Geronimo and Initials L.A. capture moments of true wealth across the globe for Kasteelbier.

During a sunny Friday afternoon, Xavier Vanhonsebrouck, the CEO of a local family brewery in Izegem, Belgium, engaged in a discussion with Gertjan De Smet, the Creative Director of content agency Geronimo, at Michelle's Pub, the brasserie known for its Kasteelbier, Filou, Bacchus, Brigand, and St. Louis beers.

The topic of their conversation was the level of awareness Kasteelbier, the mother of all Belgian special beers. Vanhonsebrouck, a level-headed individual, believed that Kasteelbier was much more well-known than many Flanders residents assumed, with people from Izegem to Tokyo talking about the "castle beer from Belgium." Even though Kasteelbier has yet to reach the Japanese capital, its fans and the beer itself can be found in virtually every capital city along the way. This expansion is a justifiable achievement for the brewery. An expansion of which the brewery can be rightfully proud, but Vanhonsebrouck felt that Geronimo had a point about the general public not being sufficiently aware of the beer’s existence.
This led to the idea spark that took the agency around the world to share how Kasteelbier is a part of people's lives, all around the world.

To commemorate the beer brand's thirtieth anniversary, they seized the opportunity to embark on an ambitious project with another company. Production hurdles caused by the pandemic and a nearby conflict made the plan even more challenging, but they remained committed to telling the story of Kasteelbier's global success through a cinematic lens despite the obstacles they faced.

A brand strategist named Maarten Van Daele, who was working freelance at the time but is now the global strategic director at Media Monks, was tasked with creating an emotion-driven campaign strategy for Kasteelbier. This involved analyzing consumer, product, and brand insights. The main conclusion was that Kasteelbier is a high-quality and luxurious beer that was initially only available from the Castle of Ingelmunster but is now enjoyed worldwide. The campaign aimed to communicate that anyone can experience moments of opulence and true wealth by enjoying a glass of Kasteelbier, regardless of their background or location. Kasteelbier has successfully made these moments possible for beer lovers around the globe.

The campaign motto “True wealth can be found everywhere” was born.

“Kasteel is more than a beer brand, it is a beer moment. A moment of true wealth. And thanks to our global expansion, you can find this true wealth everywhere.” Xavier Vanhonsebrouck

Actions speak louder than words, and the time had come to turn the strategy into an effective campaign plan.

Geronimo were lucky enough to have the talented photographer, film director, and world traveler Jef Boes, a proud Kasteel Rouge fan, join our team. With the help of his Initials LA agency, we were able to create and produce a beautifully simple campaign.

The campaign tells the stories of six residents from six different countries and their daily lives. Through cinematic footage, they showcase the countries' cultural wealth, while also highlighting how Belgian beer culture has slowly gained popularity.

Each film ends with a moment of reflection, where the protagonist deliberately chooses a Belgian Kasteelbier over their own traditional beverage. This moment of true wealth is captured in a campaign portrait, also created by Jef Boes.

Sidenote: One of the stories in the campaign series is that of Ivan and was shot in St. Petersburg (Russia) a few months before Putin’s sudden invasion of the Ukraine. The campaign film will not be silenced out of respect for the local population, who in large numbers expressed their disapproval about the necessity of this war, but will also not be shown in the campaign media out of respect for the Ukrainian people.

The power of music in storytelling cannot be underestimated, especially in today's world where content consumption is massive. Emotions are at the core of any story, and music plays a significant role in invoking these emotions. To create the perfect musical composition for their project, Geronimo and Jef Boes approached Peter Baert, an accomplished film composer, who runs his own sound studio, Raygun, in Brussels. Baert's exceptional work in the Hollywood production "The Water Man" earned him international recognition in 2021.
He enthusiastically took on the project, despite the not-so-lavish budget, and successfully created a soundtrack that captured the spirit of the country in question. Baert made sure to involve local artists from each country to ensure that every detail was accurately portrayed in the soundtrack. The soundtracks will soon be available on Spotify for everyone to enjoy.