“Brotherly Shovel” was simple: introduce Garage Beer on the biggest advertising stage in the world by embracing our role as the underdog; not by tearing down the giants before us, but by literally cleaning up after them.
Super Bowl beer advertising is filled with legacy, mythology, and polished perfection. Instead of trying to outdo that formula, we acknowledged it. In the spot, while America celebrates its favorite beer brands and their iconic imagery, Jason Kelce and Beau Allen appear not as heroes, but as workers: shoveling manure. It’s a visual metaphor for Garage Beer’s place in the category: we’re not here to disrespect the kings. We’re here to do the dirty work they left behind.
The tone was intentionally self-aware. We weren’t giving anyone the middle finger. We were raising our hand and saying, “We’re here too.” Comfortable, humble, and hungry.
Our goal was to create a Super Bowl moment that could stand apart from the category without relying on celebrity spectacle or big-budget gloss. Instead, we focused on authenticity, humor, and radical honesty about who we are: a small, fast-growing beer brand willing to earn its place.
We also set out to make the spot live far beyond the broadcast, driving massive organic engagement on Instagram and social platforms, sparking conversation, and turning a single media moment into sustained cultural impact.
“Brotherly Shovel” wasn’t about claiming the throne. It was about introducing ourselves while holding a shovel full of shit.
We didn’t treat “Brotherly Shovel” as a one-time Super Bowl ad. We treated it as the beginning of a character, a story, and a world our audience could step into, and we moved fast.
Almost immediately after the spot aired, fans gravitated toward Beau Allen’s miniature horse friend, Doug. Instead of letting that moment fade, we responded in real time. Within days, we launched limited-edition Doug sticker giveaways on Instagram, turning a background character into a badge of honor our fans could own. The response was immediate and overwhelming.
We followed with Doug merchandise, including t-shirts that sold out quickly, and then escalated the idea further by launching a national sweepstakes where one fan would win the chance to fly out, stay in a hotel, and spend time with Doug himself. What started as a joke in a Super Bowl commercial became a real-world experience, because our audience wanted it to.
At the same time, we amplified Doug beyond our own channels. His popularity helped earn national press coverage in Vice and local broadcast features on NBC Philadelphia, extending the campaign’s reach far beyond paid media. Doug wasn’t just a character in an ad anymore, he became part of culture.
Our plan of action was rooted in speed and responsiveness. Unlike traditional campaigns that are planned months in advance and remain fixed, Garage Beer builds in public. We listen, adapt, and create in real time. If the audience loves something, we make more of it. Immediately.
The biggest challenge was keeping up with the audience’s enthusiasm. Demand for Doug-related content and products moved faster than traditional production timelines. To meet that moment, our small team wrote, designed, produced, and launched new extensions in days, not weeks or months.
This is what makes Garage Beer unique. We don’t just launch campaigns. We launch living ideas that evolve with our audience. We may not be the biggest beer brand in the world. But we are one of the fastest, most responsive, and most culturally connected, and “Brotherly Shovel” proved it.
“Brotherly Shovel” set out to prove that Garage Beer could show up on Super Bowl Sunday in a way that earned national attention, without spending like a national advertiser. The results far exceeded that goal.
Despite airing only regionally and costing just over $200,000 to produce and run, the campaign generated earned media coverage comparable to brands that spent more than $20 million on national Super Bowl placements (see chart: Budweiser, NERDS). The spot was picked up by major national and international outlets, including Adweek, AOL, Vice, Complex, and People, and quickly spread across social media, extending its reach far beyond the original media buy.
Just as importantly, the campaign drove sustained engagement, not just a single spike. Doug became a fan favorite, inspiring merchandise sell-outs, viral Instagram engagement, and a national sweepstakes. What began as a regional Super Bowl ad evolved into a cultural moment that lived on for weeks.
This proved our core objective: creativity and speed can outperform scale and budget. We didn’t need a $20 million media buy to earn $20 million worth of attention.
We consider “Brotherly Shovel” a success because it demonstrated Garage Beer’s ability to compete with the biggest brands in the world on creativity and cultural impact, while spending a fraction of what they spent. It didn’t just introduce Garage Beer to a larger audience. It proved we belonged in the conversation.
