Mark Ritson reviews the highest scoring beer ads of all time (down the pub)

Summary

Uncensored CMO Episode Summary: Mark Ritson Reviews the Highest Scoring Beer Ads of All Time

Release Date: October 16, 2024

In this engaging episode of Uncensored CMO, host Jon Evans and guest Mark Ritson delve into the world of beer advertising by reviewing the top 10 highest-scoring beer ads of all time. Recorded in a pub setting, the conversation is both informative and entertaining, offering listeners valuable insights into effective marketing strategies within the beer industry.

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I. Introduction to the Review

The episode kicks off with Jon Evans setting the scene for their discussion on beer ads, highlighting their approach of analyzing the top 10 ads while enjoying a pint. Mark Ritson reminisces about their initial brainstorming session in the Pacific, affirming the casual yet analytical tone of the episode.

Jon Evans [00:06]: "Mark and I have got together, we've got the system on database open and we're looking at the top 10 beer ads of all time whilst drinking beer."

II. Selection Process and Data Analysis

Jon explains their methodology, utilizing the System One database to evaluate the highest-performing beer ads from the past six to seven years. They acknowledge the challenge of comparing older ads with contemporary ones, noting that only a few classics make it into the top 10.

Mark Ritson [02:35]: "You've got me interested because anything that can beat Boddington's and John Smith's is a bloody good ad."

III. The Top 10 Beer Ads Reviewed

10. Budweiser Super Bowl France Ad

Jon and Mark begin their countdown with Budweiser’s Super Bowl ad set in France, emphasizing the brand's consistent presence and emotional appeal through iconic elements like the Clydesdale horses and puppies.

Mark Ritson [07:17]: "Use a dog. Use a dog. You're gonna... we'd all get higher scores."

The discussion touches on Budweiser’s strategy of leveraging nostalgia and brand legacy to maintain its market position despite newer competitors.

9. Budweiser COVID-era Quarantine Ad

Continuing with Budweiser, they review an ad re-aired during the COVID pandemic, which received high scores for its timely message and cultural resonance.

Jon Evans [09:25]: "That's the point of wear out. Of course, that was re aired during COVID."

Mark highlights the ad’s effectiveness in maintaining brand presence during challenging times, despite its absence of a broader campaign narrative.

8. Heineken Classic "Majorca" Ad

The classic Heineken ad from Majorca stands out for its impeccable execution and enduring appeal. Jon praises the ad’s pacing, scripting, and emotional storytelling.

Mark Ritson [12:00]: "It's as good as 60 seconds of TV."

They discuss the ad’s simplicity and how it effectively communicates Heineken’s brand message without needing elaborate ideas.

7. Stella Artois’s Long-running Campaign

Stella Artois’s campaign is noted for its sophistication and consistency. Jon shares personal anecdotes about his time at Brewdog, illustrating the importance of product freshness and quality in branding.

Mark Ritson [14:08]: "It's a much better beer as well. That's the tastiest beer so far."

The conversation underscores Stella Artois’s ability to maintain a premium image through strategic marketing and product consistency.

6. Corona Beach Ad

Corona’s beach-themed ad is lauded for its visual appeal and positive messaging. The discussion highlights how Corona effectively uses imagery associated with relaxation and happiness to enhance brand perception.

Mark Ritson [19:05]: "If you put citrus in anything, it tastes better."

They also touch upon the brand’s resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, debunking myths that linked Corona with the virus.

5. Michelob Ultra Super Bowl Ad

Michelob Ultra’s Super Bowl ad featuring global sports icon Lionel Messi is praised for its formulaic excellence. Despite not being an award-winner, the ad’s execution and star power contribute to its high scoring.

Jon Evans [23:11]: "It's a beautifully made ad and I think they've somehow managed to avoid that thing where everyone remembers. It's the beer ad with Messi."

The discussion emphasizes Michelob Ultra’s strategic positioning to appeal to a mainstream audience without compromising on branding quality.

4. Carlsberg's Carbon Absorption Campaign

Carlsberg’s innovative campaign partnering with WWF to plant seagrass receives high marks for its environmental message and strategic alignment with brand purpose.

Mark Ritson [26:12]: "A purpose led campaign getting almost five star is pretty impressive."

Jon and Mark commend Carlsberg for balancing sincerity with humor, creating a memorable and effective marketing message.

3. Sam Adams Boston Ad

Sam Adams’ Super Bowl ad from Boston is highlighted for its local charm and authentic representation. The use of real elements like Boston Dynamics’ robots adds a unique twist to the campaign.

Mark Ritson [29:29]: "He has a great sense of humor and would have enjoyed taking the piss out of himself quite beautifully."

The ad’s blend of local culture and innovative elements contributes to its high performance in brand building.

2. Guinness Campaigns Supporting Pubs Post-COVID

Guinness receives significant praise for its campaigns aimed at supporting pubs during the post-COVID recovery phase. The focus on community and tradition resonates strongly with consumers.

Mark Ritson [41:34]: "Good things come to those who wait."

They discuss Guinness’s strategic use of unique selling propositions, like the distinctive pour time and calorie information, to differentiate the brand in a crowded market.

1. Heineken’s James Bond Partnership Ad

Topping the list is Heineken’s partnership with the James Bond franchise. Despite its extended length of two minutes, the ad creatively balances brand partnership with engaging storytelling, earning the highest score.

Mark Ritson [46:13]: "If you go beyond that, you start to lose the audience rather than gain the audience."

Jon and Mark acknowledge the ad's unconventional length but commend its effectiveness in capturing attention and enhancing brand association through the iconic James Bond character.

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IV. Key Insights and Marketing Takeaways

Throughout the episode, Jon and Mark emphasize several key marketing principles derived from their analysis of the top beer ads:

1. Consistency and Legacy: Brands like Budweiser and Stella Artois benefit from consistent messaging and leveraging their longstanding heritage to maintain consumer trust and loyalty.

2. Emotional Connection: Effective ads often create emotional resonance, whether through nostalgia, humor, or aspirational imagery, as seen with Heineken and Corona.

3. Strategic Partnerships: Collaborations with influential figures or franchises, such as Heineken’s James Bond partnership, can significantly amplify brand visibility and appeal.

4. Adaptability: Brands that adapt their messaging to contemporary contexts, like Budweiser’s COVID-era ad, demonstrate resilience and relevance in changing market conditions.

5. Purpose-Driven Campaigns: Carlsberg’s environmental initiative illustrates how aligning brand purpose with marketing can enhance brand perception and consumer goodwill.

6. Product Quality and Freshness: Emphasizing product attributes, such as Guinness’s pour time and freshness, underscores the importance of product excellence in supporting marketing efforts.

V. Final Thoughts on Beer Advertising Effectiveness

Jon and Mark conclude the episode by reaffirming the critical role of both creativity and product quality in successful beer advertising. They advocate for a balanced approach where compelling storytelling complements the inherent qualities of the product, ensuring that marketing efforts not only capture attention but also reinforce the brand’s value proposition.

Mark Ritson [54:14]: "We are still not fully conscious of the fact that the product is the most important P."

