Anything goes in the world of brand mascots. The canon is full of vegetable-loving giants residing in valleys, vampires venturing out during Halloween with ghoulishly delicious chocolate cereal, and elves baking cookies inside a magical hollow tree. (Green Giant, Count Chocula, and the Keebler Elves, respectively.) Philthy is equally in a league of his own. The character has crooked teeth, a brown mustache, and a small form with little feet. The closest appearance comparison I can make is Audrey II. You know, the persuasive, ravenous Venus flytrap in Little Shop of Horrors<\/em>? It\u2019s something about all the teeth\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n I wound up going the \u201csafe\u201d route with the piece. I wrote about alcohol and spirits mascots with a reputation for their easygoing charm, many of which appear to be loosely imbibing before their arrival to the bar. Exhibit A: Johnnie Walker\u2019s The Striding Man. Exhibit B: Dos Equis\u2019 The Most Interesting Man in the World. And so forth \u2014 this is not a short list of suave and sophisticated libation icons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Philthy made an unusual first impression on me. Unlike his refined counterparts, Philthy looks like he has already been to the bar and back. I don\u2019t think one can write off Philthy as a one-dimensional IPA party animal. There\u2019s more to Philthy than meets the eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whatever Philthy is \u2014 be it a monster, hop devil, or another entity altogether \u2014 I gravitate toward the character. This is a rare brand mascot, made all the more fascinating since Philthy was born during<\/em> the COVID-19 pandemic. The creatives at ad agency Brownstein Group<\/a> brought him to life as part of a new brand identity for Yards Brewing Company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where did the inspiration for this kind of beer critter come from? What It\u2019s like to introduce a brand mascot to the world during a pandemic? And what is<\/em> Philthy, again? I spoke with the creative team at Brownstein Group to dig up the unique backstory behind Philthy\u2019s memorable entrance into the IPA world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Philthy started as a name, not a character. Jess Pernick, who handles client service at Brownstein Group, knew that Yards Brewing Company was eager to enter the market for Hazy IPAs. It\u2019s a crowded market, so making a bold entrance was necessary to set their craft brewery apart from the competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was also critical that Yards\u2019 new beer reflected The City of Brotherly Love. \u201cThis new beer needed to embody our city and marry the beer variety\u2019s unfiltered, dirty, hoppy attributes with an intrinsically Philadelphian attitude,\u201d Pernick explains. \u201cIt needed to resonate with our audience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The creative team was then briefed with the task of coming up with a concept that represented an \u201cUnfiltered Philadelphia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ryan Cook, associate creative director, copy, says the beer\u2019s name was decided well before discussions of creating a brand mascot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe were trying to come up with a name for the beer while connecting this hazy, unfiltered beer to the city of Philadelphia,\u201d Cook says. Philly, the team unanimously agreed, was an unfiltered city. Residents have never been afraid to speak their minds. They take pride in Philadelphia, a city with a so-called \u2018dirty\u2019 reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe came up with the name \u2018Philthy,\u2019\u201d Cook says. \u201cThe client was immediately sold.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over 100 names were brainstormed and vetted by the team. Notable names left on the cutting room floor, according to Cook, included Hazy Suzan, Rainy Day Haze, Frickin\u2019 Hazy, and Colonel Hayze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n None had the unusual gleam that surrounded Philthy. The Philthy IPA was described as living up to its name. An ale with a citrusy hop character that is offset with a lighter body and enough bitterness for a bite. It\u2019s a bold and hazy IPA that shows you who it is \u2014 just like the city of Philadelphia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adrian Castillo, creative director at Brownstein Group, recalls the excitement of that moment. \u201cWe landed on Philthy and were really excited to see where it would take us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Original concepts for Philthy, according to Cook, included a pair of boxing cats. Other potential characters included a fox with a top hat and a fictional revolutionary war hero, the latter of which (almost) harkens back to the typical dashing standard for alcoholic brand mascots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n None of these characters ever felt quite Philthy enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was Brownstein Group designer Matt Rondos who became the mastermind of Philthy\u2019s character design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rondos found himself going through the Yards Brewing Company archives. He also combed through old Victorian art. Rondos noticed that previous iterations of Yards beers had a vintage aesthetic and he wanted to match it with Philthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI unearthed an illustration of this strange, big-mouthed fantasy character from a book of Swiss nursery rhymes,\u201d Rondos says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The illustration, as Rondos describes it, had a great big mouth. It had the attitude of a trickster, which Rondos thought could be used to inspire Philthy as a brand mascot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe thought that this was the philthiest<\/em> illustration we could find!