Refreshingly Texan – Bug Killing Neon Sign
Lone Star Beer
Issue 60 | September 2021
Agency
Callen, Austin TX
Creative Team
Chief Creative Officer Craig Allen Senior Writer Kyle Davis Senior Art Director Matt Nall
Production Team
Producers Mary Ellen Farrar, Harrison Watkins
Other Credits
Brand Director Emily Hoyle Brand Manager Daniel Crawford
Date
July 2021
Background
In 2020, Lone Star Beer introduced a new campaign built on the concept of ‘Refreshingly Texan’. In 2021 the brand launched a new seltzer to bring refreshment to the state in summer. However, while the state has much to offer, one of its least pleasant aspects is the plague of mosquitoes that come in the hotter months.
Idea
To make summer more enjoyable for Texans and to promote the new seltzer, a large 4ft. by 4ft. neon Lone Star sign was created. It didn’t just add to the ambience of the local pub, it had a function. It zapped mosquitoes so that drinkers could enjoy their cold Lone Star on a hot day without being troubled.
Video ads informed Texans of this refreshing new idea.
Results
The installation has turned out to provide unexpected entertainment. Crowds gather around it, cheering every time a mosquito gets zapped.
Our Thoughts
The really interesting part of this idea is in the huge emotional response it seems to generate from customers. Lone Star have created a spectator sport, a scaled down and much sanitised version of the Roman Games in which the termination of every hated mozzie is the cause of laughter and celebration. At the risk of overintellectualising a simple idea, Lone Star seem to have tapped into a deeply human fascination with death. Maybe it’s a ‘there but for the grace of God go I’ sort of thing but there’s no doubt the branded zapper has a future wherever there are things that sting.