I love this campaign. Dos Equis has created a winner that's now in its third year and going national. Together the beer brand and their agency, Euro RSCG, have reportedly increased volume sales by 20% and total dollar sales by 33.7% (exceeding the 2.7% category growth rate as measured by Nielsen).
I think this campaign is a testament to risk taking. "The Most Interesting Man" is an a-typical approach to 'traditional' beer marketing. And no matter the category, it always takes guts to approve and initially invest in something that's a-typical.
I think it's a testament to details. Everything about the writing, the casting, the filming and more throws the viewer into the world. It makes us able to appropriately embrace the idea.
I think it's a testament to using both mass media and one-to-one media. Check out the Facebook fan page if you haven't already...
And finally, I think it's a testament to honesty. "I don't always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis." The words "I don't always drink beer" and "prefer" stand out. It would have been tempting to say something like "My beer is Dos Equis," or "Drink Dos Equis." That's something a beer ad might typically say... but that's not how humans talk and definitely not what the most interesting man in the world would say.