\u201d Rondos laughs. \u201cPhil was coming to life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking of life, let\u2019s share a few quick Philthy character stats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe became popular within our agency, fast,\u201d Castillo says. \u201cYards has other beers under their brand that use illustrations on their labels so we explored that direction as an option. Once the team found that creepy little guy, we wouldn\u2019t stop talking about him. Anyone who saw it would say, \u2018What is<\/em> that thing?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The creatives in Brownstein Group were fortunate to finish the design and packaging before quarantine began. Philthy was originally scheduled to launch in March, but then the pandemic hit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The team had to quickly address whether they would launch Philthy during the pandemic or delay for a later date. Ultimately, Yards moved forward with the launch. The outreach strategy was adapted to reach customers at home. Social media focus was also prioritized. Phil chose to wreak havoc on Yards social media posts via platforms including Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Part of the launch plan also included a line of Philthy merchandise. The efforts for this merch were paused, but by then Yards employees were too enamored with Philthy. In addition to reaching customers at home, they got creative with COVID-19 safety guidelines. Philthy face masks were made, along with social distancing floor decals for the taproom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cook can sum up Philthy in one word. The dude\u2019s a bastard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBastard is the one word I\u2019d use to describe him,\u201d Cook says. \u201cHands down. It describes his mysterious origins and his attitude.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brownstein Group does have a canon description for Philthy that they were so kind to share with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHave you ever said something and immediately wondered, \u2018That doesn\u2019t sound like me. Why did I do that? Did I really say those things?\u2019 Don\u2019t worry. You didn\u2019t. But, we know who did\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n His friends call him \u2018Phil.\u2019 Since he doesn\u2019t have many, you can call him \u2018That Philthy Little Hop Monster.\u2019 He\u2019s the foot in your mouth. He\u2019s the thing that makes you say before you think. He\u2019s the reason Philadelphians have no filter.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Where did such a creature come from? Has he always been here? And if so, why won\u2019t he show us his tax returns? This charming little monster has a hazy history. Some say he was around during the American Revolution, whispering inspirational gibberish into the ears of our founding fathers. Others claim that he comes from the Philly sewers, spawned in a primordial ooze of pretzels, scrapple, and beer.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Whatever his story, one thing is certain:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Wherever he goes, unfiltered mischief and hops are never far behind.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n So, shine on you crazy little monster and let your Philthy flag fly.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s also a fairly distinctive noise that sums up Philthy. It may be even more fitting than referring to him as a bastard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cActually, the sound of a belch probably sums him up better,\u201d Cook muses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How do customers, especially the citizens of Philadelphia, feel about Philthy? So far, Yards Brewing Company has seen plenty of positive feedback in response to the character\u2019s launch. This is especially true on social media platforms where Yards Brewing enthusiasts tag their Philthy cans and contribute to user-generated content. Even Philadelphia\u2019s local ABC affiliate 6abc did a TV segment feature about Yards!<\/p>\n\n\n\n For now, Philthy continues to live on social media and packaging. Anything is possible once shelter-in-place fully lifts. A Philthy commercial? It could happen for the hazy IPA! Just be prepared for plenty of Philthanese to explode out of this energetic loudmouth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Heather Taylor My first introduction to Philthy was when I was assembling a list of brand mascots creatives wanted to grab a drink with post-quarantine \u2014 and ideally, post […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":19796,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[15],"topics":[2],"class_list":["post-19795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-popicon","topics-editorial"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/popicon.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Philthy-Final-Illustration-BW.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nCan\u2019t Stop, Won\u2019t Stop, Thinking About Philthy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUnfiltered Philadelphia\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/popicon.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/philthy.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFinding Philthy Illustration Inspiration<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/popicon.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Philthy-Concept-Alternative.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nPhilthy Stats<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
Should a Brand Debut a Brand Mascot in a Pandemic or Not?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/popicon.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Yards-Face-Mask_052820.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nPhilthy\u2019s Origin Story<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Thing. The Myth. The Legend.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/popicon.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Can-Paper-Mockup-scaled.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe Future Is Philthy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n