John Smith's Brewery - Advertising

Advertising

The company's association with television advertising began in 1970 with the Yorkshiremen love it campaign. From 1976 to 1986 the brand was represented in the South of England by the dour Yorkshireman "Arkwright", played by Gordon Rollings. The series "probably" won more awards than any other from 1980–82 and was featured by the comedian Johnny Carson on his popular television programme in the United States. The series was continued until 1991 with Arkwright's successor, Barraclough. Meanwhile, the "Big John" campaign ran in the North of England from 1981, and centred around a re-writing of the Big Bad John country music staple. Courage was able to demonstrate to an independent panel that the £300,000 campaign had resulted in a £5 million sales increase in the North.

The beer owes its continued success to its "No Nonsense" marketing campaigns featuring two then up and coming comedians. It initially starred Jack Dee from 1992 until 1998, followed by Peter Kay from 2002–5 and again in 2010–11. The Dee campaign was widely credited with catapulting John Smith's from number 16 to number 4 in the UK beer market as sales increased by 65 per cent, and overtaking Tetley's as the top ale brand by 1995. The Dee campaign won fifty advertising awards. When Scottish Courage ended its contract with Dee it claimed that John Smith's was now so famous it no longer needed a celebrity to endorse it, as Dee was replaced in 1998 by a cardboard cut-out known as the "No Nonsense Man". However, No Nonsense Man was found to have less of an impact than the Dee advertisements and a human face was recruited who "in many ways represents a Jack Dee for a new decade." The then up-and-coming comedian Peter Kay was enlisted for a new generation of advertisements for the brand. The Kay ads were an "advertising phenomenon" and introduced catchphrases into the public consciousness such as "Ave it!" and "Top bombing!". Between 2002 and 2004 the Kay advertisements won over 50 advertising and marketing awards making it the sixth most awarded advertising campaign in the world. Despite the success of the Kay advertisements, they were criticised by rival brewer Interbrew as discouraging female take-up of beer. Scottish & Newcastle replied that "To suggest we all live in a stereotyped world where everyone is tanned, has white teeth and is healthy is simply misleading."