Stella Artois: THE NIGHT CHAUFFEUR

Credits & Description:

Category: Best Use of Ambient Media: Small Scale

Advertiser: ANHEUSER-BUSCH INBEV

Product/Service: STELLA ARTOIS BLACK

Agency: MOTHER

Date of First Appearance: Nov 4 2010

Entrant Company: MOTHER, London, UNITED KINGDOM

Creative Director: Mark Waites (Mother London)

Creative Director: Robert Saville (Mother London)

Creative Director: Stephen Butler (Mother London)

Creative Director: Gustavo Sousa (Mother London)

Art Director: Erik Hedman (Mother London)

Art Director: Julia Stenius (Mother London)

Copywriter: John Cherry (Mother London)

Copywriter: Sasha Markova (Mother London)

Experiential Producer: Juliette Hughes (Mother London)

Experiential Director: Dermot McPartland (Mother London)

Production Partner: Punch Drunk (Punch Drunk)

Event Logistics: Harriet Quirke (Punch Drunk)

Content Strategist: Neil Bennett (Mother London)

Content Strategist: Laurence Horner (Mother London)

Account Manager: Krista Nelson (Mother London)

Account Manager: Aileen Grebovic (Mother London)

Agency TV Producer: James Lethem (Mother London)

Designer: Tod Duke-Younge (Mother London)

Programmer: Pritty Gilby (Mother London)

Media placement: Promotional materials - Onsite - in selected pubs - 22 October

Media placement: Microsite - Online - Facebook - 1 November 2010

Media placement: Experience - Press Night - Onsite - in selected pubs - 4 November 2010

Media placement: Experience - 1st public experience - Onsite - in selected pubs - 14 November 2010

Media placement: Film - Online - 17 November 2010



Insights, Strategy & the Idea

STELLA ARTOIS BLACK a new premium variant of STELLA ARTOIS, was launched in 2010 in only 500 on-trade locations in the UK. We were asked to support the launch by creating awareness and helping to drive trial.



We knew this audience would not respond to conventional advertising, so we instead created an unforgettable experience to introduce them to the world of STELLA ARTOIS BLACK in a unique way.



Knowing we couldn’t cover every pub, we concentrated on 10 in London – regular hangouts for opinion formers. We then set about giving them, bloggers and journalists, an experience they’ll never forget to stimulate conversation and drive coverage online.



We knew this audience would not respond to conventional advertising, so we instead created The Night Chauffeur, an unforgettable experience to introduce them to the world of STELLA ARTOIS BLACK in a unique way.



Creative Execution

The Night Chauffeur featured four different story lines set in the mysterious and intriguing world of STELLA ARTOIS BLACK, each took place in an original 1960s Citroen DS car that we had specially restored to become mini-theatres. With actors and props, participants became the central character in a thrilling story line.



Each storyline was an expression of both the beer’s brewing process, in which the liquid is matured for longer; and the beer’s qualities; a complex and rewarding taste. And so a moral about things getting better with time was interwoven into each narrative, whilst each particularly deep and meaningful in context.



The entire event was supported by pre-promotion in outlets through cinematic posters, beer-mats, postcards and props, and through seeding amongst bloggers and press. Participants applying for tickets as part of an in bar promotion, and booked their slot for them and a friend prior to the event.



Results and Effectiveness

Just over a thousand opinion formers took part in The Night Chauffeur, but it generated huge spread throughout the social media sphere. Online, 49 million page impressions were generated through updates, tweets and blog posts, whilst news outlets including The Guardian, The Evening Standard and Timeout all covered the production - it even got a five star review in its own right, from The Stage, a famous theatre magazine.



Through The Night Chauffeur we were able to both introduce STELLA ARTOIS BLACK and demonstrate its key qualities to give key opinion formers a truly rich experience they’ll never forget.