6 ms·

The Quirky Genius of the Dos Equis Ad Campaign

50 points by splat 17y ago

seasoup 17y ago
This has got to be my current favorite Ad campaign, using Chuck Norris style one liners. I want to be "the most interesting man in the world" I should drink Dos Equis.
- joeyo 17y ago
  It's also interesting that he always says, "I don't always drink beer, but..." I suppose that they are targeting men that mostly drink hard liquor?
  - mrtron 17y ago
    I think it is more aimed at making him look very sophisticated. He is above always drinking beer.
  - JimmyL 17y ago
    I don't read it that way. I think it's part of the character in the ads - for lack of a better word, he's too cool to always drink beer, and to always drink one particular brand. Doing so wouldn't be very...interesting of him. Similar to what the article suggests: But the most interesting man hasn't actually been conceived as a brand icon a la Mr. Clean or Ronald McDonald. He's more like a celebrity endorser. One who happens to be fictional. He doesn't shill with brio for the simple reason that it would undercut his claim to awesomeness. The most interesting man in the world, by definition, would not be found enthusiastically endorsing a mass-market consumer product. I think it's also designed to be a link that the guys watching the ad can hook onto. Most guys (and this ad is squarely aimed at guys) won't only drink beer at a bar, and if they do, they won't generally only have one type. So if you follow the analysis that he's a celebrity endorsement, what he's saying is Interesting people - like yourself - vary what they drink, so when it comes to beer, try this one.
  - dmoney 17y ago
    Hard liquor or alcopops. I read it as targeting men who don't really like beer, but drink it sometimes to fit in. "Drink Dos Equis: it doesn't suck as much as other beers."
    - gaius 17y ago
      Advertising to men who drink alcopops or cider is very different, it's much less traditionally masculine and much more, ermm, metrosexual. I don't imagine there's much crossover.
- BigZaphod 17y ago
  I agree. I love these commercials. Perhaps it's because the dude himself claims, "I don't always drink beer..." Which, perhaps counter-intuitively, ends up being a more powerful endorsement than if he unrealistically only and always drank their beer. The Indiana Jones/James Bond antics the character has lived through are hilarious. It's like, "what if these super heroic people from the movies actually existed - and what would they be like in retirement?"
  - teamonkey 17y ago
    > Perhaps it's because the dude himself claims, "I don't always drink beer..." Not only does he not always drink beer, but when he does, he only "prefers" Dos Equis. So vague and non-commital. What an enigma! Bill Murray's character isn't quite as cool, but the advert reminds me of The Life Aquatic With Steve Zizou.
- omouse 17y ago
  Ahhhhhh yeah, I'm going to have to buy some of this beer just because the ads are so good. Much better than all the other beer ads.
absconditus 17y ago
While I do like their commercials, Dos Equis is a horrible product. Why put so much money and effort into avoiding having to make a better product?
- jbarciauskas 17y ago
  Obviously, creating a better product would not be difficult - people brew more delicious beer in their basements every day. Creating a better-tasting product at the same price point and volume as Dos Equis, however, is probably extremely difficult.
  - absconditus 17y ago
    Trader Joe's manages to offer some very affordable beer that is higher quality than Dos Equis.
    - mrtron 17y ago
      But that really isn't the point. Let's not go all beer snobbery on an advertising thread. Alcoholic drinks are primarily sold through superior advertising, not a superior product.
      - absconditus 17y ago
        It is sad that wanting to buy high quality products instead of utter shit is considered snobbery. You might be interested to know that while beer sales as a whole decline craft beer sales are increasing. One of the solutions devised by the large breweries is to create fake craft products.
- jgilliam 17y ago
  The ads are created by a company that imports the beer and markets it in the U.S. So they actually can't make the beer better.
- look_lookatme 17y ago
  Horrible product? Really? Have you had much Mexican beer? It's no worse than Modelo or Tecate or Pacifico. Much, much better than Corona.
joez 17y ago
The ad campaign does flow through well on radio. I heard this one the other day and I knew right away that it was a Dos Equis. "Most songs about love are written for him, about him, or by him. He'd never initiate a conversation about the weather, even in a typhoon. He's against cruelty to animals, but isn't afraid to issue a stern warning. Whatever side of the tracks he's currently on is the right side. If he crossed them, he would still be the right side. He won the same lifetime achievement award twice."
martythemaniak 17y ago
I have to say I love this line of commercials and it actually works. Last time I was at the beer store, I asked for a Dos Equis specifically because I'd never tried it and this commercial made me aware of it. Alas, they were out of stock.
- JimmyL 17y ago
  It's somewhat unfortunate that the beer is so terrible - like I'd forgotten how much I don't like Dos Equis until I ordered one (as a result of the ad).
ramchip 17y ago
It's refreshing to see a beer ad that doesn't take the viewer for an idiot. What we see here in Montreal right now is just ridiculous: http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/1517/bud1t.jpg http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/1517/bud1t.jpg
- smokinn 17y ago
  I hate those ads. They're the very definition of "uncanny valley". The women are just real looking enough so that they look human from a distance but closer they're very obviously cg plasticy. It's so creepy.
- omouse 17y ago
  Haven't they aired those exact same ads every year since the dawn of man? >:(
- teamonkey 17y ago
  I agree, I find them pretty offensive on several levels and they're all over Montreal right now. The province of Quebec is packed with micro-breweries and has an enormous selection of excellent artisanal beers. People here like their beer: I've never seen anyone order a Bud here. They're going for the lowest possible denominator in a really tough market. In fact, it's almost like they're targeting adolescents, certainly 18 year old college kids. A summer camp staffed by cheerleaders? The more you think about it the more appalling it seems.
