White Claw’s Insight-Powered Ad Celebrates Real Connection

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White Claw’s latest ad – the second in its “Grab Life By The Claw” creative platform – starts with superstar Teddy Swims all on his own in a huge, soulless villa. It’s a beautiful day, but there’s nobody to share it with. Then he looks out over the balcony and sees his friends down below, partying and inviting him to come on down. He shows up with a Variety Pack of White Claw, the music starts off and a dull afternoon becomes an evening to remember, full of good times and new friends.

We’ve seen scenes like this before in drinks advertising, but as White Claw and agency VCCP know, they’ve never been more resonant than now. Consumers – and especially drinking-age Gen Z consumers – hunger for real, face to face social connection in a highly mediated world. White Claw’s mission is to help foster that connection, bringing people together to share a Claw.

That’s why this is an unusual ad which comes complete with its own research report, launched at the same time. The Social Refresh Report puts hard data behind what everyone deep down knows – people are craving social connection, with Gen Z in particular more likely to feel disconnected and to think maintaining friendships can feel like a second job. The ad – and White Claw’s partnership with Teddy Swims more broadly – turns those insights into scenes that are warm, human and relatable.

But every ad thinks it’s saying something that connects with its audience. For the proof, we need to test White Claw in our Test Your Ad platform and see how real people respond to it. The answer? White Claw have got this one right.

The ad scores 4.4-Stars on our 1- to 5-Star Rating scale, which puts it straight into the Top 30 of the more than 2,400 Beer, Cider and FMB ads we’ve tested. Star Rating predicts long-term creative effectiveness, so this is an excellent result for a creative platform that launched in 2024 and looks set to solidify White Claw’s impressive seltzer market leadership.

The effectiveness doesn’t end there. The ad also lands an exceptional Spike Rating, predicting short-term sales gains. Like the Star Rating, this score is way above the category average.

What’s driving this effectiveness for White Claw? The use of Teddy Swims certainly helps. He’s an up-and-coming star with major Gen Z credibility and he’s not been overexposed via other marketing partnerships. His hit “The Door”, coming in halfway through the ad as he joins the party, gives the commercial its emotional lift and lets it end on a high.

It’s a great brand, music and celebrity partnership that helps the ad feel authentic – as does the fact that the other partygoers include Teddy’s band, Freak Freely. We’re feeling a vibe of genuine friendship because it is genuine friendship, a social connection that you can’t fake. From insight to execution, “Grab Life By The Claw” speaks to a powerful feeling in its audience and addresses that feeling in a way that’s entertaining and real.