Boston Beer Company’s Bevy Long Drink Transports Drinkers to the Coldscape of Nordic Summer

Imagine this: it’s early winter in Lapland, the thermometer shows -13°F and there’s a total of 141 minutes of daylight per day. To many, these would not be considered ideal filming conditions. But it’s the perfect scenario to introduce Bevy Long Drink, a new hard citrus refresher from the Boston Beer Company to the US drinker. Inspired by traditional Finnish cocktail, the ‘Long Drink,’ the makers of Bevy Long Drink are going the distance to tell its story to US drinkers on the search for the next best thing.

“We know drinkers are searching for the sessionable refreshment but don't want to sacrifice taste. Through Boston Beer Company’s ongoing research and constant innovation, we’ve developed the Bevy Long Drink - easy drinking with an ABV of 5.8%, our take on this Nordic classic packs flavour and a punch – perfect for any occasion. To introduce Finland’s best kept secret to the US we tapped into the mindset of the happiest country on earth,” explains Lesya Lysyj, chief marketing officer, Boston Beer Company.

'Finnish Summers' helps drinkers warm up to the Long Drink with the coolest campaign ever 

Created in partnership with TBWA\Helsinki, the Bevy Long Drink launch campaign, Finnish Summers shines a light on the enigmatic realities of Nordic life. Because let’s face it, Finnish summer and winter are pretty much the same even though they land on different months – or as traditional native irony puts it, “yes, the Finnish summer is short, but luckily there’s not too much snow.” Golfing in the snow, sunbathing under the Northern Lights and a pool party around an ice-fishing hole are twists on traditional Finnish summer activities on display in the new campaign rolling out this spring.  

Great lengths for an authentic launch

Nearly 4,000 miles and seven-hours separate the Bevy Long Drink team at Boston Beer Company from the creative minds at TBWA\Helsinki, but no distance is too great to tell the story of this Nordic-inspired refresher.  

“We want drinkers to be swept away to a Finnish wonderland with every pure and crisp sip of Bevy Long Drink. Working with a Finland-based agency like TBWA\Helsinki for the launch campaign allowed us to authentically tap into the Nordic state of mind and translate that into something US drinkers will love,” says Lesya.

“Back in 2014 the theme for the Eurobest awards hosted in Helsinki was ‘Honesty – Invented In Finland’ which I still look back with pride as transparency and the ability to laugh at oneself truly are in season in marketing now. What makes me grateful and extremely proud is the opportunity to ’export’ these traits and values in our work with great international and US clients like the Boston Beer Company, who share the mindset and immediately saw what we could bring to the table”, continues Juha-Matti Raunio, brand lead from TBWA\Helsinki.

Bevy Long Drink’s premiere campaign, Finnish Summers, is rolling out nationally this spring. The campaign can be seen across social and digital media as well as in linear TV, starting with this month’s college basketball tournament. As an official sponsor of the National Hockey League, Finnish Summers will also air during playoff hockey later this spring.