After Watching This Ad for a New Low-Carb Beer, You May Feel Surprisingly Chill

There is a certain familiarity in beer ads. For years, the montage approach seemed to be a popular formula. Get some attractive people, shoot a bunch of uptempo situations and, voila: a beer ad. In the low-carb category, we’ve seen a similar approach from the likes of Michelob Ultra (but, to their credit, they did try a little ASMR). Of course, it makes sense to show the lives of the target audience and, when done well, it can be creative comfort food. Saint Archer Brewing Company, owned by MillerCoors, took the same approach to launch its new beer, Saint Archer Gold. Upon first glance, there was a certain “here we go again” vibe, but it’s an ad that sucks you in instantly. It’s hard to place your finger on why that’s the case, but there are some clues. It could be Foy Vance’s “Shed a Little Light” that keeps the pace more languid. Maybe it’s the beautiful cinematography, editing and direction from Will Mayer. [kickout id="1"] “One of the big creative considerations was how to connect a lot of passions that are true to the independent, creative spirits that love Saint Archer through a light story and the campaign line ‘A light for the journey,’” said Rob Baird co-founder and CCO of Preacher, the Austin agency that created the campaign. “So whether it's the setting sun for a group of surfers, the open flame of a neon artist, stage lights, or the glow from an impromptu party, we wanted to show their journey being guided by light. Since this newest product is called Saint Archer Gold, we really focused on the golden hour as day turns to night.” There could also be the laid back San Diego scene at play here as well. The brewery was founded in the city by a group of pro surfers, skateboarders, snowboarders, artists and musicians. “We wanted to capture the lifestyle of San Diego,” added Baird. “We chose to cast real people in the roles who are experts in their craft, from a surfboard shaper to neon artist. We featured people who truly live and breathe and help create the culture in San Diego and with Saint Archer. The energy never felt like a commercial shoot—more like a big, spirited hangout.” The 90-second “anthem” ad is the centerpiece and strongest of the bunch, but the 30-second ads (two of which incorporate the more peppy song “Delinquent Beat” by Pat Capocci) hold their own as well. The brand and ads will roll out in four craft beer-centric markets, Austin, Arizona, Indianapolis and Charlotte, N.C., with a national launch to follow soon. [kickout id="2"] [kickout id="3"] [kickout id="4"] Bottom line, though, is that these ads are incredibly watchable and may make the low-carb beer set that doesn’t aspire to participate in 40 Ironman triathlons a year think about going the craft route next time. CREDITS: Client: MillerCoors/Saint Archer Brewing Co. VP Sales+Marketing, MillerCoors: Paul Verdu President, Saint Archer Brewing: Brad Nadal Senior Manager, MillerCoors: Amanda Devore Director of Marketing, Saint Archer Brewing: Adam Warren Creative Director, Saint Archer Brewing: Kylie Carnes Associate Marketing Manager, MillerCoors: Alex Quigley Agency: Preacher Chief Creative Officer: Rob Baird Chief Executive Officer: Krystle Loyland Chief Strategy Officer: Seth Gaffney Creative Director: Marcus Brown Art Director: Sally Franckowiak Copywriter: Gabe Long Senior Designer: Steven Wimberley Senior Brand Manager: Kristen Meade Strategy Director: Marika Wiggan Executive Producer: Stacey Higgins Senior Producer: Shane Smith Business Affairs: Miiko Martin Production Company: Stink Films Director: Will Mayer DP: Ian Rigby Managing Director: Jeff Bron Executive Producer: Fran McGivern Head of Production: Nick Fuller Line Producer: Thaddeus Herrick Edit House: Cabin Managing Partner: Carr Schilling Producer: Liz Lydecker Editor: Scott Butzer Assistant Editor: Nick Deliberto Music: MAS President/Partner: James Alvich EP/Partner: Gabe McDonough Music Supervisor/Producer: Kat Hom Licensed Tracks: “Shed a Little Light” by Foy Vance and “Delinquent Beat” by Pat Capocci Audio Mix: Pony Sound Sound Engineer: Josh Wilson Finish House: Shape + Light Senior Producer: Shelby Wong Creative Director: Rob Trent Lead Flame: Mark Youngren Flame Assist: Austin Lewis Telecine: The Mill Executive Producer: Linda Jackson Senior Producer: Liza Kerlin Colorist: Adam Scott Color Assist: Gemma Parr and Zack Wilpon Coordinator: Jessica Amburgey VFX: The Mill Producer: Andrew Gilson 2D Lead: Philip Ineno Photography Agency: Supervision Agent: Rebecca McCubbin Photographer: Tim Barber

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After Watching This Ad for a New Low-Carb Beer, You May Feel Surprisingly Chill

MillerCoors’ Saint Archer enters the beer wars in style

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