Scituate's finest

 

After yesterday's second trashing of the recent jaGUar campaign (and their tired vehicle line up) I thought I'd spread some good juju about a campaign I love. But sadly don't see enough of -- Goodby's work for Sam Adams beer.

I should preface this and say I'm a tad biased. 

After all, my sister in law has lived back there most of her life. And her three kids, and now their kids, are in and around the Marshfield area. So taken was I by the beauty of the Massachusett's coastline that years ago, I was tempted to pick up roots and move there.

Crazy, right? Who leaves Southern California to go back east and live in a saltbox?

The point is, I have some familiarity, other than the yearly Yankees v. Red Sox rivalry, to recognize New England authenticity. And that's what I love about the work, it rings true. Albeit in a glossy, manufactured, focus group-friendly kind of way.

For starters the campaign is distinctively tied to the beer. Samuel Adams beer, not my cup of suds, is unmistakably Bostonian. I could cite the connection to the real Sam Adams, but then I'd have to Google American History, not one of my favorite Jeopardy categories.

For other starters, I love how each spot begins with a crafted musical/graphic sting. Not sure why more ad agency people don't employ this technique. There's a reason why jingles worked in the 50's and 60's. In fact Ms. Muse has an encyclopedic knowledge of all them. As well as an awesome and often amazing ability to recall lyrics to every song known to mankind.

Years ago, when I was doing a radio campaign for Bizrate.com, I worked with April W. (did not secure her permission), who suggested we kick off each spot with a chorus of singers, "Another nightmare story about someone who got screwed online...e-screwed."

It was delicious. In the same way the announcer says, "It's your cousin...from Boston."

And then there's the character himself, who may or may not be a second cousin of Ben Affleck. Or Matt Damon. Or even the guy that doesn't like apples. 

He's salty, like a good Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chip basket. But he's not your typical ad spokesperson. I'm looking at you Toyotathon Jan. The client deserves mucho credit for taking the beach path less traveled. 

What I love most is that he's obnoxious, in an almost lovable kind of way. He's unfiltered. Brash. And set in his ways, come on, who wears a backward cap like that anymore? In other words, he's just like people from Boston.

Best of all, charming as it may be, I don't have to listen to that accent for more than 30 seconds at a clip. 

No offense cousins.