With summer a little over a month away, the freshly-rebranded San Francisco agency Duncan Channon launched a series of online spots for Craft Brew Alliance’s Kona Brewing Company, continuing the laid back vibe the agency introduced with its introductory “Dear Mainland” effort nearly three years ago.
Craft Brew Alliance, by the way, is a company comprising Redhook Ale Brewery, Widmer Brothers Brewery, Omission Beer and Square Mile Cider, that as of 2013 is 32.2 percent owned by A-B InBev and among the ten largest beer brewing companies in the country.
Like its predecessors. Duncan Channon’s latests ads for the brand revolve around a pair of Hawaiian “Bruddahs” who playfully poke fun at mainland culture, suggesting maybe we should lighten up a bit, enjoy the sunshine and drink a cold Kona. This time around, they tackle a certain augmented reality mobile game, viral cat videos and bad reality television in a trio of 15-second spots concluding with the “One life, right? Don’t blow it.” tagline.
The spots make their debut on Facebook and Instagram today and will run through September 3, joining a series of existing broadcast spots in the integrated campaign. Duncan Channon also worked on a series of “Dear Kona” videos which will run on the same platforms during the same time period and feature the Bruddahs responses to fictional questions about their “Favorite Kona,” “Fridays,” “Meetings” and a boss who labels every email as “Urgent.”
“The Kona brand is all about encouraging people to slow down, breathe and connect with what matters – family, friends, nature, experiences,” Duncan Channon executive creative director Anne Elisco-Lemme said in a statement. “In the new creative, the brothers’ tongue-in-cheek banter about pop culture content that keeps us chained to our screens reminds us that we sometimes need to put down the phone, turn off the TV or close that YouTube video to get out and enjoy life.”
“Kona’s Dear Mainland campaign has been successful because people love the light-hearted way our ‘Bruddahs’ deliver the relatable and much-needed reminder to step outside their daily routine and make time for what matters most to them,” added Kona Brewing Co. director of brand marketing Cindy Wang. “That’s why we’re excited to showcase their special brand of Hawaiian wisdom in new formats beyond traditional TV spots and create hyper-local ways to engage new audiences.”
“We know people are guilty of spending time online at the expense of other meaningful, relaxing or fun experiences, so it makes sense for us to reach our audience on social to deliver Kona’s good humored message about screen time,” she added.