Ideas Make Manifestos
brand development by sarah feeney
VICE Media subverted the industry norms by releasing
Old Blue Last Beer
as an extension of its brand identity.
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They blended counterculture credibility with a surprising entry into the consumer goods market.
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Here's how we did it.
By selling culture, not beer.
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Rather than creating a beer and then building a brand around it, VICE leveraged its existing cultural clout.
Known for its edgy journalism and association with youth counterculture, VICE extended its voice into a product that embodied its ethos.
VICE, a media company, entering the beverage alcohol industry was unconventional. It blurred the lines between content creation and consumer products, challenging traditional perceptions of media companies.
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Old Blue Last Beer was marketed as more than a drink; it was positioned as a lifestyle accessory, embedding itself into music, art, and nightlife scenes. This aligned with VICE's cultural relevance and appealed to a younger, culturally savvy audience.
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While the craft beer boom emphasized complexity and connoisseurship, Old Blue Last Beer leaned into simplicity and accessibility.
Its tongue-in-cheek marketing didn't take itself too seriously, aligning with VICE's irreverent tone.
By launching Old Blue Last Beer, VICE Media demonstrated how a brand with strong cultural capital could disrupt an established industry by defying expectations, creating a product deeply connected to its audience, and turning it into a cultural artefact.
