My Favourite Beer Commercials

1. Stella Artois, Ice Skating Priests

Advertising Agency: Lowe, London

Directed by Jonathan Glazer and shot in Poland with the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 by Listz as the soundtrack, I consider the commercial to be a filmic masterpiece of storytelling and directing.

The commercial very effectively evokes the look and feel of the silent movie era with its minimal camera angle variations and flat, uniform lighting.

2. Carling Black Label, The Dam Busters

Advertising Agency: WCRS (Wight Collins Rutherford Scott), London

Directed by Rodger Woodburn, the commercial is a skillfully crafted parody of the Second World War movie epic ‘The Dam Busters’.

The film was based on the books ‘The Dam Busters by Paul Brickhill, and Guy Gibson’s ‘Enemy Coast Ahead’.

The story is about the legendary RAF 617 Squadron’s ‘Dambusters’, and their famous ‘bouncing ball bomb’ that destroyed dam walls. This highly entertaining commercial has become an advertising classic of note.

3. Carlton Draught, Big Ad

Adertising Agency: Patterson and Partners, Melbourne (now Y&R ANZ)

Composer Carl Orffs ‘O Fortuna’ from his ‘Carmina Burana’ cantata, drives this entertaining parody of ‘advertising epics’.

The Cannes Gold Lion commercial was directed by Paul Middleditch and filmed on location in Queensland, New Zealand. Two weeks before its TV debut it was released on the Internet and within 24 hours was downloaded 162,000 times.

The lyrics of the cantata chorus were humorously adapted for the accompanying soundtrack.

It’s a big ad. Very big ad.
It’s a big ad we’re in. It’s a big ad.
My God it’s big! Can’t believe how big it is!
It’s a big ad! For Carlton Draught!
It’s just so freaking HUGE!
It’s a big ad! Expensive ad!
This ad better sell some bloo-oo-oo-oody beer!

4. Carlton Draught, Slow Motion

Advertising Agency: Clemenger BBDO, Melbourne, Australia

Directed by Paul Middleditch, this highly amusing and compelling Cannes Gold Lion commercial, plays out in slow motion against a soundtrack of Puccini’s Nessun Dorma (None Shall Sleep).

Nessun Dorma is an aria from the final act of Puccini’s opera Turandot. To provide an explanatory subtext to the commercial, the aria’s lyrics were humorously amended as follows:

 Men in slow motion.
Men look much better in slow motion.

It makes me want to sing quite loud.
Now, now, I want a Carlton Draught, chips and lasagna.
Men in slow mo…
In slow mo…
Slow motion.
Blah blah blah…
Slow motion.

5. Carlton Draught, Beer Chase

Advertising Agency: Clemenger BBDO, Melbourne

Superbly directed by Steve Ayson, this humorous spoof, of a typical Hollywood L.A. cops chase scene, received much acclaim.

Before its TV and Cinema debut, the commercial was released online and motivated 2 million views on YouTube in less than a week.

6. Carlsberg, If Carlsberg Did Your Mum

Advertising Agency: The Marketing Store

For the launch of a social media campaign for Mother’s Day, Carlsberg released this highly amusing commercial of a conversation between two men in an English Pub.

It was viewed by over 12 million people in one day and widely reported in the press. I think the Copywriter must have had an absolute ball scripting the witty dialogue.

7. Bud Light, Rescue Dog Weego

Advertising Agency: McGarryBowen, USA

Directed by Renny Maslow, the commercial was launched during the 2012 American Super Bowl Football Championships, an event that draws a TV audience of 100 million plus viewers annually to the live broadcast.

‘Here Weego’ provided the highly popular entertainment value young and old viewers were looking for. But what I particularly like about the commercial is that it is more about helping shelter dogs than it is about Bud Light.

For every ‘like’ Weego received, Bud Light donated one dollar to Tony La Russas Animal Rescue Foundation. Within a couple of hours, the commercial successfully motivated 2 million ‘likes’ on Facebook.