The episode serves as a comprehensive guide for marketers seeking to understand the dynamics of effective beer advertising, blending practical analysis with firsthand experiences to highlight what truly makes a beer ad stand out.

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Notable Quotes:

• Jon Evans [00:06]: "We're looking at the top 10 beer ads of all time whilst drinking beer."
• Mark Ritson [02:35]: "Anything that can beat Boddington's and John Smith's is a bloody good ad."
• Jon Evans [12:00]: "It's as good as 60 seconds of TV."
• Mark Ritson [19:05]: "If you put citrus in anything, it tastes better."
• Mark Ritson [26:12]: "A purpose led campaign getting almost five star is pretty impressive."
• Mark Ritson [41:34]: "Good things come to those who wait."
• Mark Ritson [46:13]: "If you go beyond that, you start to lose the audience rather than gain the audience."

This episode of Uncensored CMO offers a deep dive into the art and science of beer advertising, providing valuable lessons for marketers aiming to craft memorable and effective campaigns.

Transcript

[A]

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the uncensored cmo. Now, we're recording this one in a pub for a very good reason, because we're talking about beer ads. Everybody loves a good beer ad. We're always talking about how good they used to be, but are they really that good? And what are the best beer ads now? Well, Mark and I have got together, we've got the system on database open and we're looking at the top 10 beer ads of all time whilst drinking beer. So what could be better than that? Here it is. So, Mark, if I'm right, I think we were swimming in the sea somewhere, chatting about what we should do for our next podcast and we thought we'd just do top 10 beer ads of all time, didn't we?

[B]

I think that was right. We were in the Pacific, down in beautiful, manly, and one of the many things we did to set the world right. It was probably my idea, it sounds like me, was let's do it in the pub and let's do beer ads while drinking beer.

[A]

There you go.

[B]

And if we do the top 10, it's a legitimate reason why I can have 10 pints.

[A]

There you go.

[B]

Which is something that, you know, you don't always get every afternoon.

[A]

You don't. I, on the other hand, are gonna be firmly in the Lucky Saints category. So big plug for Lucky Saints. But I have to say, one of the funniest things of this year was your trolling LinkedIn, which just amused me no end. You know, you get those alerts going, you've been specially selected as an expert.

[B]

Not anymore.

[A]

Something you do not know anything about to contribute to an artist.

[B]

Not anymore. I started getting them when you got them. Yeah. And I managed to turn it into everyone I ever got this. The answer always wound up, you need to go down the pub and have a few. And then it got into a bit of. It always turned into chaos. And then at the end of it, it's something like, Terry, put that down. And yeah, mysteriously, I suddenly wasn't invited to. Suddenly you weren't doing anymore.

[A]

There you go.

[B]

But what was great was you had like, you know, what do you do if your creativity is struggling and you get these 10 or 15 very earnest people in India and Canada putting really long thought up suggestions and they'd get like two likes and I'd write something nonsensical about go down the pub and play a game of darts, have a curry and I'd get 9,000 likes. That's why they had to stop it.

[A]

The trouble Was though most of the time you were right.

[B]

I wasn't joking. I wasn't. Here we are in the pub, sorting the pub.

[A]

Exactly. We are.

[B]

I'm genuine to some degree. You drink in moderation or non alcoholic beer. But going to the publisher, like, what's my general approach? I was with my own mini NBA team last night having a team building exercise which consisted of having six or seven pints and a couple of fags. And yeah, it really worked. We had real. We feel really bonded now. We sorted the world out. Can't remember many of the things we worked out. But yeah, it's. Don't underestimate the pub, you know what I mean?

[A]

Top advice. So we've taken a very scientific approach to this or attempted to. We've taken the system on database. Us and UK looked at the highest performing ads. Now obviously it only goes back like six, seven years. So what we've done is we've just got all those famous ads that we know and love. Put them through now, of course.

[B]

Well done, well done.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, we had some fun with this. The trouble is, of course, these are very old ads being tested today. So it's not exactly like Fluke. It's not kind of tested when they aired. Interesting thing though, there's only, I think two or three that make the top 10 from the old ones.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So I was rooting for John Smith's Boddingtons, Foster's, Carlsberg, Hofmeister Bear.

[B]

Didn't make it.

[A]

Didn't make it.

[B]

Blowy Mum.

[A]

Most of them are John Smith's.

[B]

Didn't make it.

[A]

I know, I know. Because they're very funny. Most of them were like high threes, three and a half to four star. So they're good. I mean, they're all good and they're all funny, but they don't have the same, you know, kind of comparison.

[B]

You've got me interested because anything that can beat Boddington's and John Smith's is a bloody good ad. So we've got 10 good ones is what you say.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, we have, yeah. But I think there's maybe there's something about that era where I mean, maybe the humor was a bit blokey or something and therefore it's, you know, or the humor doesn't resonate today or maybe the cultural references aren't as applicable.

[B]

Well, I think about the John Smith Swans. It's set in a swimming pool. It's not exactly contemporary or old fashioned. That's why I'm surprised.

[A]

Right.

[B]

So, yeah, I'm looking forward to these.

[A]

Yeah, John Smith's high three style. I mean, I had that down as that was going to be in my top three.

[B]

The only thing I would point out is obviously there's the link between product and advertising. I mean, I'm sure we'll give Budvisor some high scores for its advertising, but. But, you know, there's also the beer score, too. So I wonder if this is two by two Cutler grade of.

[A]

Well, maybe we do both then. In this. In this one.

[B]

Right in the beers, right in the ads.

[A]

Here we go. All right, so we're going to start off with number 10. Now, I could have picked a few different examples of this brand because they're very consistent. They've been on the super bowl every year. They're intricately tied to the super bowl, which is the Budweiser as we've been talking about it. Here we go. And this is their super bowl ad from this year in France.

[B]

Oh, the new one.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, the new one.

[B]

Come on.

[A]

All major highways are currently closed.

[B]

You gotta be kidding.

[A]

Now we have a puppy. So it's a good start.

[B]

What do you want to do? Win?

[A]

There we go. We've got the horse. PIANO music all right, let's do it the old school way. Let's go.

[B]

Of course, it's January, super bowl as well.

[A]

So it is. Yeah.

[B]

Season appropriate, as they say.

[A]

Over there.

[B]

Can't see anything. Look.

[A]

Make a load off, Fanny. Make a load for free.

[B]

Good job, bubba. Sorry I'm late.

[A]

Now, the interesting thing, actually, I think with this ad is what they did a year ago with Bud Light.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So if you think about this is maxing nostalgia, isn't it? Everything that they're tapping into, everything of their history, their legacy on super bowl. Almost as a correction for the whole Bud Light thing. A year before, I reckon.

[B]

Yeah. And the research was that Budweiser took a little bit of a kick from the Bud Light thing. It was one step away in brand architecture terms. And there's some famous research on. You can map out the degree of perceived closeness of sub brands to each other by what happens when one has a scandal? How much does it afflict another Michelob, which they also own.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

There's a great story of a guy in Fenway at the baseball. He videos no one buying Bud Light at Fenway and he just pans across to Michelob where there's 900 people. The kicker being Michelob is owned by.

