Truly Hard Seltzer Taps Actor Keegan-Michael Key for New Advertising Campaign Challenging Drinkers to Break Away from Beer, Wine and Spirits

National advertising campaign by Truly brings humor to the hottest new alcohol category with five new spots

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Aug 12, 2019, 10:00 ET

BOSTON, Aug. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Truly Hard Seltzer, a leader of the exploding hard seltzer category, today announced the launch of a new advertising campaign with American actor Keegan-Michael Key, best known for his roles on Mad TV, Comedy Central's Key & Peele and Netflix's Friends From College and the two hit summer blockbusters Toy Story 4 and The Lion King. This is one of the first national TV campaigns by Truly since launching in 2016 and is the first major campaign launched under the Boston Beer Company's, new CMO, Lesya Lysyj, who joined the company in the spring of 2019.

Through five fifteen-second spots, Keegan-Michael Key reveals why drinkers should reach for Truly instead of beer, wine and spirits by demonstrating cheeky new uses for what they used to drink.

In the past two years, the hard seltzer category has grown more than 830 percent, and more than 220 percent in 2019 alone.^[1]Hard seltzer sales have now surpassed all IPA sales, one of craft beer's most popular styles, demonstrating the shift in drinker preference.^[1] While the category has experienced unprecedented growth, there is still room to expand.

"We see a huge opportunity to grow Truly because, believe it or not, Truly is bigger than major beer brands like Stella Artois and Blue Moon^[2], yet four percent of households have purchased hard seltzer^[3]," says Lesya Lysyj, CMO of the Boston Beer Company. "Through this campaign, we are championing the idea of embracing Truly as a refreshing new choice compared to their old repertoire. Keegan-Michael Key brings levity and personality to the brand in a way that we think drinkers will connect with and will help us stand out in a meaningful way."

Truly enlisted Keegan-Michael Key and his writing partner and wife, Elisa Key, to help concept, write and develop the spots.

"I already enjoyed Truly, however, after working to bring these spots to life and learning more about the product and the team behind it; I've truly become a fan," said actor Keegan-Michael Key.

As consumer demand for hard seltzer continues to grow, Truly aims to edge out alternative drinking options by using Keegan-Michael Key's humor to educate the other 96 percent of households that haven't yet discovered the hottest beverage of summer, a refreshing alternative to beer, wine and cocktails, with just 100 calories, 1g sugar and 5% ALC/VOL.

The spots were created by advertising agency Johannes Leonardo and directed by Doug Liman of Independent Media, known for his work on The Bourne Identity, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and Edge of Tomorrow. The ads will appear across cable networks, OLV and social media.

Watch all five spots here:

About Truly Hard Seltzer
Truly Hard Seltzer is a clean, crisp and refreshing hard seltzer with a hint of fruit. With just 100 calories, 1g sugar and 5% ALC/VOL. Truly Hard Seltzer is crafted with simple, naturally gluten-free ingredients and contains alcohol made from cane sugar. It is available in 13 delicious styles. To learn more about Truly Hard Seltzer, visit www.trulyhardseltzer.com.

[1] IRI Total US MULO + Conv through Week Ending YTD ending 7/7/19
[2] IRI Total US MULO + Conv Latest 4 weeks ending 7/28/19
[3] Nielsen Last 52 Weeks through Q1 2019

SOURCE Truly Hard Seltzer