Fosters is leveraging Ashes fever and Anglo-Australian rivalry by linking its current ‘Good Call/Bad Call’ marketing concept to this year’s cricket series via a new experiential UK initiative.
The Heineken brand, along with agency Space, is running this new campaign strand adjacent to grounds hosting England v Australia matches – including Old Trafford (Manchester) and Headingly (Leeds) – starting in early August.
The experiential initiative, which targets 18 to 34-year-old men, invites consumers and cricket goers to take part in the ‘Good Call/Bad Call – Wheel of Fortune’ game.
Brand ambassadors will invite consumers in the ear, particularly those on the way to the cricket, to take part in the game by giving the wheel a spin.
The game offers players the chance to play for prizes.
If the wheel lands on ‘Good Call’ then player wins a Foster’s giveaway, but if it lands on bad call then they face the forfeit of dressing up in an somewhat embarrassing and outrageous Aussie costume.
Participants are also being incentivised to upload photos and videos of their experience on their Twitter and Facebook pages to possibly win a prize, as well as being hosted on the Foster’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/fosters.
The work begins near Old Trafford in Manchester and is timed to coincide with the third Investec Ashes Test match. This is then followed by roadshow across the UK taking in a selection of cricket, comedy and music events including the Foster’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the two England v Australia ODI matches at Headingly (Leeds).
Building on its marketing heritage of playing on its Australian roots and strong Anglo-Australian connections, the current wider ‘Good Call’ concept revolves around TV spots featuring numerous British men phoning up fictional Australian agony uncle duo Brad and Dan for advice.
‘The TV ads featuring Brad and Dan are iconic and well loved by consumers, and we wanted to create a campaign that brought the ads to life,’ explains Space Group Account Director Sean Kelly.
‘It also brings an element of interactivity to events like the Ashes and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where we know consumers are already in the mood to get involved. The great thing about the campaign is that even if you make a ‘bad call’, you can still get a piece of the action by getting your mates to share their pictures of you online and having the chance to receive a prize.’
According to Gayle Harrison, brand director for Foster’s at Heineken, Foster’s is a straight-talking Australian lager with comedy at its heart.
‘We focused on key sports and entertainment events for this experiential campaign to complement the brand’s ‘No Worries’ approach to life,’ outlines Foster’s Brand Director Gayle Harrison. ‘Space have tapped into that vein perfectly, with activity that mirrors our current above-the-line advertising campaign and brings a fun and interactive dimension to the brand.’
Comment
Foster’s marketing has long played on its Australian roots and on the Anglo-Australian connection.
For example, while in Australia Foster’s has long used the marketing slogan ‘The Amber Nectar, in the UK and elsewhere it also frequently uses the tagline ‘Australian for Beer’.
Furthermore, UK ads have often focused on the Australian connotations of the beer and have included clichéd and stereotypical Australian imagery such as kangaroos, exaggerated accents, and cork hats and have been fronted by famous Australians (such as the 1980s campaign fronted by the Australian comedian Paul Hogan).
So connected itself to cricket’s oldest rivalry makes sense considering the brand’s Anglo-Australian heritage and its previous links to cricket.
After all, while in Europe the rights to the brand are held by Heineken International Fosters is originally an Australian brand from Carlton and United Brewers (CUB) and owned by Fosters Group (part of SABMiller).
Furthermore, the brand has strong associations with cricket in both countries. Throughout the 1990s it was the title sponsor of Surrey’s home and leading test match venue The Oval, while it has been associated with cricket in Australia since 1996 (it also has strong sponsorship heritage with both the AFL and the NFL in Australia).
Links
Fosters Facebook
Fosters Website
Fosters Good Call TV Ad YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB9oLgv8xog
Fosters 1888 TV Ad YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVITJU9yS4I