[A]

His own, by above.

[B]

That's brilliant. But yeah, it's for me it's not one of their best ads.

[A]

It's not actually. I think it's the power of consistently delivering what people know you for, isn't it? It's like Clydesdale puppies, emotive music stories, Super Bowl. It's. It's a bit like the Coke holidays are coming ad. It's not necessarily, like, very likely become.

[B]

Hugely associated with AI to mash up all the previous ads. I think you get it. And I want to go back to your earlier point. We're not joking. It has a dog. It does. It's worth a star.

[A]

It is indeed.

[B]

Well, I mean, we should talk about this because I actually used it with P and G, of all people, Right. And they're asking me about something to do with advertising effectiveness. Now we drive this up on this brand. And I said, use a dog. And everyone laughed and I went, no, use a dog. Use a dog. You're gonna. You know, it's the easiest shortcut. And I suspect if everybody used a dog, it wouldn't trade off. We'd all get higher scores.

[A]

We would. But there's Orlando's work on this. Incredible. So he mapped out features and advertising on. Basically on a matrix like this with ability to create emotion and ability to generate attention, or generate attention and create emotion. Animals highest scoring. So it has the proven ability to capture our attention, generate emotion of all features in adverts. So whether you take having words on the screen or a soundtrack or, you know, actors acting. He broke it all down and tested individual features. And actually an animal in the ad had the biggest power to create.

[B]

What would you seen throughout in your.

[A]

Exactly. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

It is such a strong finding. You'd almost do it. Right. There's very few creative rules. That would be one of them.

[A]

The interesting thing with this, though, is the Clydesdale horses have become synonymous with the brand. So they've been clever because you could put a horse in an ad, but they are recognizable as Budweiser's horse.

[B]

They're probably so recognizable as a distinctive brand asset of Budweiser. They probably don't count as animals anymore. I would be interested. Right. Hence the presence of the dog. Now, I have to say, I'm not madly loving this Budweiser. I'm giving it a two. So I think we should move on so I can drink something else.

[A]

Well, you're gonna have to pause for a second because number nine is also Budweiser. But this is. This is great. This is a very different approach, which I think you might like. Okay, here we go.

[B]

Hello. Hey, who sup? Nothing, B.

[A]

In quarantine.

[B]

Having a buddy. What's up with you? Nothing. Quarantining. Having a bud. True, true. Yo, who's that? Yo, yo, pick up the phone. Hello?

[A]

Yo, where's Dookie?

[B]

Yo, Dookie. Yo, what's that?

[A]

What's that?

[B]

So, you okay, B? I'm good, B. Just quarantining. Having a bug. Thanks for checking in.

[A]

Now that's the point of wear out. Of course, that was re aired during COVID That's right. That's a bit of COVID communication, which is again, a natural experiment there. What happens if you put an old ad back onto.

[B]

It's one of the few times they actually did it, right?

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

And again, as your scores prove here, it's a total winner. I mean, I have to say I remember it pretty much moment for moment. I remember being there. I remember that it just became a social thing and, you know, it entered our cultural consciousness in the States for a good two years.

[A]

I do wonder if WhatsApp would have been called WhatsApp had that not happened.

[B]

Maybe. I mean, it must be 20 years ago. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, good stuff. The only thing I'd say is it's the kind of ad that you can't build anything from in terms of a sequence. It doesn't have that campaign ability of specs, what you call a fluid device. Right, that's it. Remember Cadbury had that one smash hit with Guerrilla and they floundered around trying to replicate the magic and really just messed about for a couple of years. I think Budweiser was smart enough to go whatever the hell that was. Yeah, I think they had some frogs doing it.

[A]

They did, didn't they? Yeah, but again, sort of, you know, you recognize that. That's just a promise.

[B]

Recognize you've a moment of genius, now move on.

[A]

Now for number eight, we are going properly back in time with this one. This is. This is a classic. And you're going to. You're going to remember this one. This is from when you and I were growing up.

[B]

And I can already taste that. It's a little bit of a step up.

[A]

So this. This is it. This is it. Here we go. Very, very famous Heine ad. The water in Majorca doesn't taste like what it ought to the water in Majora don't taste like what it oughta the water in Majorca doesn't taste quite how it should Majorca, Majorca, Majorca. Majorca. Hi, Dale. Any day to summary freshman in here.

[B]

Here you get your Laughing gear in there.

[A]

Oh, God.

[B]

The water in Majorca. What's that?

[A]

Don't taste like Wadi Otter. Oh, gosh. The water in Major don't taste like Wade Altar.

[B]

Here we go.

[A]

She's cracking.

[B]

She's only corrected. You're absolutely wrong.

[A]

Heineken refreshes depart what other beers cannot.

[B]

I mean, just.

[A]

It's beautiful, isn't it?

[B]

It's perfect. If you look at the pacing and the scripting of it and that little denouement at the end, it's as good a piece of. Is it a 60 or 30? 60.

[A]

That's a 60.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

It's as good as 60 seconds of TV. Never mind advertising you'd ever see the only. I mean, it's an old can, so this is pre our drinking age. That's how old that is. The only thing I'm trying to. I don't know if it was part of a proper broader campaign. I suspect it was. Right. It had that long term campaign ability. There's nothing in the products. Yeah, but maybe. I think that was a long running campaign.

[A]

And bear in mind, we've just tested that now. So however many years old that is, it's pretty 50 years old. And we've tested it before. Yeah, yeah. Which is incredible, isn't it? I mean, the other bits I love. The humor is obviously great, but the accents. The accents make it the.

[B]

The acting. But if you look at it, the set, they obviously knew. When you look at the ad, they knew they had perfection. They've gone an extra mile on the set. You know what I mean? Like, it's just the casting is perfect. This is, you know.

[A]

Yeah. And the other thing it shows is you don't need an elaborate idea like one scene, three actors and, you know, I mean, this is going back to our friend Orlando. That's what he talks about. Having one scene unfolding is much better than cutting. Cutting your ass.

[B]

You have 60 seconds. Right. You know. Yeah, absolutely. Right.

[A]

A bit of a play.

[B]

Yeah. I can't imagine there's much better than that. I mean, I can make some arguments strategically. Does it fit with. You know. I mean. Yeah, but in terms of execution, that's a finer piece of advice.

[A]

I'd love to know what the score would have been if we tested it back then because I mean, that everyone.

[B]

Would be unlike an abacus.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

We'd both have been smoking. Yeah. No, look. Very good. And a much better pint as well.

[A]

There you go. Right, okay, so. Oh, next one's interesting.

[B]

Right, switch points.

[A]

Now he's Switched points. Have you got a Stella?

[B]

Well done. There we go, that fluffy head there.

[A]

Right, so we're talking about the Heineken campaign. Not having a campaign idea.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Right. This next one actually I think is one of the most famous long running campaigns from Stellar Artois. Reassuringly expensive.

[B]

I think this is a winner. It's a much better beer as well. That's the tastiest beer so far. And I'm not a big fan of Stella.

