Sunday, June 7, 2009

You'll Remember this one - Steam Whistle Beer

Steam Whistle beer you say – so what? Well, one of Canada’s top micro-breweries sets itself apart with a fun attitude and old fashioned dedication to excellence and clean fun! Whether it's their nifty website that greets you with the sound of an old-fashioned steam engine whistle (Jesse James style!), their vintage thick green bottle (think Little House on the Prairie), or their latest TV ad that uses that same steam-whistle sound, this company uses a simple message to deliver on its promise – we brew a top quality beer with the integrity of days gone by!

Despite its old fashioned image (their vintage trucks deliver beer and attend community events all over the city), this micro-brewery has up-to-date marketing approaches with its own YouTube channel, a website that provides virtual brewery tours, in-pack offers, and an ad that gets attention in the over-populated beer market of lack-lustre commercials. http://www.steamwhistle.ca/

Simply put, this ad is clever, memorable, and creatively makes a statement about the brand that viewers will remember. Who would expect opening a bottle of beer could become so memorable and entertaining? Well done to the Steam Whistle group and the agency folks at Sharpe Blackmore Euro RSCG who brought writer and art director Mike Sundell’s spot to life with the help of a host of talented production and post production individuals. Thanks to Ron Tite VP and creative director at Sharpe Blackmore Euro for uploading his agency’s wonderful spots to YouTube – and yes, if his name is familiar, it's because you may remember him from the Ritz crackers’ LET IT RAIN social media campaign! Expect more in the creativity department from this talented agency...!






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9 comments:

Andy Church said...

Yes, very clever indeed. Is it wrong to see this at 10:00am on a Monday and ponder...its just getting onto noon in Newfoundland...

Christina Clements said...

Chuckle!

ray said...

well done.you are way ahead of me.
keep up the great work.

Anonymous said...

During the summer semester of 2009 I had to do a job shadow with an outside sales rep from a company. I poked blindly at the internet and my finger landed on a company named Steam Whistle. Now I had tried Steam Whistle when I first moved to Toronto in July 2008. It was the green bottle that attracted me to it. I am a huge fan of Rolling Rock from the US that uses a similar style of bottle (Rolling Rock also uses a green bottle with painted graphics) Taking my first sip in 2008 I was disgusted. My thoughts ranged from how is this even popular; to how can I get my money back?
But when doing a school project that involves getting help from someone you have never met you will take anyone that will actually return phone calls and emails. This was my luck when I contacted Steam Whistle.
The day I met the sales rep he asked me if I had seen the Steam Whistle TV spot the night before. I replied no sorry I don't have cable (I am just a poor mature student you know)but that I would go looking for it on YouTube. He told me that it was the first TV spot that Steam Whistle had ever produced. So I was very interested in seeing what it was all about.
Now I must confess something here. I LOVE trains!! Growing up as a kid, playing with a model train set was one of the best ways my parents got me to shut up. So seeing this ad brought back many childhood memories of riding an old Steam Locomotive up to Squamish BC (45min north of Vancouver)
After watching this commercial and learning more than I ever thought possible about Steam Whistle during the project I have become a huge fan of their product.
I think this ad is so much different than any other beer ad out there. The big 2 in Canada have just about lost me as a customer. Molson's ads with the singing guys promoting Rickards made me run to change the channel when ever it came on. It is nice also to see a beer ad that doesn’t involve some scantily dressed woman playing beach volley ball. Well come to think of I have seen an ad like that since the early 2000’s. But watching the Steam Whistle one really stood out in my mind and I will continue to think about the product until school is over. (I practice prohibition during the school year, to keep my thoughts straight!)
I am eagerly awaiting the next Steam Whistle ad do see just how this small little brewery can out do themselves once again!

greg_liton said...

I have to start this by saying that this videos is what creativity is all about! I mean honestly, no I mean seriously now.

The Steam Whistle Beer people literally took something that is completely simple and turned it into a work of creativity. I mean how do you top that? (let me guess, the other beer companies are going to bombard us with girls and beers on as an ad campaign…haha…..don’t get me wrong I love it, but seriously now “creativity?”)

