Grolsch Made a Movie-Themed Card Game for Bars Near the Toronto Film Festival

“Would you rather be John Wick or Tony Stark. Why him?” 

Grolsch poses such movie-themed questions in a card game distributed to bars and restaurants near venues hosting the Toronto International Film Festival, which runs through Sunday.

This marks the brewer’s eighth year as a TIFF sponsor, and queries range from straight-up trivia to more esoteric fare. 

Other examples include:

• “Complete this line by Vin Diesel’s character Dom Toretto in the film Fast and Furious (2001). “I live my life one _____  __ _ ____.”

• “If you could be any movie character for one day, who would you choose?”

• Which actor turned down the part of Michael Corleone in The Godfather?
A) Robert Redford
B) Jack Nicholson
C) Dustin Hoffman
D) All of the above

Presumably, printing up game cards also proved cheaper, and caused fewer headaches, than producing a video, which is how many of the larger festivals get the word out. 

“We did this because it’s more authentic to our audience,” says Noah Barlow, who recently launched Toronto’s Smaller Agency, which devised the campaign. “It’s about creating real beer moments among real friends. Real beer moments happen in person, not online or in funny videos. I think the local bars and restaurants also appreciate the value add, versus an app or another coaster.”

Plus, patrons who play get free popcorn!

Beyond the game, Grolsch boasts an impressive footprint in downtown Toronto for the festival. Its green, swing-top bottle gets the star treatment on billboards, posters and in other campaign elements. These pieces employ movie-related imagery—makeup chairs, film sets and green screens—and Hollywood-style verbiage such as “Bold,” “Character,” and “Distinctive.”

As for this post’s opening line, obviously we’d pick Tony Stark. It’s all about that magnificent suit, so shiny and deadly and godlike. Also, slimming. (We’re a tad hippy these day from too much popcorn, Milk Duds and Jujubes.) 

CREDITS

Client: Grolsch
Project: Grolsch x TIFF Partnership
Agency: Smaller Agency
Creative Director: Noah Barlow
Art Director & Designer: Amber Hsu
Copywriter: Susanne Weinberg