[A]

The interesting thing, right, so when I worked for Brewdog for about three minutes in the induction, James gets, basically James gets, he gets two beers, right? And we all have to taste these two beers and we have to describe like on, in great detail the sensory difference, right? So go through, you know, the character, the nose, the color, the whole thing, right. And at the end he says, which beers do you think they are? And we're all trying to guess which one it is. And he says they're both the same. They're two weeks different.

[B]

Two weeks.

[A]

Two weeks. So he makes this point that actually beer, the most taste from the beer comes from the freshness. So a brewdog, it was all about the speed with which you get through the supply chain.

[B]

They're right.

[A]

I mean they would change the barrels if they're more than two weeks old.

[B]

Because I didn't know it was a media, I thought maybe there was like two or three days to settle in. Right. But I know they say on, Good, good. I drink a lot of craft ale and it'll often say in Australia, treat it like milk.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Do you know what I mean? Like you never want it to warm up.

[A]

Incredible.

[B]

And it does make a difference.

[A]

Massive. Yeah, yeah. Right, so let's get on to Celtois. Reassuring. Expensive. Here we go.

[B]

It.

[A]

It'S very good. I've realized of course like for the last 60 seconds all everyone's can hear is the music and they can't see.

[B]

This if they're on the podcast. If you've ever watched Jean de Floret or Manon de Source, I mean it's the same year that they came out. So there's, we have to, you know, before we give them loads of credit, recognize this is a classic example of going right, right now everyone that thinks about France, even though this is a Belgian beer, not really, but theoretically, you know, we're just going to copy at that time a very limited idea of Europe, you know, which is Jean de Floret and blah, blah, blah. But I have to say slogan, big idea, strategically backed up. And both you and I Growing up in the 90s as when this ad really just had just impacted, can attest to the fact that There was a 10 year period where you heard them shout Stella.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And it was no surprise, slightly more expensive, a little bit stronger often. And it must have been the powerhouse decade for Stella.

[A]

Right, yeah. And glassware was different as well. Very distinctive glassware.

[B]

They went in with the chalice.

[A]

Yeah, but they did lose it, didn't they? I mean, they got carried away on the promotional drug of supermarkets and they're reassuringly cheap by the end.

[B]

Well, and I think the distribution let them down and also I have to say, the product let them down. I mean, at the end of the day, Stellar became just another beer. Right. And it wasn't like that at the start of the 90s. We all drank Stella when we were out on a Friday night. It was slightly stronger, slightly better. And I can remember people exclaiming, they come in, have a big shot of Stella and my mate saying to me, ah, Stella. You know what I mean?

[A]

It was there and everyone else caught up, didn't they? I can't remember the percentages where it's like everyone was at three and a half, they're at four and a half.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

Everyone went up, didn't they? So they lost their kind of products.

[B]

So where we are now, we're at 7, 8%. For real. I mean, I remember drinking Carlsberg special brew when we couldn't afford to drink much, when we were all at 20 and you'd have, you could only afford three cans. So you bought the 7, 8% and all the homeless lads were drinking the same stuff as us every. And it was crazy strong back then.

[A]

That was crazy strong. Yeah.

[B]

And now, I mean, I regularly will have three or four cans of real ale and craft ale and they're all eight and a half percent. You know what I mean? World has changed. I would say for the better. Switch out for a pint, boys.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Oh, yeah, okay. Right.

[A]

Number six is quite interesting. We're going to go to the beach and a brand that had a rather unfortunate event occur to it. Oh yeah, as you remember this one.

[B]

And I've never drunk this draft before and I have to say. Yeah, I would probably have guessed it from.

[A]

And normally you'd be putting a lime in the top of the bottle, wouldn't you?

[B]

I don't think you do with the pints, do you?

[A]

No, no, it's got to be the bottle. I think it's to stop flies getting in. I think it was the Original idea.

[B]

But I think the backstory was it was actually not very good. Beer and lime was the only thing that made it taste all right. If you. Even if you put a citrus in anything, it's a good tip for the listeners. If you put citrus in anything, it tastes better.

[A]

So let's have a look. This is Corona.

[B]

Eli Manning, welcome to the fine life. Doesn't get any better than this. Be a shame if it rained, though. And that's why I brought these.

[A]

Boop, boop, boop. See, now they're protected.

[B]

These are very cute. I'm also loving these dinky umbrellas. Wait, Andy, what's wrong? I thought, sad.

[A]

It's just really validating to hear such positivity, you know?

[B]

Wow, that's real. Yeah. I don't know how I'm gonna drink this now. Was your idea to bring an umbrella?

[A]

Yeah. Think it through. I think it's brilliant. I mean, what I love. It's obviously funny and it's set in a nice place, but they're playing with their codes, aren't they? The line, the little umbrella. I mean, the little umbrella is a funny joke, but the fact that it draws your attention to the lime in the bottle.

[B]

And also, you know, you've got the standard chat. Beer chat. Right. Yeah. This is. This is how idiots talk after they've had two pints and they're calling it out. Snoop's applicable to any brand at any time, obviously. And that whole positioning around Corona, which is, you know, from wherever you want to be, we're in the sun, you know, they've got it right.

[A]

They have. Brilliant. And as you see on this face, trace. I mean, the amount of happiness that this ad creates straight away, it's just wall to wall happiness all the way through.

[B]

But. But they've got a gift here, haven't they, in that you've seen it with travel ads. You know, travel ads. Tourism ads perform much better. Not because they're a brilliant marketing industry, but because, you know, if you're selling sausages, you've got to show dead meat. And if you're showing travel ads, you've got to show beaches and tanned bodies and sunshine. Right. And I think Corona were lucky in the space that they just have been given distinctive assets that involve, you know, white sand, bright sun, lime, you know?

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

So I think God. God gave them a lot here. But I have to say, you know, they went. It's my. It's one of the brands that's close to my heart because you remember when we went into coronavirus, and some silly PR firm did a bit of research and showed that something like 40% of Americans associated Corona beer with coronavirus and were going off saying, there are big problems here and blah, blah, blah. And I wrote a column that just said, look, you. Basically, you're stupid, and that's not going to happen. In fact, sales are going to go.

[A]

Up quite the opposite.

[B]

And it is. And everyone goes, yeah, but it's going to hurt the brand. But of course, that's not how we buy beer. We don't walk into a bar and go, now there are 18 beers here. What do I associate with each beer? You walk into a bar and go, what's. What's a beer I'm going to buy? Oh, Corona. It's the first one that pops in. So sure enough, sales went through the roof. They had a pretty good time. I mean, the category was smashed, but relative to the category, Corona did very well and I have to say, a pleasant beverage.

[A]

Not bad.

[B]

Right?

[A]

We're getting down to number five, and we are keeping with the beach theme. And this is the super winning ad from this year. We talked about Budweiser, the other brand in the portfolio, Michelob Ultra.

[B]

Oh, I do remember this. And you're ranking these all on brand building.

[A]

We are, yeah. So ranking these on brand building. So super bowl, there's about 80 ads every year. We test them within like an hour of them going on air, get the results, do a lively table. And this was number one.

[B]

Hello.

[A]

Maybe a different beer. Okay, I'll be right back. I can wait a moment. What do you mean, Leo?