- domodomo 17y ago
  America exports Budweiser to other countries? I'm so sorry.
  - mahmud 17y ago
    Bud tastes way better in Prague though.
    - paulbaumgart 17y ago
      They actually sell it in the US as Czechvar- one of my favorites, incidentally. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechvar http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechvar
ramidarigaz 17y ago
Some friends and I once devised a Dos Equis ad campaign. Never did anything with it, but it was awesome. Goes something like this: Wide sweeping view of a town in Mexico, dusty and full of life Voice (singing): Dos Equis, a Mexican beer Voice: Ray, the guy I buy it from Ray: Hola! Voice: Me, the guy, I buy beer for Voice: Far, a long way to the bar sweeping shot of the town Voice: So, I think I'll have a beer Ray offers a beer Voice: La, lalalalalala, HAVE ANOTHER BEER A few people have gathered around Ray Tea vendor offers tea to the camera Voice: Tea? No thanks, I'll have a beer Voice: That brings us back to.... A small crowd has gathered, all singing now Large chorus: Dos Equis, a Mexican beer Shot of Mexican flag LC: Ray, the guy I buy it from Crowd, with Ray at the front shouts Crowd: HOLA!!! LC: Me, the guy, I buy beer for LC: Far, a long way to the bar By now, the entire town is partying LC: So, I think I'll have a beer Sound of hundreds of tankards clinking LC: La, lalalalalala, HAVE ANOTHER BEER Crowd cheers Crowd mocks tea vendor LC: Tea? No thanks, I'll have a beer LC: That brings us back to.... Fireworks start going off Entire Town: Dos fireworks ET: Equis, fireworks ET: a Mexican beer fireworks ET: Ray, the guy I buy it from Ray, completely naked, jumps off the roof using a Mexican flag as a parachute, screaming Ray: HOLAAAAAAAA!!! ET: Me, the guy, I buy beer for ET: Far, a long way to the bar Entire town marching down the road, out of the town ET: So, I think I'll have a beer Crowd cheers Fireworks ET: La, lalalalalala, HAVE ANOTHER BEER Crowd cheers louder More fireworks ET: Tea? No thanks, I'll have a beer Tea vendor throws a bucket full of tea over the crowd ET: That brings us back to.... Town explodes, fireworks everywhere, buildings shattering into shards that turn into splashes of beer. A huge column of smoke now rises where the town used to be. Green flashes are seen in the cloud of smoke, and the Millennium Falcon swoops out of the smoke, with two Tie fighters hot on its tail. Fade to logo
- jrockway 17y ago
  I skipped most of the middle, but the ending did not disappoint!
omouse 17y ago
The great thing is that they can hit the radio well, and their websites are great: http://dosequis.com/academy/ http://dosequis.com/academy/
madair 17y ago
He is the larger than life fictional character that we sarcastically refer to Chuck Norris as.
eshelt 17y ago
Although I've never been a fan of the beer, I love the marketing tactics Dos Equis took here. The humor is very relevant, as mentioned earlier, to the "Chuck Norris doesn't breathe, he holds air hostage" approach. These jokes are still is extremely popular, and Dos Equis was creative enough to put their own spin on it. If they got us all talking about it, then they must have done something right. I just hope they don't play it out like the Geico did with the cavemen.
Gibbon 17y ago
The Dos Equis ads never fail to amuse me on account of the alleged college application essay I read sometime in the early days of the web. EDIT: Apparently written, in 1990, by musician and author, Hugh Gallagher, as a satiric personal essay turned internet meme. 3A Essay I am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. I have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention. I translate ethnic slurs for Cuban refugees, I write award-winning operas, I manage time efficiently. Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row. I woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing, I can pilot bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and I cook Thirty-Minute Brownies in twenty minutes. I am an expert in stucco, a veteran in love, and an outlaw in Peru. Using only a hoe and a large glass of water, I once single-handedly defended a small village in the Amazon Basin from a horde of ferocious army ants. I play bluegrass cello, I was scouted by the Mets, I am the subject of numerous documentaries. When I'm bored, I build large suspension bridges in my yard. I enjoy urban hang-gliding. On Wednesdays, after school, I repair electrical appliances free of charge. I am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie. Critics worldwide swoon over my original line of corduroy evening wear. I don't perspire. I am a private citizen, yet I receive fan mail. I have been caller number nine and have won the weekend passes. Last summer I toured New Jersey with a traveling centrifugal-force demonstration. I bat.400. My deft floral arrangements have earned me fame in international botany circles. Children trust me. I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy. I once read Paradise Lost, Moby Dick, and David Copperfield in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening. I know the exact location of every food item in the supermarket. I have performed several covert operations for the CIA. I sleep once a week; when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair. While on vacation in Canada, I successfully negotiated with a group of terrorists who had seized a small bakery. The laws of physics do not apply to me. I balance, I weave, I dodge, I frolic, and my bills are all paid. On weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full-contact origami. Years ago I discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down. I have made extraordinary four course meals using only a mouli and a toaster oven. I breed prizewinning clams. I have won bullfights in San Juan, cliff-diving competitions in Sri Lanka, and spelling bees at the Kremlin. I have played Hamlet, I have performed open-heart surgery, and I have spoken with Elvis. But I have not yet been to college.

