The "Most" Most Interesting Man

          With the climate of the economy being the way it is for the past few years, advertising campaigns are as important as ever. Shoppers have a limited amount of money, so it's the sellers job to convince the buyer to buy their product. One very successful ad campaign is for Dos Equis beer, and it's about "The Most Interesting Man in the World".

           The commercials would show a distinguished man performing outrageous acts and amazing feats, along with catchy lines like "He has won trophies for his game face alone". All commercials would end with his classic catch phrase "I don't alway's drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis. Stay thirsty my friends." Not only are they hysterical and catchy, but they give the beer a more debonair look. Also, it's working. The year following the economy crashing, beer sales either fell or stayed flat for most major brands like Budwesier, however sales of Dos Equis kept rising, by 22% to be precise. That is a huge impact. Trying to capitalize on the sudden interest in the beer, Dos Equis took one step further with Facebook in 2009, where they launched one of their most successful contests ever, The Most Interesting Academy in the World, and I was one of its Most Interesting Apprentices.

          The Most Interesting Man in the World announced through Facebook, the grand opening of the Most Interesting Academy in the World. He also announced that there were seven openings up for grabs. So I click the link provided and it takes me to this very prestigious looking website. I create my account to log in, and begin reading about the academy and then about the contest. Throughout the summer, they will be creating classes that you must take. They consist of a brief lesson, followed by a test (a game) that you must take. You are allowed to take these classes as many times as you want. These classes go over subjects like "Circumnavigating the Globe" to "the Eclectic Arts", and even have a lesson taught by honorary professor Bear Grylls. The lessons were entertaining, and the games were addicting. At the end of the semester (September), the classes had ended, and you were given a final exam based on what you learned throughout the summer. The test consisted of forty multiple choice questions based on the lessons, followed by an essay question explaining why you would be a good fit for the Apprenticeship. Your prize, should you win, is a bunch of Dos Equis gear to aid you in your adventure, a spot in the Most Interesting Show in the World where your apprenticeship will take a place, and a year supply of Dos Equis. This contest is a great way to keep your consumer connected. They are forced to follow your site for months, keeping them engaged in your brand with the hopes of winning a grand prize that you as a seller can market and publicize. It worked so well that it even sucked me in... and I won! Woohoo!!!

          Shortly after being notified that I was one of the seven chosen, I received a prize pack and a letter from The Most Interesting Man. In the letter, he states what my upcoming tasks will entail. I must prepare myself soon because by November 12, a limo will pick me up and take me into Manhattan, where I will be put up at The W Hotel in Union Square for a couple nights and partake in an act at the Most Interesting Show in the World. The prize pack contained plenty of promotional items, such as a custom imprinted shirt, an imprinted journal with the map of the world printed on it, and a debossed leather custom messenger bag. They are all high quality items, and I am glad to see Dos Equis spared no expense. This shows an appreciation to any consumer that receives this. This will help keep them loyal to the brand.

          Around ten o'clock at night on November 12, a limo arrives at the front of my house to pick me up for my adventure. I arrive to my hotel (which was amazing), and after checking in and unpacking, I head out for a late meal courtesy of Dos Equis. The next day, there is a knock on my door from room service. There is a gift for me from Dos Equis, a lovely Smoking Jacket. It is beautiful and even has the Dos XX logo on the back in gold. It's very classy and I wear it often, even though I don't smoke.

          After a late breakfast and lunch, the time was approaching for my apprenticeship at the Most Interesting Show in the World. I head to the show a few hours ahead to meet with the some of the performers and get myself prepared for what's in store for me. I meet some of the performers, including the one I will be performing with. He goes by the name Mark "The Knife" Faje. He turns to me ask "So which act would like to be, the whip act or the knife act?" and without skipping a beat I exclaimed "The knife act!". My cue was to wait for the siren to finish singing because the next act would be me. So I hurry to the V.I.P. area to watch the show, sip my free drinks, and eat my free food.  I even got a set of promotional playing cards commemorating the event (see second picture). There was such as wide range of acts like a human slinky, a rope act over our heads, a romantic duo that shot arrows at each other, a beatbox goddess, the Siren, and of course, Mark "The Knife".

          As the siren was finishing up her beautiful singing, I made my way for the front of the stage. Mark comes out and graces the audience with his presence. He begins to wow us with his daredevil antics such as balancing a bowling ball that is on fire, on top of his head. After that, he takes a live scorpion and shoves it down his pants. I swear I am not making this up. He then has his assistant wheel out a red board that it six feet tall and about four feet wide. He then calls me up to the stage. He begins to explain to the audience "that this brave soul has volunteered himself for a dangerous act of knife throwing." He then had his assistant blindfold me and placed me against the upright board. Now what I didn't know, was that after I was blindfolded, Mark blindfolded himself, too. Don't forget he still has the scorpion in his pants. I brace myself as I began to hear a "THUD" near my feet, followed by another "THUD" near my hip. I hear a couple more knives bounce off the wall before several more "THUD's" near my head and back down my body. I then hear Mark shout out, "You may remove your blindfold now Dan!" I remove it and see Mark remove his. There were a few knives at my feet and plenty more in the board, making an outline of my body. I took my bow and left the stage, not before thanking Mark for a truly unforgettable experience. However, Mark was not done, yet.

          He then decides that he wants to make a salad. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, Mark wasn't going to make it simple. He brings out a lawn mower and calls me back on stage. He hands me and two other people a large bowl of lettuce. He then grabs the lawn mower, balances it on his chin, turns the lawn mower on, and tells us to begin throwing the heads of lettuce into the machine. It truly was an amazing sight. We must have gone through about a dozen heads of lettuce. There was chopped produce all over the stage!

          All in all, it was an "interesting" experience (pun definitely intended). I got to do interesting things, have interesting experiences, and meet interesting people. But more importantly, this shows you the value of the Dos Equis, and Most Interesting brand. This ad campaign is so powerful, that it spawned millions of followers who now enjoy and drink the beer. Plus, Dos Equis was smart enough to capture the momentum of their television ads, and coupled it with Facebook, to gain the most exposure, and create something that is recognized internationally. This is a perfect example of a perfectly executed ad campaign.

Now is this the end of my winning streak with Dos Equis? No way. To all the people out there in Internetland, stay tuned for when I share my adventure into The League of the Most Interesting.