Stella Artois distributes custom glassware to bars to make pours of the Belgian pilsner more distinctive, but thousands of those chalices go missing every year. Rather than fighting the thefts, the AB InBev brand celebrates them in a playful campaign by agency David New York.

“Missing Chalices” shows the branded glassware tucked into a kitchen cabinet, drying on a dish rack and finding a place at a dining room table—a journey that started with it being hidden in a jacket pocket. The thefts are dubbed “unacceptable, yet understandable.”

The campaign also incorporates print ads showing the chalices in their new homes with the same tagline. Three radio spots taking inspiration from heist movies follow people crafting elaborate plans to steal the glasses that involve research on bar shift changes, getaway drivers and diversions.

The work builds on January’s “Steal Artois” campaign, where David and VML Chile created a capsule collection designed to make swiping glassware easier, including pants and jackets with hidden pockets and a bucket hat that converts into a purse. That campaign’s success led Stella Artois to look for new ways to explore the insight.

“Missing Chalices” also fits into the “Worth More” slogan Stella Artois introduced last month, which turned the beer’s higher price into an asset that demonstrates its premium quality as the brand aims to make an emotional connection with customers.

“Stella Artois is positioning itself around the concept of worth: For the brand, some things are ‘worth more,’ and this includes the chalice,” David New York chief creative officer André Toledo told ADWEEK. “If you can’t fight a consumer behavior that’s so connected to your brand motto, you just embrace it to create awareness and relatability.”

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