Hasta La Creative!

Ad Age looks at an age old truth about mature brands. They need to get new customers in the franchise in order to survive.

Talk about a marketing conundrum: Revive Colt 45 malt liquor — once seen as an exploitative product that preyed on the urban poor — as an edgy choice for young hipsters.

But Pabst Brewing Co. is trying to do just that, with a campaign from Seattle boutique Cole & Weber. To appeal to younger drinkers, Cole & Weber tapped graphic novelist Jim Mahfood (author of the volume “Classic 40 Ounce: Tales From the Brown Bag” and a regular contributor to alternative newsweeklies) to create a series of scenes and stories of young adults enjoying themselves with Colt 45. Most of the creative shows 20-somethings flaunting their oversize cans in social settings such as rooftop parties and dance clubs.