Stella Artois Answers Häagen-Dazs' OOH with Flirty Response

When a billboard went up in Toronto’s west end casually inviting the city to 'grab a pint' - and wasn't talking about beer - Stella Artois couldn’t leave the invitation hanging. Positioned directly alongside the original board, Stella Artois launched a hyper-local, real-time OOH response reading: 'Are you asking us out?'

The latest contextual activation turns another media buy into a clever brand moment inviting Torontonians to make the most of the final warm days of summer.

"We believe that how a beer is served is as important as the beer itself, so putting up an, 'Are you asking us out?' OOH next to their board was our playful, welcoming acknowledgement of our shared brand language. The social ritual of a pint with friends is something that Stella Artois is often at the heart of and this was the perfect way to show it." said Natalie Lucas, head of premium and above core.

The Stella Artois and draftLine teams spotted the 'Let’s Grab a Pint' campaign mid-August when it first took over high-impact spots in downtown Toronto, including streetcars. They showed the product in pint glasses in bar settings and the opportunity to creatively engage was too good to pass up. Coming up with the 'Are you asking us out?' response felt like a natural reflex. The word ‘pint’ has a double meaning and an invitation like that deserved an answer. The teams didn't actually coordinate with the other brand at all. They simply found an available board right next to theirs and saw it as the perfect excuse to start a conversation.

From the moment the team found open real estate beside the original ad, the whole campaign was live within a week. Building on the success of last winter's weather-reactive snow chalice, Stella Artois has leaned into its equity in the reactive OOH space to engage the city through welcoming, real-time outdoor media.