InBev UK is premiering a stylish new TV advert to celebrate the launch of Stella Artois 4% and to illustrate the brand’s smooth nature in a classic way.

This stunning 40-second TV commercial shot in the colourful style of 1960s’ French cinema is an amusing tale of misplaced jealousy set on the sun-drenched Riviera.

Andreas Hilger, Marketing Director of InBev UK & Ireland, said: “The TV commercial pays homage to the continental heritage and quality credentials of the brand. However, we have built a new world for Stella Artois 4% in the smooth Riviera of the 1960s, which enables us to capture the wry sense of humour and strong cinematic look that has always been at the heart of our brand but recreated to fit with the qualities of this new 4% lager, in particular its smoothness.”

It communicates the message: “Stella Artois 4%. Triple filtered with a smooth outcome” to underline the product credentials of the lager which is brewed to an original Belgian recipe.
The exciting new advert follows a national outdoor campaign and is supported with a targeted press campaign also with its roots in the 1960s French Riviera.

Staying true to long line of pioneering, creative advertising from Stella Artois, the advert is entirely in French.

For maximum impact the advert will launch on November 4th during coverage of the UEFA Champions League games on ITV1 and Sky Sports which will alone reach 6 million people. This heavyweight campaign will run until the end of December delivering 630 TVRs among ABC1 men aged 18-34.

The Riviera Touch:
The eagerly awaited first commercial for Stella Artois 4%, developed and produced by Mother for InBev UK, maintains the high-quality production values for which the Stella Artois parent brand is renowned but with a new twist.

Laurence Horner, Strategist at Mother London, the advertising agency behind the campaign explained: “Stella Artois 4% is a new product, so we needed a new style of advertising, but we didn't want to lose the cinematic feel that has made Stella Artois ads so successful in the past. Using the smooth taste of Stella Artois 4% as our inspiration, we moved the brand's cinematic reference point forward half a century to the Sixties Riviera - the setting of some of the smoothest films ever made.”

Opening on a roof-top pool at a fabulous Rivera hotel, a pretty young woman asks a cool-looking young man to rub suntan oil on her but the peaceful scene is shattered as her husband suddenly shows up and assumes the worst! The young man protests his innocence and backs away from the husband, he doesn’t notice he is perilously close to the ledge of the roof and accidentally trips over it, and falls towards the ground.

His fall is broken by three washing lines. He hits the first washing line, disappears behind the clothes, then he falls through the second washing line. After he hits the third washing line he reappears with his outfit complete – he has been ‘triple-filtered’! Reaching the ground intact, he attracts admiring glances from several young ladies before casually entering a bar and ordering a pint of Stella Artois 4%.

The husband rushes downs stairs to see what has happened to the young man, who is nowhere to be found. The breathless husband then charges into a bar nearby. Nonchalantly, the young man nods at him and raises his glass. The husband doesn’t recognise him and gives him a half smile – but his expression changes as he looks down to see him sporting a pair of red stilettos! - A nod to the classic Stella Artois Red Shoes advert. The commercial ends with the message: “Stella Artois 4%. Triple Filtered with a smooth outcome”.

Developed to complement Stella Artois – the No 1 premium lager in the on-trade – Stella Artois 4% appeals to consumers looking for a premium 4% beer that doesn’t sacrifice quality. It was launched in the off-trade in August and a draught version is being rolled out in the on-trade from November.