Philadelphia and Boston-based agency Allen & Gerritsen launched a new campaign for Yuengling which is the largest in the legacy brewery’s nearly 200 year history.
The campaign, entitled “Respect. It’s Earned.” touts the brewery’s status as the oldest such business in America (German immigrant David Yuengling founded what was then known as Eagle Brewery in 1829), which is pretty much the holy grail of marketing claims for a legacy brewery. It’s no surprise, then, that Allen & Gerritsen restates that fact throughout the 30-second “Lager” while championing the brand’s flagship Yuengling Traditional Lager.
Opening on a shot of the brewery and close up of a bottle of Yuengling Traditional Lager, a voiceover reminds viewers, “This lager comes from a place that’s been brewing beer for longer than anyone else in America,” showing images of the brewery’s hand-dug fermentation caves before later re-iterating, “It comes from Yuengling, America’s oldest brewery.” A second spot, “Perseverance,” takes a similar approach, claiming “To survive the perils of history and time, a brewery needs to hold true to the values it was founded on,” before adding, “We made a damn good beer that tastes the way beer’s supposed to.”
Both ads end on the “Respect. It’s Earned.” tagline which alludes to the brewery’s history while equating its legacy with quality products. (As beer nerds, we might mention that green bottles do not protect against the destruction of hops’ iso-alpha acids from UV rays contributing to “skunky” flavors in beer the way brown bottles do, but that’s a conversation for another time.)
The campaign will stretch throughout Yuengling’s 18-state footprint and include print, digital and both on and off premise retail promotions, in addition to the broadcast spots. Yuengling is nearly doubling its previous media spend for this effort–which is the largest in its history–as the brand attempts to court a new generation of beer drinkers while facing competition from both mega-breweries and the craft market.
“My family has been brewing beer for almost two hundred years, and we’ve been fortunate to have incredibly loyal fans during that time whose enthusiasm has helped our business succeed,” said Yuengling fifth generation president and owner Dick Yuengling. “We have a unique story to tell, and we decided that it’s time we told it more broadly. I’m proud of this campaign because it honors the legacy of our family owned and operated business while introducing Yuengling Traditional Lager to a new generation of beer drinkers.”
“Many beer drinkers don’t realize that Yuengling has been brewing beer longer than anyone else in America, which is an incredible achievement and a testament to our quality beers,” added Yuengling director of marketing Tyler Simpson. “This campaign highlights our 187 years of rich brewing heritage, culminating in our amazing Yuengling Traditional Lager. We are excited about how this work will help us connect with and build another generation of passionate Yuengling fans.”