Brand stories that stay afloat.

The only newsletter that still floats if you cut it in half.

Dear marketing lovers who know a good story when you see it.

This week, I wanted to share two quick things (and four more holiday ads) that showed up in my feed that tell you everything you need to know about brand storytelling.

The first was the story of Otto. A G-Class Mercedes Benz. Yes, naming your car is a little weird. Now normally I have zero time for anyone driving Mercedes or BMWs. if you know, you know. But this story is just too great.

This was from your standard Instagram account that repackages stories that have already been told. Grit & Dust did a good job of capturing it for the algorithm era tho. This very much like the Carhartt Oyster farmer story. The brand is along for a story. But not the star of the story.

As the story goes Günther Holtorf got tired of the grind in 1988 and bought a Mercedes-Benz 300 GD, named it Otto. Dragged his partner Christine to Africa and then ended up racking up over 900,000 Kilometers through 280 countries over 26 years. This is the kind of story brands live for. And they will usually find them, like this telling of Otto’s story from Mercedes they told it years ago. Günther is not who you picture as a Mercedes owner.

The other way to tell a brand story? Make it a legend and then keep telling it over and over in different ways. The classic Boston Whaler boat was always said to be unsinkable. They said it in some of their very first ads.

So back in the day they did a lot of stunts around this idea. They once sawed one in half with a chainsaw. Then they tried to put a Volvo on top of one to see if that would work.

They even did a spot about a couple divorcing and splitting the Whaler so they both could enjoy it. It’s just such a juicy hook that you can roll out over and over again.

Drink Cart Approved™ agency discussion topics

• I love that there was a time when Disney had a rad tobacco shop. The matches were amazing.

• Is your feed just monkey based food ASMR in Spanish yet? Just me?

• Interesting take on why so many A-listers are doing ads now.

• Oh great, Ryan Reynolds has so much money he’s bought a sailing team.

• Super interesting read on the state of the feed from Rachel Karten.

Is Jeff Bridges okay?

Is it financial trouble? Dude’s got $80-100 million and he is selling the hell of the T-Mobile as possibly the Dude or maybe he’s Santa. I’m not even sure which or why Zoe Saldana is in this or what their connection is.

Facebook Secret Santa

Facebook really sells all the creepy stalking benefits of social media with this one.

Ocean Spray Goes Dark For The Holidays

Like Jeff Bridges, Bryan Cranston (get it, his name is Cran too) eats the scenery as Cranpus for Ocean Spray.

Verizon goes Elf in the Shelf Creepy

Anytime there are oversized heads, including bobbleheads, I’m mildly put off.

Last call: The Holiday Sour

Okay, we’re in December. There’s only 22 days until the fat man comes down your chimney. That means only three more holiday infused cocktails in this newsletter. And just like crossing the Atlantic in the 1800s, adding some citrus to your whiskey is a great way to ward off the scurvy. But they were just hacking the sour.

Here’s your quick history lesson. It first appeared in the 1862 book The Bartender’s Guide by Jerry Thomas, this is like the bible of American mixology. But being in the book meant it was already widely happening at bars everywhere.

The practical souring of the whiskey wasn’t just for scurvy. Can you imagine how inconsistent and possibly crazy whiskey tasted in the 1800s? Adding some sugar and lime made it all go down easy. The Boston Sour emerged in the late 1800s when those bartenders started throwing in the egg white. Ken Burns hasn’t discussed this in any of many documentaries.

The Sour took a hit in prohibition. And another when pre-made sour mix hit the market. And it roared back in the early 2000s when everyone wanted a “craft cocktail”. And today, we’re throwing in some cranberry juice to make it holiday ready. Now you know.

He drinks a whiskey drink (He sings the songs that remind him of the good times):

• 2 oz bourbon or rye whiskey

• 1 oz fresh lemon juice

• 1/4 oz simple syrup

• 3/4 oz cranberry juice

• 1 egg white

• Fresh or frozen cranberries for garnish

Now add your whiskey, lemon juice, cranberry juice and simple syrup to a shaker with the egg white and dry shake (ie: no ice for 15-20 seconds). Then add your ice and shake it again. Then straining it into a coupe glass or over fresh ice in a rocks glass and drop a couple of cranberries on top. And jingle all the way to happy town.

Enjoy that while trying to come to terms that even before Bill Cosby dragged their pudding through the mud, Jell-o tried to tell you to make a Lime Cheese Salad with a straight face. No thank you sir.

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The Drink Cart is your weekly fuel for pop culture brains and ad junkies. A cocktail of ad insights and hot takes that feel like you’re hanging at your favourite dive bar after launching your latest campaign.