LINCOLN—Leave it to Lincoln-based youth marketing firm Archrival to get an inflatable hot dog, ridiculous mustaches, monster trucks and stallions into a commercial for hard apple cider.
The spot highlights Mike’s Hard Lemonade’s latest product, Mike’s Smashed Apple Ale.
But don’t be surprised that the firm, which has been behind other high profile ads and stunts like the Red Bull Air Drop, made a hit. The video, posted two months ago on YouTube, has more than a million views.
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In addition to the viral campaign, the ads aired on national sites like Yahoo! Sports, ABC News, NBC.com, MSN, IGN.com and more.
“To give the product extended awareness, we honed in on the importance of finding just the right apple for the new Ale,” Archrival wrote in a blog post. “After smashing hundreds of apples, the creative came to life around the concept of an amazing magic bow and arrow that can always find the perfect Washington apple—but that’s not all it can find!”
That’s where all the ridiculousness—including Texas-sized belt buckles, a truckload of fireworks and buff yogis—comes in. (It’s best just to watch it for yourself). The campaign extended into a launch video, rich media, pre-roll and banners with the tag “Shoot for the best. Pick Mike’s.”
