Stella Artois' "Neighbors" is in the right area but...

Photo: PR Newswire

The holidays are here! The holidays are here! Which means “game on” for both consumers and those marketing to them. Sure, there is competition aplenty, but there are also dollars to be made. I love this time of year as a communicator, because brands tend to embrace risk, have more fun, yank aggressively on the heart strings and, generally speaking, be bolder and less expected. Beer brands are, of course, no different.

Which takes us to the latest consumer brand communications effort that caught my eye. Meet your “Neighbors” (the campaign), compliments of the folks at Stella Artois.

[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5zDe80xBPE&w=854&h=480]

Now, here’s the deal. I stumbled upon this effort via a marketing trade story. The headline grabbed me, and the idea’s inspiration pushed the right buttons. It even toed the political correctness line without activating my (sometimes) adverse reaction. Clever little use of data. Tapping into culture. Relatable.

The ingredients were all there, but, for whatever reason, this one just didn’t come together for me. And, honestly, I wasn’t sure why…which bothered me. So, I dug in a bit more. Here’s some of where it falls short IMHO. We’ll be sure to shout out all the notes it hit too. First, the things that held it back…

• “Social Experiments”: Have we reached the tipping point on these? I think so. This coming from someone who’s thrown around more than his fair share of “social experiment” ideas. Consumers are hip to the game now. Even if these are real people in genuine situations, it doesn't feel like it. The perfectly-set tables with the requisite branding touches don’t help the cause. It looks like, well, a brand film. Speaking of which…

• “Powerful Docufilm”: Powerful. Docufilm. Maybe my PR-dar is overly sensitive after two decades, but those two words captured in the title of the official press release felt forced. Yes, PR is often called “spin” for a reason, but it comes off as a brand trying will the content to a “powerful” place. Segue to…

• Heineken: Seconds into the “Neighbors” videos, my brain went to Heineken’s 2017 “Worlds Apart” campaign. Different ides, but similar feel. At the time, Heinken’s award-winning effort felt like a social experiment. It was powerful, different and unexpected.

• Where’s the Action: This could be my biggest hang-up. “Neighbors” seems to fall between the cute, PR-driving “product stunt” I tend to love (see: Ace Bakery, Pringles and UNO), and a more concerted effort to drive meaningful mass action. They allude to the broader “mission,” but what exactly is happening in the cities referenced below?

Stella Artois is spreading this mission nationwide in local neighborhoods across 27 cities, encouraging communities to come together, celebrate the holidays, and bond over a few beers.

• Connecting the Dots: It’s hard to follow Neighbors through to the full brand experience. It takes me to a site to see more videos…then there’s the sweater (more on that later)…a holiday “lookbook” which is essentially a portal to Stella product on Drizly…all under the umbrella of the Moments Worth Making campaign…and, wait, we snuck in a new seasonal brew in the press release there too with the Stella Midnight Lager? Too much.

Now, we promised to hit on some of the high notes as well — and there are several.

Photo: Stella Artois

That Sweater! Now, admittedly, I’m a cheap date when it comes to these branded product innovations. But what’s not to love about Stella’s “holiday sweater pack?” I can’t disagree with Elite Daily’s assertion that it represents the “cutest free beer deal ever.*” As always, simplicity is where I get the most jazzed. It’s no surprise, then, that I’m fond of this sweater pack feature::

…a cleverly designed two-piece magnetized bottle key that only works when both parts come together.”

• The “Neighbors” Concept: We’re in a very different time in this world. Previous generations would universally balk at the notion of not even knowing their neighbors. Today, as nicely alluded to with the help of Pew stats, it’s much more the rule than the exception. I can’t think that’s good, and I love the idea of a beer bringing people together to address it. I just think there was greater opportunity to put a stake in the ground and articulate how Stella could (or would) commit to changing that - beyond the sweater promo/social sweeps.

• Brand Fit and Feel: This is important. Not every plate appearance is a home run. But, you’re going down on three swinging strikes to a rain of boos, if you don’t stay authentic to your brand. This felt very Stella to me. For years, they’ve been a bit kinder, more philanthropic, human and thoughtful in their communications. As a brand looking to go even more “mainstream,” this all felt right and in line with broader brand strategy.

So, whats’ the final verdict? Seeing as I just penned a small novel on this one, there’s clearly something there. My take is that “Neighbors” would’ve benefitted from doubling down on one direction - either stripping the concept down to a simpler sweater-led execution or putting more chips on the table behind a nationwide Neighbors initiative under which other things would fall. Likely reality is that budget, timing, the larger campaign (Moments) and other factors, led to this being added later as a puzzle piece trying to do lots of things for lots of people.

Because of that, it’s a simple clink of the glass and not a full-on celebration.

*P.S. Stella Artois beer is not included in the Sweater Pack.