Follow your folly

i believe in the subconscious, therefore, i believe that New Belgium Brewery was all up in my mind last weekend when, after a great breakfast at You Say Tomato, i stumbled upon a bicycle swap meet where I found a rusty, worn and absolutely last-cog cruiser for 20 bucks and figured this restoration project was exactly what my soul required.




and then i didn't buy it.




and for the past three days, i've regretted that decision. so in a moment of weakness tonight, i visited New Belgium's site to get my cruiser fix from the progressive brewery's TV spots.



i sighed dramatically, took a swig of Merlot and grabbed my mtn bike for a few laps around the dark neighborhood. a few blocks into the ride, after i accepted the fact that my Trek knobby would have to replace a vintage cruiser, i settled into the peace that is a night ride. there really isn't much that is better than slow-pedaling from side to side down dark streets, admiring the moon and porch lights.

got back home and immediately cued up New Belgium's spots, but this time from a marketer's view. and i realized that the beauty and success in the spots is the ability to connect to two audiences:

1) the tinkerer in practice
2) the tinkerer at heart.

as marketers, that's really our job. engage the rational and the aspirational. the guy who buys Fat Tire Ale because all his buddies drink this and it, very frankly, has a cool bike on the label. AND, the guy who buys Fat Tire Ale because some evenings, the closest he can get to sailing down a long hill by moonlight, freedom and rebellion going through his hair in a little part of the world where a 401K is first measured in miles instead of dollars...is a bottle of beer with a great bike on the label.

connecting both demos in the same passionate way is powerful. while you're thinking beer, check out New Belgium's "Follow Your Folly" microsite. a deeper dive into the above thoughts.

i'm think i'm going to have to hunt down that rusty bike, while Monk crashes out next to the knobby, in a futile attempt to make me feel guilty for not taking him on my night ride.