Not Even Colin Jost Outshines a Blue Moon

It’s been a hotly debated topic in marketing circles for close to two decades: is it better to be distinctive or different when it comes to activating brand growth?

Marketing stalwart Byron Sharp of the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute firmly believes in the former. Achieved through ads that are remembered equally for the brand they’re for as their storylines, he posits that being top-of-mind is far more important than attempting to find a unique selling point, given true differentiation—in most categories—simply isn’t realistic. From a functional perspective, at least.

But every now and then an ad comes along that reminds us all that it is perfectly possible for the two “Big Ds” of marketing success to coexist. Or as Mark Ritson likes to put it, “Bothism”. Rather than marketing practitioners arguing about concepts in black and white terms (coincidentally, often in an effort to differentiate themselves), Ritson believes that much truth often lies somewhere in the messy middle. Our decade of experience backs this up, with the very best advertising working just as effectively to craft branded memories as building a point of difference versus competitors. This is the elusive one-two punch of being creatively distinctive and commercially effective.

On the surface, Blue Moon’s recent campaign featuring SNL celebrity Colin Jost is a lighthearted piece that elicits a few chuckles and puts a smile on viewers’ faces—while leveraging the attention-grabbing power of celebrity spokesmanship. However, the true strength of the campaign doesn’t just lie in its ability to capitalize on this emotional engagement to build long-lasting memories for the brand. Rather, it also simultaneously builds perceptions that makes Blue Moon seem different to other brands in the crowded beer category (thus increasing the likelihood people will be drawn to it when placed in buying situations).

How, exactly? Well, the humble orange of course!

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While the beer itself is comprised of exactly the same ingredients you’ll find in countless other bottles across countless liquor store shelves, the strategy employed (aligning the product with a fresh, summery slice of orange) has developed into a uniquely ownable branding device over the years. But more than that, it’s crafted a territory the brand can truly call its own—having close parallels to the pairing of Corona and lime.

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So, not only do these cute anthropomorphic oranges offer a comedic device for Jost to play off and ultimately work to absorb viewers into the story, but their presence instantly cues the Blue Moon brand. Not only did this eliminate any potential for the celebrity cameo to overshadow the brand, but the playful characters helped reinforce impressions of Blue Moon being a fun, refreshing, and tasty beer. Together with these fruity connotations, it helped build a clear point of difference for the brand.

The first hurdle advertising must overcome in order to be effective is to of course build emotionally engaging narratives that generate strong branded memories (thus giving the brand the best chance of being top-of-mind when it matters most). But the brands that are able to build a true competitive advantage for themselves don’t just stop there. As Blue Moon demonstrates, there’s always more juice that can be squeezed out of the creativity bottle!

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