Title	THE INCLUSIVE BEER AD
Brand	JUPILER
Product/Service	BEER
Category	A01. Fast Moving Consumer Goods
Entrant	BBDO BELGIUM Brussels, BELGIUM
Idea Creation	BBDO BELGIUM Brussels, BELGIUM
Media Placement	BBDO BELGIUM Brussels, BELGIUM
PR	BBDO BELGIUM Brussels, BELGIUM
Production	BBDO BELGIUM Brussels, BELGIUM

Name	Company	Position
Sebastien De Valck	BBDO	Creative Director
Arnaud Pitz	BBDO	Creative Director
Frederik Clarysse	BBDO	Creative
Isabel Peeters	BBDO	Chief Commercial Officer
Christophe Malotaux	BBDO	Graphic Designer
Sofie Verstreken	BBDO	Chief Strategy Officer
Jesse Donkor	BBDO	Strategist
Lore Desmet	BBDO	Account Director
Lieselot De Fraine	BBDO	Account Manager
Josse Peremans	AB Inbev	Marketing Manager
Arnaud Hanset	AB Inbev	Marketing Director
Maxime Pudzeis	AB Inbev	Brand Manager

Why is this work relevant for PR?

On may 20, the media outlets in Flanders talked about one thing only: the announcement of Sarah Bettens about her transition to become Sam Bettens. That day, Belgium’s most traditional masculine beer brand, Jupiler, published an ad that was so thought provoking, it was instantly part of the news. The newspaper ad was designed to be a conversation starter and to earn the 1,3M in media coverage it reached.

Background

Jupiler is the leading beer brand in Belgium. And also the most stereotypical masculine brand. Its tagline has been “Men know why” for over 30 years. It has always communicated with traditional masculine codes. Because of this the brand still has a lot of credibility among traditional men. Jupiler decided to use this influence to help make society more inclusive. Sarah Bettens is one of Belgium’s most accomplished rock stars, receiving international recoginition and scoring massive hits with the band “K’s Choice”. On may 18 she announced her transition from female to male. Sam Bettens became one of the first, and certainly the most high profile celebrity to make such a public transition. Jupiler decided this was the perfect time to use its influence to promote the normalization of transgender men.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

On may 18 2019, Sarah Bettens, one of Belgium’s most famous rock stars, announced her transition towards masculinity and became Sam Bettens. A huge moment for the transgender community in Belgium, and a big step towards normalization of transgender people in general. The next day, every news outlet reported about this famous transition. Overnight, Jupiler, Belgium’s most masculine beer brand, integrated a print ad on the back cover of the two biggest newspapers in Flanders, and became an integral part of the news. Stating two simple words: “Pintje, Sam?”. In English: “Fancy a beer, Sam?”. The expression “pintje?”, offering a beer, is a sign of male acceptance. The message to men was clear: Sam is instantly one of the guys. This traditional brand suddenly made a strong point about the normalization of transgender people. Without endless debates. Just no-nonsense instant acceptance.

Describe the PR strategy (30% of vote)

Jupiler has been perceived as a stereotypical masculine brand. It made the brand very influential among conservative men. A recent study by the Belgian institute for the equality of women and men (the “beyond the box” study) has proved that traditional men have more difficulties accepting transgender people’s new identities than women. Jupiler used its influence on these men to guide them towards a more inclusive attitude. A traditional brand suddenly made a strong point about the normalization of transgender people. The expression "Pintje?", offering someone a beer, is a sign of male acceptance. So Jupiler sets the example and shows men that Sam is to be accepted as a man now. With one newspaper ad, Jupiler opened up the transgender debate to a broader, difficult to reach audience, while using the everyday language of men and the low-barrier gesture of offering a beer.

Describe the PR execution (20% of vote)

On may 20, all newspapers had a lot of attention for the news that Sam Bettens broke the night before. Overnight, we negotiated a deal with the the country's two most-read newspapers: "Het Laatste Nieuws" and "De Morgen", who, combined, reach almost 3 million people. At the very last minute they integrated a full page ad on the back cover. An ad that instantly became part of the news. With this big mainstream print ad placement, Jupiler made a powerful statement for everyone to see: we instantly accept Sam Bettens as a man.

List the results (30% of vote)

Total earned reach: 30,467,076 impressions via: - with a total offline reach of 5.224.407 Belgians (total population 11mill.) and an online reach of 8,275,601 unique visitors. - Via news and talkshows on the four main TV channels (public and commercial) and 18 different radio stations, Jupiler reached 7,133,851 Belgians out - - All of Belgian media outlets posted about the ad which massively strengthened the owned social exposure and total online impressions on social media total earned media value: 1,3 million. Proof of the positive comprehension and attitudes were the multiple online newspaper polls indicating up to 75% positive evaluation rate. The Positive sentiment was driven by celebrities, experts, influencers, consumers and – most importantly – the transgender community spokespersons supporting the campaign as a necessary, low-barrier conversation starter. The bold and simple style and tone of the message were the key to success. The current brand awareness of Jupiler is already sky-high at 99,7% and further increased with 0,3% after the campaign). Brand trial increased significantly with 1.7% in the months after the press stunt