Home >  Business

Friday, May 24, 2002

By Teresa F. Lindeman, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

In a twist on the beautiful-bodies-sell-beer theory of marketing, Pittsburgh Brewing is rolling out a cheeky ad campaign that promises its I.C. Light brand doesn't cause beer bellies.

Just in case people don't get the message from the slogan -- "More Taste. Less Waist." -- or the infomercial-style radio spots touting the new liquid diet, the billboards will serve up can't-miss views of well-developed stomachs.

The hard bodies are adorned with plastic six-pack rings, a take-off on chiseled abdominal muscles that so many Americans seem to want but can't seem to obtain.

Neither Pittsburgh Brewing nor the agency expects anyone to take this diet-thing too far, but they wanted to go back to the basic light beer message for their target audience of 21- to 34-year-olds.

"I.C. Light is the lowest in carbs and calories of any light beer currently on the market," claims a company news release, which said the beer has 2.9 carbohydrates and 96 calories in 12 ounces.

The campaign is the first in a while for Pittsburgh's long-beleaguered hometown brew and the first ever for a months-old Strip District ad agency that gave three brothers from Pittsburgh an excuse to come home from the Big Apple.

Smith Brothers Advertising didn't exist in November when brothers Bronson and Lindsey Smith, home for Thanksgiving, introduced themselves to the marketing people at the Lawrenceville brewery. A friend suggested there might be an opportunity there.

In the next few months, the two sat down and developed four campaign proposals for Pittsburgh Brewing's three major brands -- I.C. Light, Iron City and Augustiner. As talks continued, they brought in brother Miles.

All three had been at New York agencies -- Avrett Free & Ginsberg/NY and TMP Worldwide. The industry was a natural fit for the Sewickley-raised sons of Tom Smith, head of the Pittsburgh office of ad agency Della Femina McNamee before his retirement in the early 1990s. Della Femina even had the Pittsburgh Brewing account for awhile.

Their fourth partner, Gregg Kelly, had been chief financial officer at Della Femina's Pittsburgh offices before they closed. He was with Euro RSCG Worldwide in New York until last year when he decided to come home.

For Pittsburgh Brewing, the timing was good. Another young agency, The Idea Mill, had created its last marketing push in 1999. The Iron City brand had gone with a retro-look label to emphasize the beer's heritage. Otherwise, marketing had been handled in-house by the brewery, which has had different owners over the past decade and sometimes struggled to pay the bills.

Owner Joe Piccirilli said I.C. Light remained the best seller for the brewery but that Iron City has been making inroads in recent years because of marketing efforts. "I think we kind of took I.C. Light for granted."

Smith Brothers has developed campaigns for Iron City and Augustiner, too, but the brewery is taking it slowly. About $175,000 is being spent on the I.C. Light rollout -- including point-of-purchase pieces and ads on key bathroom walls. The response will determine how the strategy plays out.

In addition to the most important gauge, sales, everyone is waiting to see if he gets any flack for the sexy billboard shots. "Our Mom was not crazy about them originally," conceded Bronson Smith. "But she's not in our target audience."