In an effort to play with the big boys, Moosehead Breweries is flaunting Alpine’s sexy side in two new TV spots. The campaign, by T.O.-based Goodgoll Vendramin (formerly Goodgoll Curtis), is designed to position the St. John, N.B.-based beer brand as a relevant player among heavyweights like Budweiser.

Targeting 21 to 25s, the advertising sheds the 50-year-old brand’s down-to-earth, patriotic tone and opts for a fresher, more contemporary look, says Trevor Goodgoll, president of the agency. Thus, Alpine has dropped its former tagline, ‘You gotta live here to get it,’ replacing it with the much cooler ‘It’s all good.’

Having lost 5% of its 25% share since Budweiser launched in the Maritimes in the late 1980s, Moosehead conducted region-wide focus groups that polled 300 consumers to find out why. It discovered that, while Alpine’s traditional focus on being brewed exclusively for East Coasters appealed to its older, loyal consumers, leveraging the indigenous angle was not attracting younger beer drinkers.

‘As we move into the 21st century, the regional consumer lives in North America,’ says Goodgoll. ‘We’re positioning Alpine as a world-class brand available locally. Alpine competes against the marketing dollars of the biggest North American names and the spillover from the States. The ads have to be memorable.’

Previous advertising featured average Joes enjoying laid-back house parties, but the new campaign, which runs region-wide as of May 5, features a super-sexy guy pouring an Alpine at a hip bar that could be located anywhere.

Initially the ad’s hero starts to sweat when he notices an ex chatting with his girlfriend. Afraid that the ex’s diminutive gesture refers to his you-know-what, the guy surmises, ‘Who knows what women talk about?’ at the exact moment that he pours a perfect head. His girlfriend comes over and repeats the diminutive gesture, affirming that the ex is ‘this close to getting married.’

‘To grow the brand, we’ve created an aspirational image that features sexy, but accessible talent. In the past, we reflected the consumer, whereas now the brand is showing that it is relevant and contemporary,’ says Goodgoll.

And while the campaign is directly targeting the younger demo, Moosehead doesn’t fear alienating older consumers. ‘These consumers weren’t young too long ago, and the message resonates regardless of age,’ says CD Benjamin Vendramin.

Moosehead will launch two other national campaigns, one for Moosehead Lager and another for Moosehead Light, this summer.

Client: Moosehead Breweries

Marketing Director: Steve Poirier

Agency: Goodgoll Vendramin (formerly Goodgoll Curtis)

CD: Benjamin Vendramin

Copywriter: Robert McDougall

Art Director: Benjamin Vendramin

Agency Producer: Dena Thompson

Brand Manager: Christine Comeau

Production House: Stillking Films

Director of Photography: Oliver Cocaul

Executive Producers: Nick Saward, Leigh Clarke

Line Producer: Nick Saward

Editor: Richard Unruh

Colourist: Eric Whipp

Final Edit: Ernie Mordak

Music: Rosnick MacKinnon Webster