[B]

We go way back. Stand the man. Marina, come on.

[A]

He's not even trying out there. Mr. Messi.

[B]

Superior Light Beer.

[A]

I mean, I just think it does the basics very well, that one, doesn't it? I mean, you got like branded shots in there. You got good music, you got, you know, beautiful scene. Obviously, Messi helps as well. But the thing I find ironic about this one is they aired it in the Super Bowl. So it's like a soccer ad in the super bowl, which I think is quite funny. But I spoke to the CMO about it, and he was saying this was part of their entire year's campaign. It's basically all around this ad. So they had this for the World cup, for the Olympics, et cetera. So the super bowl was more the launch moment for it rather than designing it for.

[B]

And is this their attempt to supplant sister brand Bud Light as well? Was that.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. Well, a lot of.

[B]

They got a lot more money, right?

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. So terrible beer.

[B]

Nearly as bad as Bud Light. Yeah. I mean, for me, the. The success here is it's absolutely, you know, formulaic ad.

[A]

Right, yeah.

[B]

But in being formulaic, I'm not trying to be critical here. You've got a beautiful setting, as we've already said. That's lovely. You've got the world's most famous sportsman, a couple of other randos. They've also got Dan Marino on contract. Let's get him on a boat there, you know, and it shouldn't work, but it does. And I think partly it's because Messi hasn't really endorsed much in. Outside of South America. It's a beautifully made ad and I think they've somehow, I don't know how, managed to avoid that thing where everyone remembers. It's the beer ad with Messi. It did break through and it did. It did stay branded. Right. So I think they either got lucky or they're smart. And I know they're on a bit of a tear in the us. Right. You know, again, it's. I mean, from a beer, but it doesn't really qualify as a beer. I do quite a lot of work in America. I was there last week and American beer is great. And you go into these bars now. I was in a bar in New York, there was 25 craft ales on draft and they were all beautiful and local, and yet the guy next to me comes in and ordered a Michelob. And I'm just thinking, you're an idiot. You've got all these incredible local beers and you're drinking something that literally tastes like water.

[A]

Yeah. I think this is one that. It's not going to win awards. People aren't going to necessarily talk about it in marketing, but actually just does the basics very, very well and really beautifully executed. Okay, coming at number four now, this was a bit of a surprise. I'd forgotten about the six pints in, mate. Yeah, exactly.

[B]

It's getting a bit wobbly.

[A]

Everything will do at this point.

[B]

You might have to, like, take over. Now.

[A]

We did a little competition, Euro 2020, and to find the best ad of the campaign. So little competition, we did of itv. This was the winner. And quite a interesting message in it as well. It's from Carlsberg.

[B]

We believe that working together makes anything possible. So imagine if, when you did this, this happened. Carlsberg has partnered with WWF to plant seagrass, which can absorb carbon faster than a rainforest. Does that make our beer taste even better?

[A]

Unusual, isn't it? Because, like, you know, you know, Peter Field did the whole work on purpose, you know, does purpose kind of improve your effectiveness on average? No. In some cases it does. But a purpose led campaign getting almost five star is pretty impressive.

[B]

It's a very fascinating period of marketing history. Right. I was talking about it a couple of days ago when Byron and I had that famous debate. Remember, it's only 10 years ago. We had this huge disagreement for an hour and then a guy from. We both panned brand purpose at the end and the guy from Unilever got up and argued with both of us at the same time. And I said, you're a brave, brave man, you know. But it was the start of that crazy period which really started to come to an end when Peter did the research to prove that, you know, purpose works. And I think to a lot of marketers, horror discovered that it didn't work. But with the caveat that Peter made quite well, that it did work for suppliers and employees, but not for consumers. And I just. The only thing I can think of, because this started out looking like a terrible ad. Right. But to Carlsberg's. First of all, let's be clear, Carlsberg are doing this because they're very good people. And I think that little line at the end about does this make our beer taste better? I think there's a real nice wink that says, listen, it doesn't. It's pointless. Yeah, but we're doing something good. Might just make this good.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Well, what's your take? Because I'm surprised.

[A]

No, I know I'm generally a bit surprised as well. I think actually surprise is part of it. I think this is surprising. I think having a seal, going back to what's about animals, I think there's a, there's a bit of emotion in the seal. So I think the surprise to seal, I think they're using a famous line, probably, you know, the best beer in the world.

[B]

So there's a nice little code at the end.

[A]

There's a little code that carries it through. You got a couple. So I, I just. It is a bit surprised, I have to say. It scored better than I expected.

[B]

But I mean, I have to say on the beer front, it is a beer I would go to quite happily. I very much like the way Carlsberg a few years ago recognized. We can't keep saying we're probably the best beer in the world because we're so far away from it and reformulated and actually, I have to say they made a bit. They sent me a couple of cans of it and I have to say it's been one of my repertoire beers ever since. I really. I think it's a good point. Yeah. Oh, interesting animal.

[A]

Interesting. Yeah.

[B]

The tongue in cheek purpose thing might be the thing that makes it work here, Right. That it's not like, you know, it's not too sincere, which in a weird way is kind of.

[A]

I think. I think that's good tactics, actually, because, like, purpose can get too serious. But actually, I think you can. You can play with purpose a bit. Do it in a kind of humorous way is a great way to land it.

[B]

Not many people have done perfect in a fun way. It's fair, it's dripping with sincerity and serious people. Maybe that's what Carlsberg can teach us there.

[A]

Yeah, definitely. Right, so. All right, so coming at number three, top three now.

[B]

Okay. Okay.

[A]

We're going back to the super bowl.

[B]

And back to a better beer. I have to ask.

[A]

Back to a better beer.

[B]

I mean, Carlsberg's okay.

[A]

I think you'll like this one more.

[B]

I already am.

[A]

There you go. Already are. Three or four years ago, and this is actually one that System One helped the development of to make sure that it did well.

[B]

Oh, shit. It's a client.

[A]

Yeah, it's a client.

[B]

Well, it's already good, mate.

[A]

It's already impressive. And actually, to be fair, they test rigorously every single day.

[B]

Of course they do, mate.

[A]

They know what they're doing. Here we go. This is Sam Adams from Boston. Beer.

[B]

Long day, huh? Thank you. Hey, buddy, you want a Sam Adams? All right. Hello. Your cousin from Boston. Wicked's All Around.

[A]

Get it, girl.

[B]

He was lying. We're gonna live forever. Cool. Security.

[A]

That is security. The best night of my life.

[B]

That's good. I haven't seen that one. That's very good.

[A]

That's good, isn't it? And one. Yeah. So when I was testing that, that year in the Super Bowl. The robots are real, is that right? They're actually real. They're actually used as security at Boston Dynamics, who build them. They do use them as kind of border security. They've genuinely filmed on set with the robots. And, you know, I have to say.