50 points by splat 17y ago

This has got to be my current favorite Ad campaign, using Chuck Norris style one liners. I want to be "the most interesting man in the world" I should drink Dos Equis.

joeyo 17y ago
It's also interesting that he always says, "I don't always drink beer, but..." I suppose that they are targeting men that mostly drink hard liquor?
- mrtron 17y ago
  I think it is more aimed at making him look very sophisticated. He is above always drinking beer.
- JimmyL 17y ago
  I don't read it that way. I think it's part of the character in the ads - for lack of a better word, he's too cool to always drink beer, and to always drink one particular brand. Doing so wouldn't be very...interesting of him. Similar to what the article suggests: But the most interesting man hasn't actually been conceived as a brand icon a la Mr. Clean or Ronald McDonald. He's more like a celebrity endorser. One who happens to be fictional. He doesn't shill with brio for the simple reason that it would undercut his claim to awesomeness. The most interesting man in the world, by definition, would not be found enthusiastically endorsing a mass-market consumer product. I think it's also designed to be a link that the guys watching the ad can hook onto. Most guys (and this ad is squarely aimed at guys) won't only drink beer at a bar, and if they do, they won't generally only have one type. So if you follow the analysis that he's a celebrity endorsement, what he's saying is Interesting people - like yourself - vary what they drink, so when it comes to beer, try this one.
- dmoney 17y ago
  Hard liquor or alcopops. I read it as targeting men who don't really like beer, but drink it sometimes to fit in. "Drink Dos Equis: it doesn't suck as much as other beers."
  - gaius 17y ago
    Advertising to men who drink alcopops or cider is very different, it's much less traditionally masculine and much more, ermm, metrosexual. I don't imagine there's much crossover.
BigZaphod 17y ago
I agree. I love these commercials. Perhaps it's because the dude himself claims, "I don't always drink beer..." Which, perhaps counter-intuitively, ends up being a more powerful endorsement than if he unrealistically only and always drank their beer. The Indiana Jones/James Bond antics the character has lived through are hilarious. It's like, "what if these super heroic people from the movies actually existed - and what would they be like in retirement?"
- teamonkey 17y ago
  > Perhaps it's because the dude himself claims, "I don't always drink beer..." Not only does he not always drink beer, but when he does, he only "prefers" Dos Equis. So vague and non-commital. What an enigma! Bill Murray's character isn't quite as cool, but the advert reminds me of The Life Aquatic With Steve Zizou.
omouse 17y ago
Ahhhhhh yeah, I'm going to have to buy some of this beer just because the ads are so good. Much better than all the other beer ads.

