Beers TV Strategy
While other ads in the current series focus on specific offerings, the fifth spot will shine a spotlight on three Yuengling beers: Lager, Light Lager, and, for the first time on TV, Black & Tan. The spot
will air in a 30-second format.
“Family”
The spot will feature several different bar settings with images of Lager, Light Lager, and Black & Tan while a voiceover reinforces brand attributes such as “family operated,” “American owned,” and “five generations.” The closing voiceover will remind viewers that Yuengling is “fiercely focused on one thing: putting the best beer on the bar.”