[B]

So I know Boston well. I lived there for four years. I got a couple of very good friends. One of my best mates, Johnny McLaughlin, lives there. And that is, you know, for a non American audience, we have to realize that's a very Boston. People will see American, but it's not. That's a Boston.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Not just accent, but attitude, you know, hello. You know, I mean, that's, you know, That's. Yeah, that's brilliant. I love the way it's been done. I have. I have a strong sympathy for Sam Adams because, you know, I go back, I grew up sort of in the States in my young adulthood, and it really came through, I guess, turn of the century, right, when American beer was abysmal. I mean, it was a joke for good reason. Right. And suddenly we had Sam Adams making a good beer. Right. And they had this powerhouse tenures where they were everywhere. And then, of course, that terrible thing happened is they got caught in the middle because suddenly we had a local craft there. Like, I remember I was in Carlsberg, California, at a place called Pizza Point, and they had 45 local California nails, and they were all good and they were all on draft. I remember thinking, oh. And I remember looking at their Boston beer and I remember thinking, why would I drink Boston beer when I have local beer? And I think America went through that. You're either drinking your watery Bud Light or you're going up to the local stuff. You wouldn't go as much now in that middle place that wasn't originally in the middle. So I really feel like that's an ad they need.

[A]

It is.

[B]

If they're going to be mainstream, they're going to have to, you know, they're not going to beat the craft ales. You know, they're going to have to take on the buds of the world.

[A]

They are. It's a great example, actually, creativity beating. So they said at the time Bud had exclusivity or abn. Exclusivity on all super bowl advertising. So no other beer could advertise. So they launched that just before the super bowl, and the moment they're outside the window of exclusivity, that goes on air. So they kind of like, you know, it seemed like a Super bowl ad because the moment the Super Bowl I.

[B]

Got you, it just crossed over.

[A]

Yeah, it just got. Because they.

[B]

A lot less spot price would be like a tenth as well.

[A]

Exactly. Yeah. So they got around, you know, they got as close to the rules as they possibly could.

[B]

Look, they're an interesting company. And are they private still, John? You'd know.

[A]

I think so, actually.

[B]

Yeah. I think they're not part of one of the biggest. Yeah, the founders got in a bit of trouble because he can't. Can feel his pain. Right. He can either shoot at the. At the small, independent craft beers, but you can't, because everyone loves them, or you go after the big boys. And the big boys are like, we don't care so it is that moment where you find yourself in the middle and if you know anything about branding, that's the one place you don't want to be. You're either going to go up into a niche and get a price premium, you're going to go down into the mass and get your volume. And they that feeling at the turn of the century that they were just being repositioned by the market, which is one of those things that, you know, they didn't deserve it. It just happened to them. Do you know what I mean? And I think I always give the example when I teach my class about, I used to eat every day when I lived in London. Prett a manger sushi. I don't even do it anymore. At least it was pretty good sushi. And then I did a big job in Japan and then I came back and I couldn't eat. It was inedible and it was still the same sushi. It's just the context of your experience had changed. You suddenly knew, you know, you were comparing something else. Boston, you know, it's a great ale, right, until you have a fresh local made 2 miles away IPA and suddenly it's still good. But it ain't that, you know, I.

[A]

Mean, freshness is insane. I mean, we were chatting earlier, weren't we? But, yeah, when I started brewdog for my sort of five minutes. But I remember the induction with James Watt because he'd get us all to try these two beers and we'd have to fill out this big sensory form of like, you know, body and nose and carbonation and color and all this sort of thing. And we have to rate both of them. And he'd go around the room, we would all give our scores in and he'd say, so tell me which beers you think they are. And we'd go, a bit like punk IPA maybe, or maybe it's this or whatever. And he goes, they're the same beer two weeks apart. And it was. And so.

[B]

So literally fresh and 14 days.

[A]

Fresh in 14 days.

[B]

The difference was papal bigger than anything else. I did that. I had a girlfriend in England whose brother went on some camping thing right next door to the Theestons brewery. And my girlfriend's dad said, look, I'll pay for you two to drive up, stay there for the night and pick him up, because I can't be bothered, you know, fair enough. And I got to the. This, you know, literally the sort of the Theakston's Brewery home pub, you know, everyone has them, you know, and I Remember having a pint and literally going, what is that? And the answer is, that's what beer tastes like when it rolled out yesterday. And I actually tried to persuade Michael, the young, the young lad, my girlfriend's brother. I'm like, my Mike, can you mountain biking? I said, can you do some more mountain biking or something and give us another day here? And he was like, yeah, I'll stay. So we had another day purely. So I was like putting the time at 5 o'clock so I could get in there. And I still can remember how that beer tasted. And to what's point, it is fresh beer will probably be almost anything, do you know what I mean? And it's got to be treated like milk all the way from the brewery. And I think we're learning more. I mean, Australia, where I do most of my drinking until about 10 years ago, they take a beer, transport it through 30 degree heat, leave it outside, and eventually four weeks later they'd serve you a pint cold. But the point is it was already dead. So this idea of, you know, getting it as soon as you can, I think it's super important. I think maybe the most important point you've ever made, I think in any.

[A]

Podcast, honestly, I mean, having done that induction, I was like, that's the game in town, is just find a way of making bringing the beer as fresh to the, to the consumer like as you, as you possibly can.

[B]

I think we should dwell on it for much longer.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

In as many ways as possible. I'm also conscious of the fact that I've had now too much beer.

[A]

Right. So we're coming down to second place. And I know this is a brand both you and I like quite a lot.

[B]

On many levels.

[A]

On many levels.

[B]

Well, and we're not, we're not on our own here. I think we're a good company selling pint.

[A]

It is Britain's best selling point here.

[B]

It is potentially an absolute pleasure to drink.

[A]

Indeed.

[B]

Britain's maybe best managed brand.

[A]

I'd say so.

[B]

Most distinctive brand.

[A]

We have data, 100%, a lot of data on that one.

[B]

And run by some, I have to say, some of the nicest people I've ever met. Neil Shah, who's no longer running it. That's a good story right for you. I wrote a column when they made Britain's Best selling pie. Hang on one second.

[A]

All right, let's get into it.

[B]

That's good, that's good. So when I. Are you gonna split the G? No, you know, when they made it to best Selling. I'd seen him a couple of times, Neil, and I said, can I write about you guys and you becoming. And he said, no, no, hang on, hang on. And then eventually I saw I had to persuade him, you know, then I wrote this column about what they'd done. It was very successful column. And I mentioned him quite a lot because he's, you know, in charge of it. And he wrote back and said, look, don't mention me. And I went, yeah, okay, mate, I've got that, you know, and I know that's false modesty. So I sent him another draft, which I very rarely do with people. I got an inkling, you know, and he said, no, I'm serious. Diageo is not that kind of company. We're. It's a team effort. I'm not, you know, I'm not joking. Take me out. And I think I had to take him out of every reference. And then I added a paragraph which is. It's rare to get someone. Normally you've got as, you know, a marketing chief who's taking credit for shit that was nothing to do with them. Neil was the opposite. And rare to find. There's good guys, good girls in the industry everywhere, mostly good people. But humility, not something you find so much of in that. At that level of marketing.

[A]

You're absolutely right. I had Stephen O'Kelly. He's the global brand director based in Ireland on same thing. I mean, hasn't done hardly any publicity. Very humble. And he's fourth generation, like, you know, Guinness born and bred, you know, dad.