absconditus 17y ago

While I do like their commercials, Dos Equis is a horrible product. Why put so much money and effort into avoiding having to make a better product?

jbarciauskas 17y ago
Obviously, creating a better product would not be difficult - people brew more delicious beer in their basements every day. Creating a better-tasting product at the same price point and volume as Dos Equis, however, is probably extremely difficult.
- absconditus 17y ago
  Trader Joe's manages to offer some very affordable beer that is higher quality than Dos Equis.
  - mrtron 17y ago
    But that really isn't the point. Let's not go all beer snobbery on an advertising thread. Alcoholic drinks are primarily sold through superior advertising, not a superior product.
    - absconditus 17y ago
      It is sad that wanting to buy high quality products instead of utter shit is considered snobbery. You might be interested to know that while beer sales as a whole decline craft beer sales are increasing. One of the solutions devised by the large breweries is to create fake craft products.
jgilliam 17y ago
The ads are created by a company that imports the beer and markets it in the U.S. So they actually can't make the beer better.
look_lookatme 17y ago
Horrible product? Really? Have you had much Mexican beer? It's no worse than Modelo or Tecate or Pacifico. Much, much better than Corona.

joez 17y ago

The ad campaign does flow through well on radio. I heard this one the other day and I knew right away that it was a Dos Equis. "Most songs about love are written for him, about him, or by him. He'd never initiate a conversation about the weather, even in a typhoon. He's against cruelty to animals, but isn't afraid to issue a stern warning. Whatever side of the tracks he's currently on is the right side. If he crossed them, he would still be the right side. He won the same lifetime achievement award twice."

martythemaniak 17y ago

I have to say I love this line of commercials and it actually works. Last time I was at the beer store, I asked for a Dos Equis specifically because I'd never tried it and this commercial made me aware of it. Alas, they were out of stock.

JimmyL 17y ago
It's somewhat unfortunate that the beer is so terrible - like I'd forgotten how much I don't like Dos Equis until I ordered one (as a result of the ad).

ramchip 17y ago

It's refreshing to see a beer ad that doesn't take the viewer for an idiot. What we see here in Montreal right now is just ridiculous: http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/1517/bud1t.jpg http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/1517/bud1t.jpg

smokinn 17y ago
I hate those ads. They're the very definition of "uncanny valley". The women are just real looking enough so that they look human from a distance but closer they're very obviously cg plasticy. It's so creepy.
omouse 17y ago
Haven't they aired those exact same ads every year since the dawn of man? >:(
teamonkey 17y ago
I agree, I find them pretty offensive on several levels and they're all over Montreal right now. The province of Quebec is packed with micro-breweries and has an enormous selection of excellent artisanal beers. People here like their beer: I've never seen anyone order a Bud here. They're going for the lowest possible denominator in a really tough market. In fact, it's almost like they're targeting adolescents, certainly 18 year old college kids. A summer camp staffed by cheerleaders? The more you think about it the more appalling it seems.
domodomo 17y ago
America exports Budweiser to other countries? I'm so sorry.
- mahmud 17y ago
  Bud tastes way better in Prague though.
  - paulbaumgart 17y ago
    They actually sell it in the US as Czechvar- one of my favorites, incidentally. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechvar http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechvar

