IDEA: Alcohol ads aren't usually very poetic, but Grey's new work for Mike's Hard Lemonade is literally so—if heavy on the doggerel. The alcopop is evolving its positioning from an occasional alternative to beer (as seen in last year's "Always different. Always refreshing" campaign) to a drink that's good anytime. "Perhaps we can get beyond the idea that it's only cool to bring Mike's to a picnic or pool party or backyard barbecue," said Grey creative director Brian Platt. Two new ads are set in a bowling alley and a Japanese restaurant and use comically rhyming dialogue—like Dr. Seuss after a sixpack— to illustrate, along with director Tom Kuntz's quirky visuals, how perfect Mike's can be in any situation.
COPYWRITING: Male protagonists banter with an unseen voiceover in both spots. "Anytime's a great time for a cold, refreshing Mike's," the voice says in the bowling spot. "Anytime? Even now?" a gangly bowler replies. "Even if you were bowling against Martin Landau," says the voice. "And a man covered in dirt rubs up on your shirt. It's a great time, you see." "For a Mike's?" "Yes siree." "Even if there were bodybuilders on bikes?" "Even if they brought that guy that nobody likes. Even if you see your girl with your best friend Juan. And the ground opened up, and then you were gone." The bowler falls through the floor, so the voice addresses Juan: "Guess I'll talk to you now. Sorry about your friend. Mike's is great anytime. There's Landau again!" Each line is humorously depicted, and Landau appears both times he's mentioned, grinning broadly.
The agency experimented with loads of rhymes. "'A man covered in dirt rubs up on your shirt' is just a nice moment," said Platt. "The casting and wardrobe and the way Tom directed the guy made it unexpected and funny." Kuntz didn't change any rhymes, though the writers upgraded some of them. ("Guess I'll talk to you now" was originally followed by, "You're the only ones here. Mike's is great anytime. Served wherever there's beer.") The restaurant spot is also filled with absurd characters, from a salty sea captain to Coolio dancing on a stage. The tagline is: "It's never not a good time for a Mike's."
FILMING/ART DIRECTION: Kuntz shot the two spots over three days at locations in Los Angeles. It was a reunion of sorts, as Grey creative directors Steven Fogel and Doug Fallon, the copywriter and art director on these ads, also worked with Kuntz on last year's "Cable Effects" campaign for DirecTV. Kuntz brought his inimitable sensibility. "We thought there would be some nice energy having the bodybuilders biking around and swooping up our protagonist," said Platt. "But Tom was like, 'No, no, let's just have these guys in a V-formation, totally still.' And it just works." The product integration is amusingly lowtech. "We could have CG-ed the hell out of it and had the bottle magically and amazingly appear," Platt said. "It's intentionally very ham-fisted."
TALENT: The agency didn't want to ridicule the celebs. "A lot of brands today bring back these B-actors from the '80s, and the joke is on them," said Platt. "I hope you're surprised to see Landau in the bowling alley and hear his name. But the laugh isn't so much on him. Same thing, to a lesser extent, with Coolio." The heroes are relatable, Platt added—"not too cool where you hate them or too much of a geek where it was clear we just cast for the geek." Mike Hanson does an impressive job as essentially the voice of God.
SOUND: The agency considered using music but felt that the rhymes were sing-song-y enough by themselves. Otherwise, it's mostly ambient sound.
MEDIA: TV and online. A digital component breaks soon.
THE SPOTS:
CREDITS
Client: Mike's Hard Lemonade
Spots: "Bowling Alley," "Hibachi"
Agency: Grey, New York
Chief Creative Officer: Tor Myhren
Executive Creative Director: Eric Segal
Creative Director: Brian Platt
CD/CW: Steven Fogel
CD/AD: Doug Fallon
Creatives: Robert Cuff, Matthew Nall
Director Broadcast Production: Bennett McCarroll
Agency Producer: John Hilmer
Agency Music Producer: Donald McNally
Account: Chris Ross, Rakesh Talwar, Kara DeBuona, Scott Cohen
Planning: Todd Sussman
Casting: Jerry Saviola, John Bekiaris
Project Manager: Erin Bremmer
Business Manager: Diane Wolfe
Talent Manager: Joanne Sherman, Gail Homesack
Production Company: MJZ
Director: Tom Kuntz
DP: Greg Fraser
Senior Producer: Scott Howard
Line Producer: Emily Skinner
Editorial: Mackenzie Cutler
Editor: Gavin Cutler
Assistant Editor: Ryan Steele
Engineer: Sam Shaffer
Executive Producer: Sasha Hirschfeld
Color: Company 3 // Method Studios
Colorist: Tim Masick
VFX Supervisor: Doug Luka
Flame Artist: Flame Artists – Jay Hawkins, Chris Hunt, Alvin Cruz
Compositors: Aleksandar Djordjevic, David Piombino
Roto: David Marte
Digital Matte Painter: Philippe Gaulier
Executive Producer: Stuart Robinson
Producer: Jenn Dewey/Christa Cox
