Amstel Light taps Phil Mickelson as friendship matchmaker in new ad

Dive Brief:

Heineken's Amstel Light is teaming with golf champion Phil Mickelson on a multiyear marketing partnership spotlighting challenges men face when making friends. The deal kicks off with a new campaign targeting male Gen Xers and older consumer groups who haven't traditionally been the focus of beer campaigns, the brand said in a press release.
The effort is centered around a video series, "In The Rough," in which Mickelson shares tips on male friendships and addresses topics such as how men can make friends with people besides other dads at their child's school or how to initiative text conversations with a new person. The content will be distributed on Mickelson's and the beer brand's social media channels.
The campaign will include print, radio, out-of-home, digital and paid media. It will also include activations and a series of contests that will be announced through the hashtag #FriendswithPhil.

Dive Insight:

Despite Gen Xers' higher beer consumption rates, more marketing campaigns are designed to appeal to millennials and older Gen Zers, according to Beverage Daily. Amstel is banking on the fact that these older drinkers are still buying beer at a time when sales in the category have declined across the board. Now, the Heineken-owned brew is tailoring a fresh marketing campaign around this older cohort and discussing a common challenge they face in their daily lives.

Younger demographics may be wooed by newer alcohol categories such as hard seltzer, but Amstel is hoping that Gen Xers will remember a more established light beer that also offers fewer calories. The brand has previously used the tag line, "Beer Drinker's Light Beer," to highlight its light, yet robust, flavor in 95 calories.

By enlisting a well-known golfer to address the difficulties men face making new friends — a concern that has been getting some ink over the past few years — and appealing to fans of a sport that's traditionally linked to social time for men — the brand offers a lighthearted way for the cohort to address their social challenges.