STELLA ARTOIS | Ice Skating Priests | 2006
Diving Into a Frozen Lake Twice, for Beer / STELLA ARTOIS "Ice Skating Priests"
Monks skating on a frozen pond. A young one falls through the ice, and his fellow monks rush over—not to him, but to the beer. Just when you think they've pulled it to safety, they push it back under the ice again. Two minutes, black and white. By the end, all you can say is "oh, I got had."
The problem
From 1982 to 2007, Stella Artois ran with the tagline "Reassuringly Expensive," selling its high price itself as proof of quality. "Ice Skating Priests" was the third Stella Artois ad directed by Jonathan Glazer.
The insight
The way to make people accept an expensive beer isn't through explanation—it's by burning an image into their minds. The monks put the beer's safety ahead of their young brother's. This merciless humor gives physical form to the line "Reassuringly Expensive."
The idea
Shot in black and white in Poland, finished with a 1920s-style texture. The lead is played by Zbigniew Zamachowski from Three Colors. The music is Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2. The ice cracking and him falling through, his face popping up from a distant hole, the brothers rushing toward the beer—the accumulating beats alone make you laugh, while leaving a slight chill.
What happened
Produced by Lowe London. Won a Pencil in the Editing category at D&AD 2006. The "Reassuringly Expensive" campaign overall saw sales rise 33% in its first year, and by 1989 had recorded a 406% increase compared to 1981.
Afterthought
An expensive beer. Monks going to retrieve it from under the ice. That gap alone tells the whole story of the brand's essence. Someday I'd like to make work that makes people feel "I got had" just like this.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Gold 2006