[B]

And it was Ivan Menendez, remember the. Tragically now not with his CEO. And he was like that. He was apparently because he was a marketing guy originally got Rose up to CEO. He never did profile stuff he wasn't interested in. You know, I'm the big man. And I think, you know, you have that. That horrible saying, the fish rots from the head down, but the fish also can be lovely and humble from the head down. If you get guys and girls like that at the top. And the new woman seems very similar. I think what it does is it signals we're not here to boast about ourselves. Shah, I think, is a man to watch.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, no, I totally agree.

[B]

And also, can we just pause and I know I've had a few now, this is a. It's a good point. And can I make my product point? You know, we are still not fully conscious of the fact that the product P is the most important P. And it would be nonsense to suggest Guinness with Good distribution and a good price and great advertising would be anything other than an afterthought. It's the product that drives everything. It's good and we mustn't forget that. And marketers must get involved in it.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, the story of Britain's best pint is great as well, because talking to Stephen, they went through a lot of tough times where their distribution was being cut back. They weren't, you know, there's more tough times than, you know, we look back and go, oh, yeah, of course, Guinness.

[B]

But dusty old brand, it was.

[A]

It was a very old man's drink. And they were losing, you know, they've got a much younger demographic. The 0% launch, I think, is fantastic because in most cases, going for a 0% beer is a trade down, isn't it? But they, They've worked so hard to.

[B]

Make you remember when they got it in cans, when they first got it right in cans 20 years ago, it really was a sensation to try it. But again, I come back to that product point. It's also not a variable pint anymore. I'm old enough to remember you would go on the ferries because they had for English people the best. Guinness was on the ferry over to Dublin and it really was. It's not anymore, because the consistency of this guy. Yeah, it's a long time since I.

[A]

Pressed him on this, actually, because I. I was sure that was still the case, you know, pint again, you know, sorry P in Dublin. Tastes different. But now they swear it's exactly the same.

[B]

Yeah, I mean, I mean, let's be honest though, you also get the gift of the most distinctive. You know, I think they call it a quarter white, three quarters black. Right. God gave them a big, you know, but they've used it and they have forgotten it. Right. So for me, like, I think it's probably, you know, we get those research that says 80% of brands could disappear and the consumer wouldn't care. And that's true.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I think Guinness is one of the brands. If it did disappear, I would not only notice, but I would be upset for quite a long time and I would think about it.

[A]

The other thing I love they've done is they've used their constraint, which it takes a long time to pour, apparently 119 and a half seconds. I think I'm right in saying it takes the pour. They've used that constraint to their advantage by, you know, with the whole campaign. Good things come to those who wait and they. Which is.

[B]

And they've enforced it right. You cannot get a fast pint of Guinness. No, look, it's a special thing. Right. And the other thing that I found fascinating, which may not be true, is it's actually slightly lower calorie than most lagers.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But they never played it because it doesn't fit with the black, sort of big, hulking, you know, so they just never went with, oh, and we're 10% less calories than a regular beer.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Which may or may not. That was something my mate told me in a product.

[A]

We're back to things we should tell ourselves, you know. Exactly. We're going back to Guinness.

[B]

If you drink Guinness, you'll lose loads of weight, you know. Oh, my mate, he's got a private plane to save money. Yeah, yeah, we'll drink Guinness and lose weight on Scott Galloway's really good economic plane.

[A]

There we go. Now, the interesting thing about this, I looked at all the Guinness ads on system on database. The one that came out top was very, very, very time specific. So this, this was the ad they put in just as pubs were opening again. And I think it's interesting because, again, talking to Stephen about. They put a lot of. Because, you know, pubs. A lot of pubs going out of business, obviously losing their clientele for the best part of the year. And so what they did is they put all their effort into supporting the trade and getting the trade back on their feet in terms of like, you know, bar kit and tables and chairs outside and all those sort of things and really going. And I think you were saying about, like, is there a brand you'd miss? And actually what Covid did is it kind of. Basically it made you think, it made you think about things you're missing. So the bounce they got. I think the bounce they got post Covid was incredible. And this was the campaign that they.

[B]

And was this one pre. The sort of reopening or this was in.

[A]

So that had a few. Actually quite interesting because Covid actually started in Ireland on St Patrick's Day, unfortunately. You know.

[B]

I'm sorry.

[A]

Well, I say Covid. I mean, lockdown.

[B]

I shouldn't have. But it's this idea that, you know, oh, for St Patrick's Day this year, we'll get Covid.

[A]

You know, they're probably going, should we just delay lockdown 24 hours? Let them have it, you know. But say St. Patrick's Day was very unusual when Covid started.

[B]

No shit.

[A]

Yeah, exactly. They got out there very quickly with a win it together type thing, as everyone did. But it's when it got this is the ad that they came out with when it got, you know, when they.

[B]

Had permission to open, when people started getting to a beer. Like, thirsty as hell.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

Yeah. Well, that's great.

[A]

There you go.

[B]

I mean, it's hard for me now because I'm quite pissed. That's fantastic. In my opinion, that's. That's a masterpiece. Right. But I would say the one brave thing and you'd know more about it than me. You've paid the rights for. What's the song called? Thank you, producer. I love you, I love you, baby.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You're going to pay a little decent amount of money for that. But they haven't then gone. Right. Let's make sure it's played perfectly by the artist. They've got a bunch of, you know, drunken Irish people to sing it, which I think is the point.

[A]

It is the point. And it's very, you know, it's not. It's not quite the. Stylistically, what they were doing in lockdown, what most people doing in lockdown. It's kind of phone from a, you know, film from a campus film from a phone.

[B]

Hang on. I had a couple.

[A]

I've been on the zero percent.

[B]

That's a real one.

[A]

I'm a third of a Guinness in, like.

[B]

This is hilarious Focus.

[A]

Are you sure you got lucky Saints? You're just playing with me. Anyway. But it feels a little bit low budget, doesn't it? In a nice way. Like they have to spend loads of money.

[B]

But I think that's the point. It looks on premise. It looks like they've just gone into a room full of people that are hammered and of course, to rise even now in 2024. Well, yeah, great. But if you were back there in 2021. Yeah. Your first thing you saw when you saw a room full of people is, where's the masks? Where's the thing? Yeah. So that for its time and we've lived through, you know, one of the most unusual. I'm always saying, what was it like to live through World War II? What was it like to live through Covid. I'll have to explain to my daughter, who won't remember it, my son, who wasn't there, this strange moment where. And I think that's an ad that comes out the back of it and goes, let's just have. Let's all sit together and have a beer because we haven't been able to do it for 18 months.

[A]

You know, that's it.

[B]

All right.

[A]

Coming to number one. I think this might surprise a few people. It's a very, very good.

[B]

Can I surprise you?

[A]

You can surprise me. Yes, exactly. Yes, we are surprised be surprised ad for Heineken. And they did a partnership with a new Bond film. So they, you know, they were.

[B]

They were Bonds. Official beer.

[A]

Exactly. Official beer of Bonds. Now, this ad is two minutes long. And now, of course, most brand managers go, yeah, the longer I've got the. The better, you know what I mean? Actually, system on data would suggest the opposite. The optimum time is between 20 and 30 seconds.

