Spy Post puts finishing touches on Rolling Rocks Beer Ape

Goodby, Silverstein & Partners Rolling Rock campaign which nods to the eighies metal reign with it's big hair and pool parties has apparently generated a lot of buzz on the web.

The first ad shows the Beer Ape bringing life to the party, the following ads are several "nationally televised apology" spots from VP of Marketing Ron Stablehorn who allegedly pulled the tasteless commercial after many consumer complaints. The truth is of course that the entire thing is fabricated - from the VP to the hullabaloo to the commercial, which never aired on TV. All in good viral fun, kids.

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Credit where credit is due, postproduction company Spy Post created the campaign with Goodby.

 

"We had to make the spots look low-budget," explains Darren Orr, Spy Post Lead Artist. "It was such a cool idea to use the TV spots to drive traffic to YouTube and the Rolling Rock website where this fictitious executive addresses the so-called 'banned' commercial. The number of hits was astronomical." "This really integrates the concept of TV and interactive, and uses a more organic grassroots approach," adds Jon Wank, Spy Post Lead Artist. "If a commercial is clever enough, then you get free advertising through a video-sharing website such as YouTube."

No shit, Sherlock, welcome to the 21st century which much like the 20th has ads becoming succesful when people talk about them which they normally do if they are clever enough. No, really. As for the beer ape ad, it is kinda funny because it's so tragically similar to actual beer ads out there, with poolparties, bikinibabes and random mascot ape. Le Sigh. Still, it's amused people enough to recieve over 1,000,000 views on YouTube. Rock on, beer ape. God knows it's better than "monkeys". (though chimps are apes too, youknow.)

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caffeinegoddess's picture

Pretty lame/tame for an ad that's supposed to have been banned. You'd think they'd up the ante at least a little in that spot to make it a bit more believable that it got banned.

TDD's picture

caffeinegoddess wrote: You'd think they'd up the ante at least a little in that spot to make it a bit more believable that it got banned.

I wondered why the gorilla had swim trunks on. I would have had the gorilla do the clothing rip, and then add some of the typical image distortion to 'hide the gorilla's genitalia'.

Of course, the costume would not have been anatomically correct during the filming, so there would be nothing to hide, but the altered end version might give the impression the gorilla had in fact 'striped nude' and that is why the spot was 'banned'.

Dabitch's picture

Exactly what I was thinking, not very shocking to deserve its own apology spots, and TDD is right even some suggestivly placed pixels would make it better. Remember that black soap ad.

malkie66's picture

I think I gotta go live on a small uninhabited island someplace. That was one of the worst pieces of crap I've ever seen. And it gets over a million hits? Hmmm...maybe I should stick around and make an even worse parody of it. "Hey everybody look! It's the Rolling Rock cheesy beer ad and it's here to save the day...let's all get naked!"

claymore's picture

Hey! Maybe Plywood will surprise us all and dig it!

Naaaah.

Plywood's picture

Well, after several viewings (thinking/hoping I'd missed something), the only remotely amusing (ironic?) thing I could draw out of this horrible stenchy mess was the name of one of the guys from the post house: Jon Wank.

(But it's probably pronounced Way-nke, so dammit, I'm left with nothing.)

TDD's picture

First, I can't spell. "Striped naked"? What the hell does that mean?

Anyway, I would have the gorilla without swim togs and 'pixel censored', and for the apology, I would have the V.P. shown sitting at the desk not wearing any trousers.

malkie66's picture

Couldn't help myself. I made them something truly offensive - Go Apeshit with Rolling Rock Beer

adverlicious's picture

"Low budget" look and feel right down to the static gif online ads. If you missed the campaign, we've archived it here -
Rolling Rock Beer Ape 300x250

Plywood's picture

Malkie66 -

re: your youtube link

Why did you make such a racist piece of garbage?

malkie66's picture

Der...to be offensive - which is what those dopes reckoned the first one was. I even flagged it as such in the "comments". You must be American.