Dos Equis Heralds a Joyful, Awkward Return to Normal Life

After a year of Covid-19 restrictions, the cast of the new Dos Equis ad “Pregame” became overwhelmed with emotion as they filmed the commercial’s climactic bar scene.

“It turned out to be such a charged moment to capture. The actors weren’t acting. They really believed they were there as best friends, and everyone on set felt it,” Cam Levin, chief creative officer at Sid Lee USA, which developed the work, tells Muse.

“It gave us all goosebumps,” Levin recalls. “It just shows what we’ve been longing for, that connection we need as humans, and it was proof that our campaign can speak powerfully to those moments.”

“Pregame” is the launch spot for the new “Get a Dos” campaign, which drops today. It’s a breezy, lighthearted ad, focused on bad haircuts and fashion miscues as folks prep for a night out with friends. Heralding a hopeful return to pre-pandemic normalcy, the approach should resonate, as we learn to be with each other IRL again after agonizing months of social deprivation.

“Our aim was to create a powerful, modern and relevant position that brought Dos Equis back into consumers’ minds,” Levin says. “The work plays on the double entendre of the word ‘Dos,’ and injects optimism into our everyday. It’s an insightful take on life that makes you view things from a new and elevated perspective—something we could all do with. It’s never static, but responsive, observational, and has room to evolve.”

Spots dealing with relationship breakups and vacations are also on tap.

For “Pregame,” Sid Lee worked with Interrogate director Ric Cantor to “capture the awkward and awesome moments of getting ready to go out and resume life,” Levin says. “The haircut blunder happened to someone on our team, and we were able to laugh at ourselves while thinking about how we’ll readjust to coming out of quarantine.”

“Get a Dos” offers a bubbly alternative to the most interesting year we just survived, a frothy celebration that’s long overdue. To some ears, the wordplay might even suggest getting a vaccine dose, which seems entirely apt in context.

Samm Henshaw’s R&B tune “All Good” provides bubbly backing throughout.

” ‘All Good’ embodies the vibe of positivity we will experience from returning to a sense of normalcy by going out to bars and pregaming with friends,” says Ligia Patrocinio, senior director for Dos Equis at Heineken USA. “It’s something upbeat we want to listen to all summer long.”

CREDITS

Agency: Sid Lee
CEO, Sid Lee USA: Andy Bateman
CCO, Sid Lee USA: Cam Levin
ECD, Sid Lee Global: Kristian Manchester
Creative Director, Sid Lee Global: Bradley Getty
Creative Director, Sid Lee USA: Christina de la Cruz
Creative Director, Sid Lee USA: Eric Molina
Creative Director, Sid Lee USA: Juan Davila Morris
Creative Director, Sid Lee USA: Fransisco Rojas
Creative Director, Sid Lee USA: Olivier Valiquette
Design Director, Sid Lee USA: Alexis Coutu-Marion

Head of Social and Digital, Sid Lee USA: Jason Berk
Creative Director Social, Sid Lee USA: Joel Jensen

TV commercial creative teams:
“Pre-Game” – Andrée-Anne Hallé & Patrick Seymour
“Break-Up” – Celine & Clement Mornet Landa, Julien Sens Jillian Young and Sylvain Thirache
“Vacation” – Celine & Clement Mornet Landa, Julien Sens Jillian Young and Sylvain Thirache

Head of Production: Magali Loiselle
Executive Producer: Marie-Christine Toupin
Producer: Mathieu Leduc
Production Coordinator: Rose Gauthier-Robitaille

CSO, Partner, Sid Lee Global: Elana Gorbatyuk
CSO, Sid Lee USA: Nirm Shanbhag
Strategy Director: Elliott Altilia

Executive Client Partner: Melissa Spano
Account Supervisor: Mariah Dawes
Project Coordinator: Nedda Saidian

COO, Sid Lee USA: Melissa Palazzo-Hart
Head of Program Management, Sid Lee USA: Michelle Bekas

Client: Heineken USA
CMO: Jonnie Cahill
VP Marketing Mexican Beer Portfolio: Ali Payne
Senior Director Dos Equis: Ligia Patrocinio
Brand Director Dos Equis: Hannah Dray
Senior Production Consultant, APR: Loretta Tassotti
Video SME, APR: Charlie Curran

Production Company: Interrogate
Director: Ric Cantor
Director of Photography: Jackson Hunt
Managing Director/Founder: Jeff Miller
EP/Partner: George Meeker
Head of Production: Nathan De La Rionda
Producer : Henri Dragonas

Editorial House: Arcade Edit
Editor: Laura Sanford
Assistant Editor: Andy Trecki
Senior Producer: Alexa Atkin

Visual Effects: Rodeo FX
VFX Supervisor: Alejandro Miranda

Color: Simon Boissonneaux

Online and motion design: TAG
Director of Creative Production: Mark Knowles

Music licensing: Cult Nation
Music: “All Good” by Samm Henshaw

Sound Design & Mix: BLVD
Sound Engineer: Sylvain Roux