Hasta La Creative!

Pennsylvania-based Yuengling often casts itself as “America’s oldest brewery,” and over the past couple of years it has enjoyed a PBR-style renaissance amongst those who shall not be named (it has topped many past lists of potential successors now that everyone drinks the Pabst unironically).

If you live in the Boston area, you may have heard rumblings of the brew’s return to area stores in 2013; later reports held that the company would invest “millions” in its relaunch. Way back in 2010, trendsetter Barack Obama even declared it his “favorite beer” and sent a case to friends in Canada (though we don’t quite believe him considering the White House’s own much-hyped affinity for brewing).

Now the sudsy company has chosen an agency of record: Allen & Gerritsen, the Boston shop that merged with Philadelphia’s Neiman Group in 2013. The coming campaign will attempt to “bring its history to life while reaching a younger generation” via a documentary-style video, a print campaign, and tattoos from diehard fans.

The campaign is not live at the moment; it will launch in March/early April and run east of the Mississippi with a focus in Pennsylvania. But we do have the “making of” spot here:

That’s enough to get a good sense of how the down-home campaign will turn out. Chris Reif, SVP of creative and innovation at A&G, writes:

“It’s awesome to have the opportunity to partner with such an iconic American brand – and one that we happen to be huge fans of. It’s rare to be able to work in such a great category with a family-owned company that has a cult-like following nationwide, and it makes our job a lot of fun. We’re psyched to continue our relationship with Yuengling and can’t wait to see fans’ reactions to the Respect campaign.”

Now pardon us while we sample the case we may or may not have received earlier this week.

Monistat used "granny panties" in a recent ad as a metaphor for how women feel when they have a yeast infection. Now, though, after supposed complaints from the granny-panty-wearing community, Monistat is backtracking. On a new grannypanties.org website, the pharma brand—perhaps inspired by maxipad maker Bodyform's faux contrition—has issued the following heartfelt apology that's anything but heartfelt:

To the makers and wearers of granny panties everywhere, we here at Monistat offer our sincerest apologies.
     By helping millions of women feel like their sexy selves faster, we've seen some unintended repercussions. We have painted your treasured unmentionables in an unflattering light, and as a result, the market for bloomers is dwindling by the day, and the international granny panty industry has fallen on tough times.
     And though there will always be some who choose to allow their undergarments to ride up to their lower back for all to see, this does not mean they should be judged. Their choice of comfort over conformity is a bold one. Those very hip-huggers helped pave the way for the g-strings, thongs, and boyshorts of today.
     But the days of 10-gallon skivvies and support that stretches for yards are coming to an end. And honestly, we're not all that sad to see them go.

Monistat, of course, manufactured both the controversy and the apology. But it's nicely executed by ad agency Allen & Gerritsen. Particularly amusing is the accompanying video on the website depicting a faux talk show, Box Talk with Kitty Montgomery, in which women square off from both sides of the granny-panty debate. Check out the video below.