SCHWEPPES - I LIKE IT LIKE THAT - Ad Analysis
AI Editor notes
Straight from the gut!!
“It's stylish as hell, but what's the thread? Mobsters, chess, chefs... it feels like three different cool scripts got smashed together. I get the 'individual attitude' vibe, but it's a bit disjointed. It's trying very hard to be cool and cinematic, which it is, but does it make me want a Schweppes? I'm not sure. It's memorable for its style, not necessarily for the brand message.”
Quick Summary
This ad repositions Schweppes from a simple mixer into a standalone premium soft drink with a distinct, edgy personality. It uses a series of cinematic, disconnected vignettes—mobsters, chess hustlers, chefs—all linked by the shared attitude of 'I like it like that' to assert that Schweppes is the drink for people who confidently do things their own way, regardless of context.
Executive Summary
Schweppes' 'I Like It Like That' is a declaration of independence. For decades, the brand has been the reliable supporting act—the tonic to your gin, the soda to your whiskey. This campaign, from agency TBWA\Paris, shoves the brand into the spotlight, repositioning it not as an ingredient, but as a statement. The core strategic decision is to move Schweppes from the functional category of 'mixer' to the emotional territory of 'premium standalone beverage,' complete with a distinct personality. [2, 11]
The core insight here is that confidence is universal. It transcends subcultures, age, and situations. Whether you're a mob boss in a police raid, a chess prodigy on roller skates, or a chef in a chaotic kitchen, the unifying thread is an unapologetic self-assurance. Schweppes aims to be the physical embodiment of that feeling—the crisp punctuation to a moment of personal rebellion or focus.
The execution follows a classic montage structure, but with a cinematic, almost arthouse flair. Director Romain Chassaing uses the visual language of genre films to create a premium feel. [3] The ad works on a simple Hook-Value-Proof-Ask framework, albeit loosely. The Hook is the opening scene: a mobster calmly sips his Schweppes while his world erupts in chaos. It's jarring and intriguing. The Value proposition is the feeling of confident individuality, demonstrated across the subsequent scenes of the chess player and the kitchen crew. The Proof is the final rooftop scene, where these disparate worlds collide, united by the drink. It suggests that Schweppes is the common denominator for this desirable attitude. The Ask is implicit: drink Schweppes to channel this energy. The re-orchestrated version of Pete Rodriguez's 'I Like It Like That' is the engine of the piece, providing a consistent, high-energy pulse that sutures the scenes together. [2, 11]
What the team should learn from this is the power and peril of an attitude-led campaign. On one hand, it successfully injects a dose of cool into an old, established brand. It's visually arresting and feels modern. On the other hand, the connection between the vignettes can feel tenuous, relying heavily on the music and tagline to create coherence. The risk is that the audience remembers the cool scenes but forgets the brand that sponsored them. The campaign effectively establishes a new strategic direction, but each execution needs to ensure the brand remains the hero, not just the financier of cool short films.
Theme Keywords
Brand Position
The sophisticated, standalone soft drink for moments of confident, individual expression.
Brand Archetype
The Ruler (calmly in control, setting the standard) with a touch of the Outlaw (breaking the rules of its category).
Creative Game Plan
Portray Schweppes as the catalyst for moments of unapologetic individuality across different cultural scenes.
Diagnosis: Issues & Solutions
Primary Issue: Strategic Sense
The Problem:
The ad's biggest pitfall is the potential for the style to overshadow the substance. The vignettes are so distinct and stylized that they risk feeling like a cool-but-random montage rather than a cohesive story about Schweppes. A viewer could easily enjoy the cinematic quality without internalizing the brand's role in it.
The Solution:
To strengthen the brand link, future iterations could find a subtle visual device to connect the scenes beyond just the final rooftop shot. This could be a recurring visual motif (like the yellow color of the label) or a smoother narrative transition that shows one character's world inspiring the next, making the product the catalyst for the chain reaction of confidence.
Secondary Issue: Emotional Connection
The Problem:
The ad successfully communicates an attitude of 'cool confidence,' but it feels observed rather than felt. The characters are archetypes viewed from a distance, making it difficult for the audience to form a genuine emotional bond. It's aspirational, but perhaps not relatable.
The Solution:
Incorporate a brief moment of vulnerability or quiet introspection in one of the characters before they take a drink of Schweppes and find their confidence. This would create a more human 'before and after' arc, making the emotional payoff of 'I like it like that' feel more earned and relatable.