Beer Marketer's Insights - MIM Is Back; The Most Interesting Man Returns to Dos Equis; HUSA Ups Ante; New Twists

Heineken USA is bringing back its iconic Most Interesting Man campaign and the original MIM for its 2d lead brand Dos Equis (over 25% of HUSA biz) with fresh twists. In thinking about how to take this brand "to the next level," Heineken USA cmo Ali Payne told INSIGHTS she looked back at when its media was "really great" and came to believe that returning to the Most Interesting Man could deliver a renewed "spark" to the brand. When they tested the old ads, they had 97% recall. In a recent survey, 83% of those exposed to the original MIM ads "want to see it back" with 82% "agreeing there's nothing comparable in the category today," according to HUSA. The trick of course will be to make it new, while still staying true to one of the most memorable beer campaigns of the 21st century. So the new Dos campaign will reprise many familiar elements, including the key catch phrase, the music and Jonathan Goldsmith, who appeared as the MIM in a series of ads that sparked a decade of double-digit growth. But this incarnation of the MIM campaign began very differently on Jan 8. Teaser ads on college football games flipped the script. MIM is depicted as "The Least Most Interesting Man." The MIM has forgotten his identity and is shown doing very mundane things like eating yogurt, building ships in bottles and ironing socks in 3 30-second ads. The ads appeared on big college football games to create interest and were "completely unbranded," said Ali.There are lots of moving pieces in this carefully orchestrated campaign. The big "reveal" is coming right up Jan 19 during the College Football Championship game. In the 45-second ad, MIM recovers from his amnesia, and his decade-long drought as the "Least Most Interesting Man," when he discovers "a light at the back of his garage fridge," a bottle of Dos Equis. (Unstated how it got there, or when.) He's instantly transformed and recovers his identity as MIM, and goes on to do MIM-like things (like hanging from a helicopter). A follow up ad "with the next chapter of his bold new adventures will unfold" during the Jan 25 NFC championship game.HUSA plans to up its media spend on Dos, "absolutely," Ali said. Brand will get 52 weeks of media campaign and it will be natl, not just in its Southwest strongholds. Plus there are many other elements besides TV media. For the college championship game next week, MIM will "host" a "Sailgate" upon a yacht, with as yet unidentified celebs and others. Social media will be integral to campaign too, as MIM will react to moments/happenings in popular culture. In the last decade or so, beer ads became "safe" and even "a little boring," according to Ali. With this new MIM campaign, HUSA seeks to "bring back pure entertainment."Dos Equis' peak volume year was 2016, the last year Jonathan was the spokesperson for the brand. Coincidence? Dos Equis hit almost 2 mil bbls in 2016, about a 1 share brand. It has been up and down since, but dropped to about 1.5 mil bbls in 2025, INSIGHTS estimates. Dos Equis brand family $$ sales down $32 mil, 7.8% to $383 mil in full year Circana multi-outlet + convenience data. That's 25.5% of HUSA 2025 revs in MULC. But about 35% of Dos sales on-premise. Will this new version of the MIM campaign return the brand to its former glory? "Stay thirsty, my friends."

MIM Is Back; The Most Interesting Man Returns to Dos Equis; HUSA Ups Ante; New Twists

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