Craft beer brewery New Belgium is based on the front range of the Rocky Mountains in Fort Collins, Colorado, and not, as some might think, in a small European country wedged between France, Germany and the Netherlands.
The makers of the popular Fat Tire beer, however, are connecting their products to the country and its rich brewing traditions by having an actual Belgian man promote the brand’s new Belgian White beer.
Working with its agency of record, Erich & Kallman, New Belgium recently launched the Belgian White with a campaign of six spots that will run across Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Hulu, and featuring the quirky admissions of a bearded “actual Belgian” stating why Belgian White is a better beer.
Since Fat Tire’s Belgian White is not brewed in Belgium but the United States, the campaign’s spokesperson, Flemish actor Karel Deruwe, gives his endorsement, armed with his Belgian accent and witty punchlines. Deruwe delivers six performances that highlight the quality and freshness of ingredients used in Fat Tire Belgian White.
In one, ‘Three Truths,’ Deruwe tells three things he knows to be true: that Belgian White has a perfectly balanced sweetness; his middle name is Stacey, and he wears a size five shoe…children’s. In ‘Hint’ he says that the beer has a “hint of Seville orange peel. And every Belgian knows, a hint is always better.” He goes on to say that he wouldn’t tell his friend flat out that he lost his dog. He would merely hint at it, “like a true Belgian would.”
Erich & Kallman co-founder and creative director commented: “Competition in the Belgian White space includes Blue Moon and many others. But while almost everyone else in the category is simply showing their product and listing its attributes in straight-forward and forgettable ways, our Belgian spokesman gives you something to like and someone to connect with. It’s a character you’ll look forward to seeing again and again. It’s advertising you’ll remember, and possibly even talk about and share.”
See the videos by clicking on the Creative Works box below.
Erich & Kallman: Fat Tire 'Actual Belgian'
Director of brand marketing: Kyle Bradshaw
Brand manager: Nora McCombs
Creative director: Eric Kallman
Managing director: Steven Erich
Art director: Rob Stone
Copywriter: Pat Newman
Producer: Marco Vidalis
Account director: Julie Pfleger
EP: Natalie Sakai
Producer: Sean Barney
Director: Andrew Laurich
Director of photography: Filip Vandewall (Belgian)
Associate Producer: Jordan Flack
Casting: LeQuartier Louis Pons (Belgian)
Editor: Sean Lagrange
EP: Crissy DeSimone
Producer: Adam Parker
Colorist: Marco Cordero
Audio Engineer: Patrick Navarre
EP: Damian Bayett
CD Kelly Bayett
Producer: Ashley Benton
