How do you make a traditional brand in a traditional category feel relevant to a modern audience? In this case: traditional advertising.

Carlton Draught is one of the biggest beer brands in Australia, but it’s part of a sub-category of traditional Aussie beer brands that are rapidly losing favour with modern consumers.Our challenge was to find a way to continue our brands growth category, despite premium-imported brands dropping their price significantly, putting pressure on us and our category.How did we take on our challenge? By going back to our heartland, mainstream Aussie men, who are responsible for 37% of the beer drinking in Australia, and making sure we had their commitment, despite any shifts in pricing.

To do this, we needed to find a way to make them feel good in an increasingly complicated and stressful world. It wasn’t a social network strategy, a mobile app, an experiential or a piece of branded utility: it was a big, fun television ad. It brought a taste of the pub into men’s daily lives, and reminded them that life isn’t all that bad.

Our idea worked. Our ad was beloved by our audience, which in turn resulted in their increased commitment to our brand. This helped us not just survive the squeeze on prices, but prosper. As a result our brand grew more than expected, and our campaign delivered an ROI of 272%.