Creativity for me simply means that you are able to take a completely random, simple, and almost next to nothing idea into something that makes people say “wait a minute hold on…oh yeah…not bad, not bad…” I mean come on anyone can let his or her imagination do the talking. I’m pretty sure that almost everyone has it in him or her a hint of creativity just waiting to be tapped. The interesting thing that amazes me with this ad is that for the first few seconds, I waited and wondered what the heck are they up to now? Where is the girl that will carry this typical beer ad? But at the end of the day creativity will definitely win your vote over some hot girl in a beer ad (maybe not, but we are talking creativity in here). The Steam Whistle people could have easily put a girl over there and boom sales index up by 10%, but they instead dug deeper and went creative and classy on this one, which at the end resulted in a definite WINNER!

Speaking of creativity, at work whenever I have the opportunity to put together furniture of the same series but different colors or designs, I do because it stands out the typical assortments the people are used to in the store’s variety. So there I made my point, creativity helps you stand out. And for these beer fanatics lining em up with girls in every other beer ad won’t make their decision any easier in choosing a beer. But being creative, different, and something more helps anyone stand out and same a lot more than just one of them. Steam Whistle Beer Ad= 5 stars!

Greg Liton, 805 579 810, MKTG300 2M

Tikima Burnett said...

I found this Steam Whistle advertisment very effective and memorable. What Steam Whistle's advantage is, is that they have a name that can be made creative. By having the Steam Whistle name, they have that advantage of relating a train to the noise it makes when opening a beer bottle. I found this effective for the main reason because it works, it makes sence.

The creativity of this ad was very well thought out, I believe. One reason I liked it was because the bottle was only in one place. I liked how the main focus was on the bottle. Most beer commercials are about the environment and how much fun you could be having while entertaining yourself with a beer. I especially liked how this ad wasn't about that. Overall I think this is Steam Whistle ad was very creative and effective.

Dang said...

When is a good tome to enjoy a Steamwhistle?? ANYTIME!!

The Steamwhistle guys hit the mark on this commercial. They strayed away from traditional style of beer advertising(which needed to be done), being women and partying, (arguably affective, but old)and succeded in creating an attention getting ad. The simple formula of keeping the product in the forefront and using flash photography sent a clear message of when is a good time to crack a cold one. Also, the audio of the chugging train was a clever way to promote the brand and the pry-off cap (ensures freshness!!), which i know is something that Steamwhistle prides themselves on.

Steamwhistle is a beer that prides itself on quality and integrity, i know that through previous advertising. This ad succeded in its message of when it should be enjoyed while maintaining its image of a premium beer that does not sell out its position in the wonderful, wonderful world of beer.

Unknown said...

I think that this ad is very effective in drawing attention to Steam Whistle beer. It is different than most beer commercials because it focuses on the actual beer instead of focusing on the people drinking the beer, which was getting old.

The way that the beer bottle always stays the same and is crystal clear, as the background is fuzzy and always changing is a very creative way to display the beer. It definatly makes the audience notice the bottle.

The popping noise that plays throughout the entire ad would be annoying in another commercial but fits this commercial perfectly. As well, the steam whistle noise at the very end just makes the audience remember Steam Whistle Beer even more because when we hear that noise we automatically think steam whistle then remember the beer.

Overall, this commercial does a very good job at grabbing the audiences attention.

Mr Handsome said...

This is a great ad that leaves you with something memorable, the sound of the train. Chug-a-chug-a-woo-woo. Ha! I found myself just making that noise as I am writing this.

The idea of this beer being a beer for anytime was conveyed very well, while some people are concerned about what kind of beer they will have with dinner or after dinner this commercial just shows that it is a beer for both those times.

If I was a casual beer drinker after seeing this ad and a Dos Equis commercial I would try Dos Equis based on commercial alone, then I would try Steam Whistle the next.

Also, I am not sure if it was cut out of the end but there is no message to drink responsibility at the end. That should be looked at for future commercials in my opinion.