The Making of Dos Equis’ “Most Interesting Man”

How do you create a great campaign? Start by listening to your customers

This coming year will mark five years of The Most Interesting Man, the mascot for the Dos Equis beer brand that is owned by Heineken USA. The bearded, been-around-every-block-in-the-pueblo character is a clever throwback to fictitious ad pitchmen such as The Man In the Hathaway Shirt, a creation of Madison Avenue pioneer David Ogilvy. Like the eye-patched Hathaway gent, the Most Interesting Man is around the same age and features a compelling combination of rugged and sophisticated.

Created by ad agency Euro RSGC, the campaign launched in the southwest in 2007 before going national two years later. Since then, the team has created 34 television spots featuring the character, played by stage, screen and television actor Jonathan Goldsmith.

The Yahoo! Advertising Blog recently spoke with Paul Smailes, senior brand director for Dos Equis, about the past and future of the man who police stop to question---just because they find him interesting.

Yahoo! Advertising Blog: What was the inspiration behind this character?

Paul Smailes: It actually came directly from our consumers. We did a lot of research prior to the campaign and what we found out was that more than anything else—such as fast cars and girls in bikinis—what they really wanted was to be perceived as interesting by those in their social circle. So that nugget was the seed of inspiration for the whole campaign. The Most Interesting Man was created as an aspiration figure who represented living an interesting life.

YAB: So it was actually inspired by a customer survey?

PS: Exactly. And as we developed him, we quickly learned that in order to be both aspirational and credible, he needed to be very seasoned and experienced, so he wouldn't be seen as a peer to our target.

YAB: Did your agency have anyone in mind, such as Ernest Hemingway, whom they based the character on?

PS: Hemingway has certainly been associated with the Most Interesting Man, but I think what was important was to establish some more masculine values that perhaps have faded in the last couple of decades, so we wanted to revive that.

YAB: What are those values? What ideals does he represent?

PS: I think he represents someone sophisticated, but also very humble and able to befriend people from all walks of life, and one who likes to live life to the fullest and has no fears.

YAB: Have certain spots been more popular than others? And how do you gauge that sort of feedback?

PS: We've tested every 30-second spot we've created, and have been very fortunate that every one performs highly above any beer-industry norm. We continue to learn from the nuances of the campaign and character, and each year we're able to improve.

YAB: How has the character evolved? Have you given him a backstory? You must have a deeper understanding of what kind of man he is by now.

PS: Although copying the campaign seems easy, actually creating the stories behind him is actually quite complex and we have some strict guidelines. So we ensure that everyone who works on the creative familiarize themselves with these.

YAB: In show business they call that the "bible." Can you give us a few examples, such as "He would never be arrogant," etc.

PS: It's a sacred bible, so unfortunately we'll have to keep that close to our chest.

YAB: Is there a specific gag writer who comes up with the one-liners, or is it a team effort?

PS: It's a team, and the creative department, as you can imagine, loves to work on this campaign. The agency is very flexible and casts a wide internal net when we get into the creative process. A lot of people have a chance to work on the campaign and become very excited when they do.

YAB: How long do you plan to continue the campaign?

PS: As long as people continue to want to hear more about him.

YAB: Since it launched have you seen a sales boost? What about media buzz? And have they peaked?

PS: The reaction has been amazing; really beyond our and the agency's wildest dreams. And it's a real honor and a lot of fun to be working on a brand that has infiltrated pop culture and has also driven the business. We saw an amazing reaction from the public. In the first year that it went national, counting all the spoofs and imitations that people made, I think we had an additional 600 million impressions and $38 million of media exposure.

YAB: What about the bottom line? In that first year did sales go up 25 percent?

PS: We saw sales volume grow by double digits, and despite the recession the brand has continued to accelerate in sales; so yes, we've definitely seen a positive impact to the bottom line.

YAB: What about your digital initiatives with this campaign?

PS: We've done a lot of different things, and the key to our success is keeping the campaign fresh with variety and not overexposing The Most Interesting Man. So if you go to our Facebook page, you'll see a lot of organic engagement on our wall. People are constantly writing their own lines. Because of this, we can moderate the amount of interaction that comes out on our behalf. Engagement levels of our fans are extremely high, and above all category norms. We were the first beer brand to reach one million Facebook fans, despite the fact that Budweiser, Coors and Corona are far, far greater than we are from a sales perspective.

YAB: I'm sure the fans have provided some great one-liners. Do you have any favorites, and have you ever used any of them?

PS: So we actually have an application on our Facebook page called Legendary Fan Alliance. It's something we put together that leverages all the passion that our fans have for writing lines. So once a week fans can vote for their favorite, and then we select one that we believe is the strongest. I actually picked out the latest this afternoon, which is, "He once went on safari so the animals could see him." I thought it was very good, and it checks a lot of our bible guidelines.

YAB: What about the casting? How did you find the actor?

PS: Just through the usual rounds of auditions; but Jonathan Goldsmith, who is the actor, we selected him from hundreds of actors.

-- Christian Chensvold

Christian Chensvold is a New York-based writer covering business, lifestyle and culture. He blogs at Ivy-Style.com.