ramidarigaz 17y ago

Some friends and I once devised a Dos Equis ad campaign. Never did anything with it, but it was awesome. Goes something like this: Wide sweeping view of a town in Mexico, dusty and full of life Voice (singing): Dos Equis, a Mexican beer Voice: Ray, the guy I buy it from Ray: Hola! Voice: Me, the guy, I buy beer for Voice: Far, a long way to the bar sweeping shot of the town Voice: So, I think I'll have a beer Ray offers a beer Voice: La, lalalalalala, HAVE ANOTHER BEER A few people have gathered around Ray Tea vendor offers tea to the camera Voice: Tea? No thanks, I'll have a beer Voice: That brings us back to.... A small crowd has gathered, all singing now Large chorus: Dos Equis, a Mexican beer Shot of Mexican flag LC: Ray, the guy I buy it from Crowd, with Ray at the front shouts Crowd: HOLA!!! LC: Me, the guy, I buy beer for LC: Far, a long way to the bar By now, the entire town is partying LC: So, I think I'll have a beer Sound of hundreds of tankards clinking LC: La, lalalalalala, HAVE ANOTHER BEER Crowd cheers Crowd mocks tea vendor LC: Tea? No thanks, I'll have a beer LC: That brings us back to.... Fireworks start going off Entire Town: Dos fireworks ET: Equis, fireworks ET: a Mexican beer fireworks ET: Ray, the guy I buy it from Ray, completely naked, jumps off the roof using a Mexican flag as a parachute, screaming Ray: HOLAAAAAAAA!!! ET: Me, the guy, I buy beer for ET: Far, a long way to the bar Entire town marching down the road, out of the town ET: So, I think I'll have a beer Crowd cheers Fireworks ET: La, lalalalalala, HAVE ANOTHER BEER Crowd cheers louder More fireworks ET: Tea? No thanks, I'll have a beer Tea vendor throws a bucket full of tea over the crowd ET: That brings us back to.... Town explodes, fireworks everywhere, buildings shattering into shards that turn into splashes of beer. A huge column of smoke now rises where the town used to be. Green flashes are seen in the cloud of smoke, and the Millennium Falcon swoops out of the smoke, with two Tie fighters hot on its tail. Fade to logo

jrockway 17y ago
I skipped most of the middle, but the ending did not disappoint!

omouse 17y ago

The great thing is that they can hit the radio well, and their websites are great: http://dosequis.com/academy/ http://dosequis.com/academy/

madair 17y ago

He is the larger than life fictional character that we sarcastically refer to Chuck Norris as.

eshelt 17y ago

Although I've never been a fan of the beer, I love the marketing tactics Dos Equis took here. The humor is very relevant, as mentioned earlier, to the "Chuck Norris doesn't breathe, he holds air hostage" approach. These jokes are still is extremely popular, and Dos Equis was creative enough to put their own spin on it. If they got us all talking about it, then they must have done something right. I just hope they don't play it out like the Geico did with the cavemen.

Gibbon 17y ago

The Dos Equis ads never fail to amuse me on account of the alleged college application essay I read sometime in the early days of the web. EDIT: Apparently written, in 1990, by musician and author, Hugh Gallagher, as a satiric personal essay turned internet meme. 3A Essay I am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. I have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention. I translate ethnic slurs for Cuban refugees, I write award-winning operas, I manage time efficiently. Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row. I woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing, I can pilot bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and I cook Thirty-Minute Brownies in twenty minutes. I am an expert in stucco, a veteran in love, and an outlaw in Peru. Using only a hoe and a large glass of water, I once single-handedly defended a small village in the Amazon Basin from a horde of ferocious army ants. I play bluegrass cello, I was scouted by the Mets, I am the subject of numerous documentaries. When I'm bored, I build large suspension bridges in my yard. I enjoy urban hang-gliding. On Wednesdays, after school, I repair electrical appliances free of charge. I am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie. Critics worldwide swoon over my original line of corduroy evening wear. I don't perspire. I am a private citizen, yet I receive fan mail. I have been caller number nine and have won the weekend passes. Last summer I toured New Jersey with a traveling centrifugal-force demonstration. I bat.400. My deft floral arrangements have earned me fame in international botany circles. Children trust me. I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy. I once read Paradise Lost, Moby Dick, and David Copperfield in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening. I know the exact location of every food item in the supermarket. I have performed several covert operations for the CIA. I sleep once a week; when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair. While on vacation in Canada, I successfully negotiated with a group of terrorists who had seized a small bakery. The laws of physics do not apply to me. I balance, I weave, I dodge, I frolic, and my bills are all paid. On weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full-contact origami. Years ago I discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down. I have made extraordinary four course meals using only a mouli and a toaster oven. I breed prizewinning clams. I have won bullfights in San Juan, cliff-diving competitions in Sri Lanka, and spelling bees at the Kremlin. I have played Hamlet, I have performed open-heart surgery, and I have spoken with Elvis. But I have not yet been to college.