Stella Artois Black, a new premium variant of Stella Artois, was launched in 2010 in only 500 on-trade locations in the UK. We were asked to support the launch by creating awareness and helping to drive retail.We knew this audience would not respond to conventional advertising, so we instead created an unforgettable experience to introduce them to the world of Stella Artois Black in a unique way. Knowing we couldn’t cover every pub, we concentrated on 10 in London – regular hangouts for opinion formers. We then set about giving them, bloggers and journalists, an experience they’ll never forget to stimulate conversation and drive coverage online.We created The Night Chauffeur, an unforgettable immersive theatre experience to introduce them to the world of Stella Artois Black in a unique way.

The Night Chauffeur featured four different story lines set in the mysterious and intriguing world of STELLA ARTOIS BLACK, each took place in an original 1960s Citroen DS car that we had specially restored to become mini-theatres. With actors and props, participants became the central character in a thrilling story line.Each storyline was an expression of both the beer’s brewing process, in which the liquid is matured for longer; and the beer’s qualities; a complex and rewarding taste. And so a moral about things getting better with time was interwoven into each narrative, whilst each particularly deep and meaningful in context.The entire event was supported by pre-promotion in outlets through cinematic posters, beer-mats, postcards and props, and through seeding amongst bloggers and press. Participants applying for tickets as part of an in bar promotion, and booked their slot for them and a friend prior to the event.

Just over a thousand opinion formers took part in The Night Chauffeur, but it generated huge spread throughout the social media sphere. Online, 49 million page impressions were generated through updates, tweets and blog posts, whilst news outlets including The Guardian, The Evening Standard and Timeout all covered the production - it even got a five star review in its own right, from The Stage, a famous theatre magazine.

Through The Night Chauffeur we were able to both introduce STELLA ARTOIS BLACK and demonstrate its key qualities to give key opinion formers a truly rich experience they’ll never forget.