Export Dry was New Zealand’s first premium Dry beer. But over the past decade the premium beer category has exploded, pushing the once popular Export Dry into obscurity. As a consequence Export Dry sales are in steep decline. We needed to turn Export Dry’s fortunes around and once again position it as a credible premium beer for young guys.

Research showed that our target market didn’t like wine, but occasionally drank it because of societal pressures to appear sophisticated (e.g.) at weddings, work functions, dinner parties, restaurants etc. Beer can be seen as 'uncouth' or just for 'blokes', and even premium beers struggle to make it to the dinner table.

So we positioned Export Dry as the beer that saves men from wine. A premium beer that guys could feel comfortable drinking on any occasion.

We created our own brand of wine called 'You Don’t Have To Do This'. Placed in amongst other wines, the bottles looked like a sophisticated European wine, but on closer inspection were actually ads for Export Dry in disguise. Instead of an elaborate flavour profile, the back label coached men on how to get out of buying wine, and into buying Export Dry. When the wine bottle was scanned at the counter, guys received $5 off a 12 pack of Export Dry and the wine bottle was returned to the display.

The ‘You Don’t Have To Do This’ wine bottles lead to an in-store sales increase of 350% in a single week. The major New Zealand wine retailer where the bottles were stocked recorded their best sales of Export Dry ever.