When your brand name is Mike’s Harder and your target audience is young men, there’s really no other option but to forgo subtlety and make a whole bunch of dick jokes.
And that’s exactly what Mike’s Hard Lemonade brand, Mike’s Harder – an alcopop-type drink disguised as a “premium malt beverage” – has done.
From pool noodles making a splash to wild hoses flailing around, Mike’s Harder didn’t beat around the bush, so to speak, in Los Angeles indie agency Battery’s first lot of work.
“The client wants to own it,” chief creative officer Philip Khosid told AdWeek.
“So we came up with something to engage the young male audience and be irreverent but still be clever about it with a play on words.”
No doubt the hot blonde in glasses was all part of the plan too.
And the marketing tactics seem to be working. The marketing folk have been busy differentiating the US-staple brand Harder from its core brand, Mike’s Harder Lemonade, by working with graffiti artists to create bespoke cans and teaming up with the recent hit flick Deadpool.
As a result of these bold approaches, sales for the brand are up 13 per cent year-on-year, according to Harder creative director Kevin Brady.
“It’s funny and bold,” Brady added, speaking about the new ads. “And it made us laugh out loud.”
Well, it’s good enough for us.
