You are The Most Interesting Man in the World’s Hero
Well, if you are a male beer drinker that is.
Imagine if Dos Equis wanted to build their sales by promoting their product. Their pitch would be something like: we use malted barley, boil it, add some hops and yeast and let it sit for a while. When the sugars have been optimally converted to alcohol we put the concoction in bottles.
And we call it beer.
It is good.
Beer drinkers everywhere would have fallen asleep – or maybe ordered a Corona.
Dos Equis followed another tactic: they identified their target as male beer drinkers who want to be cool and interesting. But no matter how confident they are, there is a little voice of doubt in the back of their heads: am I really that cool?
The one thing these guys don’t want is to go the bar and be boring.
So, the brand created a solution. Not by luring them with the intoxicating effects of fermented sugars: but by giving them something to talk about.
The commercials are engaging and fun and the Most Interesting Man became one of the most recognized characters of the century.
As one ad puts it, “if he were to pat you on your back, you would list it on your résumé.”
And they turned the lonely male beer drinker into a hero. The moment he orders a Dos Equis he has something to talk about. The person next to him raises his (or ideally her) bottle and toasts “stay thirsty my friends,” and conversation ensues.
Just by ordering a Dos Equis the guy at the bar transforms from uninteresting to interesting. He may not be the most interesting man in the world, but he can certainly talk about him.
This campaign propelled Dos Equis from bottom shelf obscurity to the fastest growing beer brand in the country.
They did this not because they boiled barley better than the next guy but because they connected emotionally with their audience. They developed a clear market position and a BrandStory that engaged that market.
So if you want to grow your sales stop talking about the product and start telling a compelling story.
