Art Imitates Life

When creating an ad campaign for Miller Brewing’s Sparks caffeinated beer, Digitas got inspiration from its customers.

Turns out, people who drink this brew end up with orange tongues. And many have a proclivity to stick their tongues out, pose for a camera, and then post the photo on Facebook, Flickr, or elsewhere.

“These people aren’t watching a lot of television. You cannot reach them in traditional media,” Digitas chief executive David Kenny told the audience gathered at the Advertising Research Foundation’s annual meeting.

The hand drawn Sparks.com site was designed with those customers in mind. The site “speaks to the feeling of this brand and the insights of those consumers who created the brand equity from top to bottom,” Kenny said. Visuals were taken from YouTube and Facebook pages.

In building this brand, Miller has reportedly bypassed traditional advertising.

Marketing Sparks.com, Kenny said, illustrates how marketers and advertisers can listen and learn from consumers.