Dive Brief:

• AB InBev brand Stella Artois debuted a campaign, "Joie de Biere" — French for the "joy of beer" — that encourages people to enjoy life's pleasures and not let modern distractions interfere, per The Drum. The creative centers on Le Village, a fictional town representing Leuven, Belgium, where Stella Artois originated.
• The brand released a TV spot, "Les Pockets," which shows alternating scenes of a man running down the street in Le Village talking on two cellphones, people dancing with chalices of beer in a pub and someone sewing colorful pockets onto garments. The man enters the pub and orders a Stella, but wonders where to put his phones, before realizing that everyone else is storing their devices in the elaborate pockets on their clothing. 
• Stella Artois is hosting Le Village-inspired events and social activations, including pop-up bars, as part of the effort. Those include "Don't Rush Hour," an extra hour of happy hour at bars, and a chance for fans to use Snapchat codes to win a VIP trip to the San Diego Wine & Food Festival. 

Dive Insight:

Stella Artois' message of stopping to savor the moment plays into how most people are spending more time than ever on mobile devices — up to five hours per day — but also more frequently starting to feel the negative effects of things like social media addiction. Creating an idyllic setting where people pocket their phones and simply enjoy their surroundings might come across as relatable to screen-addled to consumers, and appeal to younger drinkers like millennials, in particular, who are commonly associated with being glued to their phones. 

Encouraging consumers to put down their cellphones may seem counterintuitive, as marketers continue to invest in digital, with mobile helping lead the way. Stella's effort, for example, features Snapchat activations that require fans to pull out their phones and engage social media for a chance to win prizes. The brewer is balancing this out with more real-world activations, including the happy hour promotions and Le Village-inspired events.   

Stella Artois' marketing push comes at a time when beer consumption is in a state of disruption, with consumers increasingly favoring craft brews or otherwise buying more cheap light beer — a trend that has heavily impacted parent company AB InBev and its flagship products like Budweiser.