You’re off to your local and you order your standard pint of Stella or Fosters. But how would you feel if you ordered a pint of Cobra, without the accompaniment of a lamb karahi, pilau rice and peshwari naan?
The beer brand have created a tongue-in-cheek campaign with a new brand character, a suave entrepreneur, The Boss. The campaign aims to highlight the attention and craftsmanship that goes into Cobra as well as establishing their brand as a premium drink that can be consumed on many occasions, and not just in the curry house.
The ‘live smooth’ advert illustrates The Boss who spends his day brewing and perfecting ‘impossibly smooth’ Cobra beer and managing a bra company called BraCo, building ‘impossibly supportive brassieres’ – note the anagram. The campaign doesn’t take itself seriously through the hyperbolised voiceover which feels like a 60’s parodied film trailer – ‘by day glasses, by night cups.’ The advert strives to establish Cobra as a premium beer, which is reflected through the exotic lifestyle of The Boss who is ‘living the dream.’ It is fun, entertaining and I enjoy the playful script of repetition, rhymes and alliteration between the two enterprises, which still proposes that with Cobra Beer, you can ‘live smooth’ no matter what.
But it leaves me with a pint half empty.
Of course not every campaign will be everyone’s friend. Many adverts today which target the male audience dare to be different and risky in their message because they need to stand out. Chauvinism is a taboo subject and Cobra clearly show that a growing trend among brands, particularly of the beer variety, that they are unafraid to carry the ‘ultra male’ as their ad lead. I admire their daringness and shift away from regular beer adverts format of a party with mates & lots of beer blah blah… The problem I have is that I find it slightly boring. It’s been done before – Yorkie with their ‘Not for Girls’ chocolate bars and Fosters with their blatant yet humorous boobs over the beer.
Despite the light-heartedness, I must admit when I first watched it, I didn’t fully understand it. Compare Cobra to another premium beer such as Guinness. Their latest campaign of the Sapeurs is a gorgeous representation of being wealthy in spirit. It’s light-hearted but has a thoughtful tone. The Sapeurs quote ‘it’s not the cost of the suit that counts. It’s the worth of the man inside it. In life you cannot always choose what you do, but you can always choose who you are.’ I much prefer this campaign because I feel it still delivers similar strands to Cobra but is much more powerful in its provocation – these Sapeurs carry themselves well, are heroic and live a smooth, peaceful life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-3sVWOxuXc
However, a memorable and powerful advert doesn’t have to have serious tones. Take Strongbow for example. As a part of their ‘Earn It’ campaign, their ‘Moment of Truth’ advertisement which featured a series of men put in challenging scenarios such as scoring a penalty and making a best man’s speech, which are amplified into surreal Herculean feats. This hilarious and thrilling campaign illustrates an ordinary man turned into a hero, who deserves a pint.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ6URAkvLWE&oref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DdZ6URAkvLWE%26oref%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252F&has_verified=1
Many advertising reviews are raising a glass to this advert, and I see good reason for this. Their aim seems apparent – make the leap from the cheap yet effective cliché of beers and bras and couple it with a figure of an alpha male that is sure to attract and seduce their target audience. Cobra’s desire to couple beers, boobs and bossdom is one that shouldn’t be overlooked – however I still feel a little unsure that the clashed message delivers effectively. When a brand commits to a ‘controversial’ topic of chauvinistic masculinity or the comedic side of beers and boobs, it seems odd to me to then feel the need to mash them against each other in the hope of balancing the message – I therefore question not the efforts in the balance but whether it’s a balance is one to be made at all.
It’s refreshing in part to see a different take on the archetypal representation of men in beer adverts and for a premium beer brand I can understand why they felt the need to challenge the norm. I’m looking forward to seeing brands hit the right notes of balancing a clichéd idea with a controversial figure – maybe it’s time brands followed in Beyonce’s footsteps to let girls run the world.