Pennsylvania-based Yuengling often casts itself as “America’s oldest brewery,” and over the past couple of years it has enjoyed a PBR-style renaissance amongst those who shall not be named (it has topped many past lists of potential successors now that everyone drinks the Pabst unironically).
If you live in the Boston area, you may have heard rumblings of the brew’s return to area stores in 2013; later reports held that the company would invest “millions” in its relaunch. Way back in 2010, trendsetter Barack Obama even declared it his “favorite beer” and sent a case to friends in Canada (though we don’t quite believe him considering the White House’s own much-hyped affinity for brewing).
Now the sudsy company has chosen an advertising agency: Allen & Gerritsen, the Boston shop that merged with Philadelphia’s Neiman Group in 2013. A&G’s coming campaign will attempt to “bring [Yuengling’s] history to life while reaching a younger generation” via a documentary-style video, a print campaign, and tattoos from diehard fans.
The campaign is not live at the moment; it will launch in March/early April and run east of the Mississippi with a focus in Pennsylvania. But we do have the “making of” spot here:
That’s enough to get a good sense of how the down-home campaign will turn out. Chris Reif, SVP of creative and innovation at A&G, writes:
“It’s awesome to have the opportunity to partner with such an iconic American brand – and one that we happen to be huge fans of. It’s rare to be able to work in such a great category with a family-owned company that has a cult-like following nationwide, and it makes our job a lot of fun. We’re psyched to continue our relationship with Yuengling and can’t wait to see fans’ reactions to the Respect campaign.”
Now pardon us while we sample the case we may or may not have received earlier this week.