Chileno Becker Beer’s Talking Can

Technical credits
Creative General Director: Cesar Agost Carreno
Creative Director: Francisco Camacho Martino
Editor: Juan Pablo Tyrer
Art Director: Juan Pablo Alvarez
Audiovisual Production: Jenny Saavedra
Account Director: Valeria Haddad
Production House: Cine 3
Director: Pablo Guarnaccia
Executive producer: Fernanda Sala
Post-production house: Sastre

“This can will self-destruct in four, three, two, one…” goes the countdown until the voice explodes into laughter: “I’m Raul Roberto! Get me out of here!”

Photo: Courtesy of Ogilvy Chile

The cans are Becker beer cans, a brand from the Chilean group CCH, which also has Stella Artois and Brahma in its stable of products, and Raul Roberto is the personality created by the Ogilvy agency to introduce this speaking-can innovation.

The system consists of a photosensitive trigger that plays a pre-recorded message once the cans are opened, exposing the system to light. “It was discovered by the Becker people,” said Francisco Camacho Martino, creative director of Ogilvy Chile. They researched it and showed it to us.”

Thanks to this novel approach, the company has packaged its advertising message right into the can.  In each six-pack, eight-pack and twelve-pack there might be a talking can, which may be exchanged for more cans.

“Those cans contain this system and a little bit of liquid inside. They weigh the same as a normal can, to create the feeling they have beer inside and so fool the consumer,” added Camacho. In all, there are 10,000 cans, each with one of five different Raul Roberto messages.

But who or what exactly is Raul Roberto? The agency created him as a tiny figure to fill out the campaign.

Photo: Courtesy of Ogilvy Chile

In a series of television ads, he’s so small he fits inside a dice cup, and creates a stir by helping friends roll perfect scores at generala. Or he jumps onto a foosball table to hug a miniature player that just scored a goal. In the same spot, he falls off the shoulder of a friend who works at the Becker plant, lands in a beer can, and accidentally gets sealed inside— which is how he gets trapped in a talking can.

If there’s one trait that defines Raul Roberto, besides being small, it’s his unconditional friendship. “We had a talking can and decided to invent a lost person inside it. That’s how we came to create a little personality small enough to fit in the container,” said Camacho.

“Once we answered the question of why the can talks, we let a story unfold that appeals to unshakeable friendship.” The story even features the soundtrack of “Friends Will be Friends,” Queen’s ode to friendship.

In the television ad titled “Polola” (girlfriend), a pretty girl recognizes that Raul Roberto is “a lot of man” for her, but she loves him anyway. Another ad depicts football players passing out team shirts until a tiny one appear– the one that belongs to Raul Roberto, whose number is the top scoring 10.

Another piece, called “Vidente”, first appeared online. “We also use radio and traditional print media, but the heavy lifting is done on the social networks,” said Camacho.

The company rolled out the campaign on April 17 and the public response was immediate. “Raul Roberto’s Facebook quickly arrived at the limit for receiving friends,” said Camacho. “People didn’t stop posting and participating.”

“Those who got the Raul can put up videos, photos, etc.,” said the creative director. “They talked about it on the street and the clips got lots of visits on Youtube.”

The campaign also brought strong results in terms of sales. “Welcome to what others can’t see,” is the message that ends all the commercials featuring this diminutive figure.  And suddenly, a traditional and well-known brand, though not the market leader, has discovered a way to differentiate itself from the crowd.