Who: Molson Coors’ Miller Genuine Draft (MGD) brand and Sid Lee, with Toronto rapper Shaquille Baptiste and New York streetwear designer Jeff Staple. Wavemaker handled media.
What: A multifaceted campaign for MGD built around the tagline “One of None.” The goal is to build the brand in the “urban nightlife space” by focusing on creativity and individual expression.
When & Where: Wild postings went up in late May in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. Other elements just rolled out (more below) with others still in the works.
How: The core message underlying this campaign is about creating culture rather than consuming it. The campaign commissioned an original song by Toronto rapper Shaquille Baptiste called “Feeling Like This” which dropped July 1. (Hear it below.) “It’s about the passion and courage and the hustle that it takes to create something that hasn’t been created before,” said Barbato Martiniello, Sid Lee’s senior art director. There’s also a clothing line by Staple—stylish basics in MGD’s black and gold and featuring Staple’s popular Pigeon logo. A hoodie costs $125. Staple was just in Toronto and Montreal to launch the line (see the Lookbook below).
Why: This is an effort to totally reposition the MGD brand, so the focus is on street cred, not commercials. Instead of a splashy campaign, the emphasis is on grassroots connections with sub culture rather than pop culture. “We had to treat it as though we were starting fresh in a lot of ways and building up the credibility from the ground up,” said Sid Lee creative director Christian Buer.
What about media: When you’re trying to become cool, it can’t seem like you’re trying too hard. “The goal is to get people talking about it,” said Martiniello. That means less mass media and more influencer efforts, along with edgy, contextual out-of-home and wild postings. “The more it’s a conversation as opposed to us yelling ‘We’re cool’ at people, the better we think it’ll be received,” he said.
From the client: “MGD stands with those who do things differently. It’s important for us to bring those who are cut from different cloth together to experience exceptional moments and spark collective magic. That’s how culture evolves and there’s no place we’d rather be.” —Sophia Lai, MGD brand manager in a release.
Shaquille Baptiste “Feeling like this”
