Modernista! Thinks Dangerously for Brewer

BOSTON Long Beach Brewing has fashioned a print, radio and in-store campaign tagged “This could be dangerous” to launch Thin Ice, a low-carb, low-calorie malt beverage.

Boston independent Modernista! developed the positioning, though the ads were created in-house, a client representative said. Media chores are with crosstown shop Alloy Marketing & Promotions.

The brand rolls out this week in greater Boston, and will also be introduced in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin prior to national distribution in April.

One print ad, which will appear in young adult-oriented media such as The Improper Bostonian, shows a Thin Ice bottle breaking through a watery background with the “This could be dangerous” tag placed boldly beneath. The radio buy includes WFNX-FM, Boston’s leading alternative rock station.

Norwood, Mass.-based Long Beach Brewing debuted three years ago with Sublime Lemon, and also markets the Sublime Hard Raspberry brand. The company was founded by Mike Herbert, a co-creator and former partner of the regional J.P. Licks ice cream shops.

Sublime was touted in late 2001 by Nail, a boutqiue agency in Providence, R.I., which crafted a mildly controversial effort that included a radio spot featuring a man with a “hillbilly accent” using suggestive language while petting a cow.

Nail no longer works for Long Beach, though Modernista! will likely continue to play a role in the development of ads for Thin Ice, the client representative said.