[B]

So we've got. And that's not financial, it's not like, you know.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. It's just that, you know, to get your message across, that's how long it takes. If you go beyond that, certainly beyond 40 seconds, actually start to lose the audience rather than gain the audience.

[B]

So there's an explanation for that, which I think you'll find is because the creative director allows himself to be or herself to engage in indulgent wank. Right, the minute you say 120 seconds, things are going to get out of control. Right. We get long, lingering shots of things. Yeah, yeah.

[A]

You've got all the unnecessary shots.

[B]

Is that the case?

[A]

Well, on that bombshell, this is why it's unusual, because two minutes.

[B]

That's why you're going to surprise.

[A]

And it scores 5.6. This is 5.6. 5.6, man. Do you know what? Actually, this is another thing. It was very, very hard to find a five star ad in beer. I think there were. Let's have a look at the numbers we got. We only got two, so there's only two five star rats and Guinness, the Guinness one and this one. Everything else is four stars.

[B]

We should point out as well that 5.6, bizarrely, is the strength of Guinness. And I'm not going to switch for my final pint to pint number 10. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, people, for Heineken, apologies. You make a fine beer, but it isn't as good as Guinness. And I'm staying with my Guinness.

[A]

And for listeners and anyone viewing out there, I can confirm we've recorded two podcasts today and we've had beers in both. And Mark has not gone to the toilet once.

[B]

Massive bladder, mate. One of, one of the things Richardson's.

[A]

A famous, well trained bladder.

[B]

Massive bladder. Hugely important in the whole thing.

[A]

Right, here we go.

[B]

Daniel Craig's Good value.

[A]

He's getting there. Yeah.

[B]

I think you have my passport, Daniel Craig. Nice try, Mr. Bond.

[A]

There you go.

[B]

Wow. It's a good pickup. At the end.

[A]

And again, there you go. Great example of brand partnership, isn't it? You know, and partnering with another brand to do something.

[B]

Well, look, first, it's a marvelous little piece of film. I think it speaks to Daniel Craig, who's constantly wanting to take the piss out of him himself, but has to be the serious James Bond. I think he would have enjoyed it. He's got a great sense of humor. But for me also, it's hard for me. I'm a real Bond reader rather than watcher. I think he's been the best Bond, you know, off and on. In my opinion, even better than Connery. He's been marvelous closer to the books. But my problem is, and I, you know, as a working class boy who, you know, my exposure to posh, admirable characters, Bond was, you know, he's, you know, I defy any Englishman or woman to gain. No Englishman in this case. Women sometimes correctly realize it's a bit childish, but if you. Any Englishman gets in a car and John Barry's music comes on, I defy you not to drive faster.

[A]

Totally.

[B]

It's impossible, right? It's an emotional, physical response. But the other thing that Bond, in the books, the original Bond was famous for, was he was a connoisseur. And if you follow the books, if he's in Bermuda, he'll drink Red Stripe. Yeah. If he's in Paris, he'll drink Bollinger. In my case, you drink Dom Perignon 55, not the 56. Right. So he would always adjust his choices to his context, which is what a connoisseur does. Right? You don't have a favorite beer, you don't have a favorite wine. You have the perfect choice for the location of people that you're with at that time. And that was one of the things I learned from Bond was, you know what I mean? You pick your beverage based upon your setting. And you take great pleasure in knowing every place you go in the world that we drink it that way there. And I, you know, I drank a lot of hen. I worked for Hennessy, I drank a lot of Hennessy cognac. If you go to Hong Kong, let's say, why not Shanghai, that you drink Hennessy in a tall glass with ice, you would never get it in a sniff, right? And you would appreciate the fact that that's how you do it. If you drink it out of a small snifter glass, you're an idiot. You know, the exact opposite being the case if you head into, you know, Central Europe. That was what Bonn was about. So I had slight problems when Honey Heineken became the official beer of James Bond because he doesn't have an official beer. He would never go to Morocco and drink Heineken, you know what I mean? Because it's a. It's a Belgian beer, right. He would drink some unknown local beer. Now having said that, that is a great ad.

[A]

That is a great ad, isn't it?

[B]

It's got the humor, the band out of tune.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I can't imagine they got much media.

[A]

No, I reckon that would have been just the showcase, maybe the film premiere online.

[B]

But isn't that the tragedy where you see these great bits of film? Oh yeah, but they never get.

[A]

They never get.

[B]

The industry sees them. A shout out to Daniel Craig, who I think is phenomenally humble and really isn't anything like James Bond at all. He's a real hippie, kind of cool, fashionable, brilliant actor from the rsc, right, who's managed to fool everyone that he's some cold blooded assassin, you know what I mean? I think he's a brilliant actor.

[A]

He's good.

[B]

But I suspect here he would have enjoyed taking the piss out of him himself quite beautifully. That's a great ad. I mean, but here we are, right? Does. I mean, I think that's a little interesting moment at the end though, John, we. It was a great ad. I enjoyed it very much. I admire it. I'm still drinking Guinness.

[A]

I'm still drinking Guinness.

[B]

If I can finish on a note, it would be that, you know, let's not. As much as I respect what system one does best in the business and certainly the advertising has its role to play, you know, doesn't necessarily make me change my point.

[A]

There you go.

[B]

On that bombshell, can I surprise you now? But hey, this has been fun. We finally do.

[A]

This is good. We did say back in January we'd.

[B]

Do this when we were floating in the Pacific.

[A]

In the Pacific. I wasn't sure I was going to come back from that trip I did.

[B]

You weren't looking like you were the night out when we had the.

[A]

To be fair, actually the Four Pines. That was one of the best beers I've ever had.

[B]

It's funny that, isn't it?

[A]

That's really good. Yeah. Well, back to our freshness. Beautiful location, great west coast ipa.

[B]

I will be there. Where are we now? We're in a downtown South London pub. I will be in the Four Pines. I put my children to bed. Usually my wife goes down as well at this point and I will nip out because it's only two minutes from my house and I will slide three in, which I will do on Sunday night. I'll think of you.

[A]

I'll think of me, mate.

[B]

It will be completely different set. I'll be looking at the ocean, drinking Four Pines, thinking about you very fondly, but also how I'm very glad to be back in Manly, looking at the Pacific, drinking. Oh, here's a good call. A beer that is even slightly better than that Pacific Ale. I'd put it up against Guinness.

[A]

I'm with you. That's I still have the T shirt though. On that bombshell.

[B]

On that bombshell.

[A]

Thank you so much, mate.

[B]

Good to see you.

[A]

Till next time, thank you very much for listening or watching Uncensored cmo. I hope you enjoyed that. If you did, please do hit the subscribe button wherever you get your podcast. If you're watching, hit subscribe there as well. I'd also love to get a review. Reviews make a big difference on other people discovering the show, so please do leave a review wherever you get your podcast. If you want to contact me, you can do I'm over on X at Uncensored CMO or on LinkedIn where I'm under my own name, John Evans. Thanks for listening and watching. I'll see you next time.