Can Rainier Beer, Once a Symbol of the Wild, Escape City Life and Return to Its Roots?

We’re proud to say that the entire Rewild the Rainiers campaign was produced in-house by our new content and production studio called Petting Zoo.
This article originally appeared in Adweek. 
There once was a Seattle-born beer that intimately understood the definition of “wild life.”
Decades ago, Rainier Beer staked its claim as the beverage for those who wished to enjoy a “mountain fresh” experience. The wild Rainier—a two-legged Rainier bottle that freely roamed the Pacific Northwest wilderness—stood as its reluctant mascot. Even Mickey Rooney had the great fortune of spotting a wild Rainier in all its majesty:

But now the Rainiers live a modernized (and dull) existence. They’ve ditched the forest and apparently taken up life in urban civilization, which includes getting office jobs and gym memberships. With the help of Seattle-based creative agency DNA, the brewery is campaigning to “Rewild the Rainiers.”
The short ads about this urban evolution feature the cans engaging listlessly in their new lifestyles just before they are rescued and re-released into nature.

They are reunited with free-roaming Rainiers, including the brand’s newest light beer, Rainier Summit. Together, they are free to frolic and re-acclimate themselves to the brand’s natural roots. If you find the imagery a little strange, well…that’s perfectly fair. But it’s also representative of how urban development has become a distraction from Seattle’s natural beauty.
“The domestication of the Rainiers is a metaphor for what is happening in the Northwest, and Seattle in particular,” explained Christine Wise, chief strategy officer at DNA. “Our team at DNA saw an opportunity to reintroduce this legendary brand and to use its brand values as an antidote to the stress of modern-day life, as a way to urge people to get out and take advantage of this beautiful place we live in.”
To really commit to the wild theme, Rainier also hosted a 5-day livestream of the “hatching” of Summit, complete with a large nest and an eclectic gathering of characters, including the famous Pike Place Market fish throwers. It truly does not get more Seattle than that.

To read the original article, check it out here: https://www.adweek.com/creativity/can-rainier-beer-once-a-symbol-of-the-wild-escape-city-life-and-return-to-its-roots/