Leveraging spiking baseball interest around the opening phase of the MLB 2023 season, Pabst Blue Ribbon teamed up with former Boston Red Sox slugger and baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs on a campaign combining comedy and nostalgia called ‘Boggs Is Blue’.
The marketing initiative is based around an unbranded BoggsisBlue.com website which pertains to be dedicated to raise awareness of the athlete’s (playful) claim that he is in fact the inspiration for the beer’s famous ‘Cool Blue’ mascot.
The campaign sees Boggs supposedly connect the dots between himself, his image, his career and the brand’s Cool Blue mustached, beer-wielding character. Amongst Boggs argument are the fact that Pabst Blue Ribbon was founded in 1844 and Boggs went 18 for 44 against the brewer’s hometown of Milwaukee, plus that the beer comes in 12-ounce cans and that Boggs is a 12-time All-Star.
The dedicated site and linked creative cites his evidence and includes a list of demands from Boggs which include the brand admitting that he is indeed the inspiration behind the mascot and that Pabst gives away free beer to fans on his behalf to make amends, publish his personal chicken recipe, name a brewery after him, putt his image and likeness on the beer’s packaging and ultimately appoint him as the official spokesperson for Pabst Blue Ribbon.
(A list of demands which surely point towards what is to come from the brand in its future marketing?)
The site is supported by a evolving series of social spots starting with 17 April’s three-minute ‘Wade Boggs Is Cool Blue. Admit The Truth Pbr!’ video exposé, in which outlines Boggs mascot related claims after years of investigation. In it the legendary Hall of Famer asserts that Pabst Blue Ribbon stole his identity to create the Cool Blue mascot and demands beer justice for baseball fans and beer drinkers across the country.
This was followed by additional spots and cuts downs such as ‘The Numbers Don’t Lie’, ‘People Deserve The Truth’, ‘You’re Telling Me’ and ‘Meet Cool Blue’.
The ads and Boggs all encourage viewers and consumers to join the conversation on social media with the hashtag #BoggsisBlue.
Comment
Pabst Blue Ribbon is playing a long game with the campaign by not initially taking public credit or owning up to the effort and instead positioning it as being originated by Boggs himself.
Of course, all this might just be a coincidence and Boggs might just enjoy Pabst Blue Ribbon a bit too much?
After all, the star is famous for his beer-drinking capabilities and MLB legend says he holds the league record for drinking 107 beers during a cross-country flight to a game.
Surely not!
While this campaign comes at a time when overall US beer sales are struggling, Pabst Blue Ribbon itself has, in recent years, returned from the beer brand wilderness. Much of its recent popularity boost has come from hipster subculture, nostalgia and creative marketing reviving a part-forgotten US brand and between 2002 and 2012 barrel sales have increased by nearly 200%.
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