Originally brewed in Newcastle-on-Tyne in England in 1927 to slake the thirsts of hardworking miners, Newcastle had managed to successfully invade the United States, buoyed by a great product and a ‘no bollocks’ attitude. However in 2013 a decline in beer drinking and a vanishing marketing budget clouded its prospects. Overshadowed by deep-pocketed beer megabrands and a burgeoning craft beer sector, it had to figure out where to deploy its dwindling budget to make any kind of impact at all.

Clever data analysis surfaced the fact that buzz drives sales, and that the best way of creating buzz is to barge into ongoing conversations. It just so happened that the biggest conversations held around a beer or two were about the Super Bowl. Sadly, this giant annual circus locked up by the big brewers, and in in any case is not affordable to a brand like Newcastle. In fact, they weren’t even allowed to use words S**** B***.

Newcastle defiantly decided to hijack this bloated and pretentious event by hijacking it, mercilessly parodying brewers’ tired tactics. The ploy was simple: create maximum buzz to generate maximum awareness and consideration and hopefully giving sales a boost.

The idea of “If we made it” translated into a plethora of executions. Breathless teasers, special-effects-laced storyboarded spot that the brand would make (if it actually had money), a prima donna celebrity actress, a blown-away focus group audience, faux celebrity approaches - all focused on the amazing things Newcastle would do if they had the cash and connections to make it onto the Super Bowl.