Beer advertising has often been steeped in long-standing tropes: rugged masculinity, sports scenes, or humor targeting male consumers. But the recent Sam Adams campaign with The Summer I Turned Pretty’s Chris Briney is rewriting the playbook. It’s not just about beer. It’s about romance, aesthetics, and emotional resonance—and it shows how brands can evolve by leaning into what many marketing strategists now call the “female gaze.”
At the heart of the campaign is Chris Briney, cast explicitly as Conrad Fisher—a character beloved by fans of the YA series. Samuel Adams doesn’t simply borrow his celebrity. They entwine his on-screen persona with real‐world branding: he’s shown doing everyday things like fixing a TV or hanging a picture, in relaxed, visually appealing denim. These aren’t textbook glamorous moments, but scenes that feel intimate. It’s invitation, not spectacle. We see desire, but one built around vulnerability, domesticity, and emotional connection. This approach significantly shifts the tone from many traditional beer ads.
The messaging underscores that shift: “Some things are worth the wait.” It works on multiple levels. For the show’s lovers, there’s longing built into the narrative—a romantic triangle, unresolved tension, and emotional arcs that pull viewers in. For the beer drinker, there’s the patience, the craft, the process—humble virtues in brewing. Sam Adams is tying those threads together.
What makes this campaign especially interesting from an advertising strategy standpoint:
- Targeting by affinity and identity. The campaign doesn’t just target “women who might drink beer.” It targets fans of a specific cultural moment. The connections Sam Adams forges—to a popular YA show, to New England roots (matching the show’s setting), and to shared emotional themes—all help build authenticity.
- Aesthetic appeal over brute persuasion. There is little in-your-face “buy this beer” messaging. Instead, visual tone, character work, mood, and narrative are front and center. The “female gaze” here is about how the visuals are constructed: more warmth, more emotional labor (fixing something, caring for home), more scenes that suggest possibilities rather than make demands.
- Risk + reward. This kind of marketing can alienate traditionalist consumers who expect beer ads to be loud, overt, or tied to stereotypical male camaraderie. But if you bet right, you can open new emotional territory, make your brand feel modern, inclusive, even desirable beyond taste or potency. Sam Adams seems confident the payoff is worth it.
- Buzz as measurable value. Already, media outlets are discussing it—not just as beer advertising, but as commentary on culture: gender, gaze, desire. That creates earned media, social listening, virality. Whether or not every viewer is converted into a buyer, brand visibility and relevance grow.
For marketers and advertisers aiming to replicate or learn from this, here are a few lessons:
- Choose your celebrity not just for their fame, but for what they represent and what story people already like about them. Briney’s character in The Summer I Turned Pretty comes with built-in emotional investment—something few others can match.
- Use everyday authenticity. The ad avoids gloss; it humanizes. That’s appealing especially to younger audiences who often distrust over-produced glamour.
- Evoke, don’t push. Emotional resonance, narrative arcs, visual mood—these allow people to feel like they are part of something. They allow the viewer to project themselves into the story.
- Pause the gendered assumptions. “Female gaze” here doesn’t mean excluding men. It means broadening the range of how desire, attractiveness, and appeal can be portrayed. There is space in beer advertising for tenderness, for longing, for romance—without losing the core brand identity.
In conclusion, Sam Adams’ campaign with Chris Briney is a strong example of where modern advertising in the food & beverage space can go: away from shock & roar, toward subtlety & story. It suggests that brands willing to lean into emotion, authenticity, and visual narrative can reach consumers in richer, deeper ways. The question isn’t whether a YA heartthrob can sell beer; it’s whether brands are brave enough to let narrative—not just product features—lead.
