104. Lady, You Deserve A Break! LAGERLITE, SMC's Light Beer for Women

1st LAGERLITE LAUNCH AD, featured just a product shot. Note first slogan. 1980

 In 1980, San Miguel Corporation added to its ever-growing list of beer portfolio, a light beer that was branded LAGERLITE. Initially, it was advertised as light, non-filling beer—“Full-flavored, yet less-filling!” went the initial slogan, subsequently revised to "When you like it light!". The campaign didn’t quite take off, as it defeated the purpose of macho beer drinking.

 

LAGERLITE."When you want it light" replaced the first slogan that was
nothing but a strategy statement. 1980

In 1982, Ace-Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising took on the account and positioned it as the beer for female drinkers. Slowly, LAGERLITE inched its way into the consciousness of Filipinas who traditionally refused to be beer guzzlers.

Creative Director Cid Reyes explained how the ad campaign was conceived, “If you see Celeste Legaspi drinking beer and you nvere thought of her as immoral, then you’d say there’s nothing wrong in drinking beer. Of course, there’s more to it than that. The campaign, ”Lady, you deserve a break!” has two meanings: First, it means let’s have a break! Let’s unwind and have a nice glass of beer. The second meaning which is more important to us is the idea of women getting a break from the shackles of societal taboos. So we showed successful women in their respective fields.

Female director LAURICE GUILLEN in a Lagerlite strip ad. 1982.

The resulting LAGERLITE launch campaign featured  3 jingle-based TV 30s that celebrated the coming of age of the Filipina in a male-dominated world. The initial batch of celebrity endorsers included female director Laurice Guillen, singers Joey Albert and Celeste Legaspi.

The future senator, Loren Legarda, who was a campus beauty and modelled on the side, appeared in a sustaining TV commercial and a matching print ad.

WATCH LOREN LEGARDA'S LAGERLITE TVC 30s here:

More than a novel campaign, the LAGERLITE ads are a toast to the ladies in making headway in breaking down cultural and social barriers. LAGERLITE also did well in the launch period, and a PBA Magnolia basketball team of San Miguel Corporation’s  was even renamed after the brand. Eventually, the novelty of a lady’s beer fizzled off as Asia Brewery took back the fight to the male beer market, pushing SMC to put all its resources to protect its Pale Pilsen brand.

CREDITS:

AGENCY: Ace-Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Cid P. Reyes

EXEC. ART DIRECTOR: Kits Yamsuan

CONCEPT TEAM: Isabel Beltran-Gamboa / Melvin M. Mangada

CLIENT: San Miguel Beer Marketing Division

SOURCES:

KAUNLARAN, October 1980 issue, San Miguel Corporation

De la Torre, Visitacion. Advertising in the Philippines: Its Historical, Cultural and Social Dimensions, Tower Books. 1989.