Mountain Dew Alcohol is Here, so 'Freak Out Responsibly'

A businessman charges through a plate-glass window, a grill master abandons his flaming barbecue and a mail carrier flees her job mid-route, hurdling over a hedge. They all race to the same convenience-store parking lot where they get into an epic wrestling match. What causes this dog pile of flailing limbs and spiking heart rates? The appearance of Hard Mountain Dew, a boozy seltzer with a fandom so rabid that demand for the product has outstripped its availability, according to the brand. Hard Mountain Dew, a partnership between PepsiCo and Boston Beer Company, dropped in only three states—Tennessee, Iowa and Florida—in February. It has since expanded to Arkansas, Oklahoma, Minnesota and Missouri. Cynics might call that planned scarcity, but the brand points the finger at regulatory approval issues. At any rate, the flavored malt beverage's rollout continues and with it, the first marketing push. The 5% alcohol-by-volume product stars in a series of 6-second ads and a 15-second hero spot that aim to show just how determined consumers are to get their hands on a can with the tagline, “Freak Out Responsibly.” In the creative, a butter-fingered delivery driver starts the whole smackdown in motion by dropping a few Hard Mountain Dews outside a retailer. The cans don’t actually hit the ground though because fans descend on the scene like zombies to fresh meat. One spot shows a yogi so desperate for the Dew that she aerial-assaults a consumer outside a store. https://youtu.be/eYB7t316Srk Mountain Dew goes hard The work comes from PepsiCo’s in-house division The Content Studio with an assist from production company Hungry Man. “We’ve heard stories of fans driving hundreds of miles to purchase a case and taste before anyone else,” Kelli McCusker, head of marketing at Hard Mountain Dew, told Adweek. “That’s true dedication and a sentiment we wanted to capture in a comedic way.” The data does seem to back up what McCusker called “raw, unbridled enthusiasm” from buyers, who pushed the product to a 15% market share across Florida, Tennessee and Iowa for the week ending March 13, according to IRI. Peak market share actually hit 34% in Iowa in April, per IRI, with Boston Beer president-CEO Dave Burwick (a former PepsiCo exec) saying during a recent earnings call, “It’s the highest trial I’ve ever seen—ever, ever—and with anything that I’ve ever been involved in personally.” Hard Mountain Dew has an active community on Reddit that’s 22,000-plus people strong, about 40,000 Twitter followers and 24,000 Instagram followers. A contest earlier this year drew north of 12,000 entries with fans vowing to “wrestle a grizzly bear” and “climb through an avalanche with a swimsuit on” to get the product. The prize for the "How Far For Hard Dew" sweepstakes, a VIP trip and tasting in Nashville, eventually went to a San Diego resident. "Freak Out Responsibly" will appear across streaming, digital and social via platforms like Hulu, Spotify, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. Airing initially in seven markets, the campaign will expand as the product goes on sale in additional states. With the premiere of Hard Mountain Dew, PepsiCo became the first soda brand to cross over into booze territory, ahead of arch rival Coca-Cola. But the competition between the two beverage giants is expected to heat up again when Coke launches its ready-to-drink cocktails based on the legacy Fresca brand. The canned drinks, under the Fresca Mixed banner, are being developed with Coke’s partner Constellation Brands, maker of Corona beer. The moves come as the lines continue to blur between soda, beer and spirits, and RTDs of all stripes are growing faster than any other major drinks category, according to IWSR Drinks Market Analysis. CREDITS: Creative: PepsiCo’s The Content Studio Production Company: Hungry ManDirector: Dave LadenEditor: Adam ParkerMusic: Beacon Street Studios With Hard Mountain Dew Launch, PepsiCo Beats Coke to the (Spiked) Punch

Alcohol Industry News

Hard Mountain Dew Tells Its Superfans to 'Freak Out Responsibly'

The first marketing push comes as the new flavored malt beverage expands to seven states

T.L. Stanley

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T.L. Stanley