The Most Interesting Man in the World

2011

Date: Macro circulation peak 2011 · Place: Reddit and Quickmeme, source advertising for Dos Equis · Figures: Jonathan Goldsmith, actor · Euro RSCG Worldwide, ad agency · Dos Equis, Heineken USA brand · Tags: Advice Animal, Brand Capture, Catchphrase 01. An Ad Becomes A Template The advertising campaign for Dos Equis lager featuring actor Jonathan Goldsmith as a silver-bearded raconteur begins in 2007, developed by Euro RSCG Worldwide. The tagline is I don't always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis. By 2011 a still of Goldsmith leaning against a wall is the basis for a top Reddit advice-animal template. The template inverts the original: I don't always X, but when I do, I Y. It dominates the r/AdviceAnimals front page for most of 2011 and 2012. 02. When The Brand Surrenders Dos Equis embraces the macro rather than litigates it, with media buys that reference the meme's own circulation. The case becomes a standard business-school example of brand-meme coexistence and is cited in the early advertising literature on what is then called user-generated content. It is also the first time a beer brand fully cedes authorship of its own slogan to anonymous Quickmeme users while continuing to profit from it. "I don't always test my code, but when I do, I do it in production." — Canonical Most Interesting Man macro, Quickmeme, 2011 Sources • KnowYourMeme, 'The Most Interesting Man in the World' • Adweek, 'Dos Equis and the Meme Economy' (8 March 2012) • Heineken USA campaign records (2007-2016)