This Sunday night Australia’s most popular beer, VB, will premiere the first television commercial from its latest marketing campaign entitled ‘Real’. Developed with Droga5 Sydney, the campaign will feature a number of executions including two television commercials.

‘Cry’ is the first TVC to hit television screens, airing nationally on Sunday evening. This will be accompanied by outdoor, print and digital advertising across the country. The second TVC, ‘Slide’, will follow later in the year, launching during the cricket.

“VB has always been an honest, genuine brand and that’s what Australians love about it,” said Paul Donaldson, group marketing manager for VB and Crown. “It’s an authentic beer enjoyed by more Australians than any other brew, outselling its nearest competitor by over 101 million stubbies*.”

The new campaign was developed from insights pointing to an increasingly superficial society, and asks men to take an honest look at themselves and pose the question, have I gone too far? From photo-shopping Facebook profile photos to skinny jeans and plastic surgery, the campaign showcases that, while superficiality will always exist, men have a real desire to be authentic.

‘Cry’ (90/60/30/15 second executions) features a number of vignettes telling the story of blokes rescuing their mates from superficiality. Neil Diamond’s song ‘Hello again’ provides the soundtrack to moments of self-realisation as the characters, with the help of their mates, finally grasp the extent of their superficial behaviour.

“We are now in the second year of a five year strategy to evolve VB and make it even more relevant to Australian drinkers,” continued Donaldson. “Last year’s campaign ‘The Regulars’ reintroduced VB as a beer for everyone. The campaign nailed the brief and was very successful, with brand equity improving for the first time in five years.”

‘The Regulars’ campaign was one of the most awarded alcohol ads in the world in 2009, winning a Cannes Gold Lion and a D&AD Black Pencil award, amongst others.

“VB is a brand that has been talking to blokes for over 100 years,” continued Donaldson. “What we’ve seen over the past decade is a shift away from authenticity. Put simply, in a world where superficiality is ever-increasing, VB stands as the counter-point to this phenomenon. To Australian males, being a ‘real bloke’ is still incredibly aspirational and motivational, and this takes VB back to the very core of what the brand is about – an authentic, full flavoured beer for genuine blokes.”

“Few brands can lay claim to such authentic credentials as VB,” said Duncan Marshall, executive creative director at Droga5. “So who better to be leading the cultural charge back to reality than Australia’s favourite beer? It’s refreshing to work on an iconic brand that’s been around for so long, yet is still a pioneer in its thinking.”

*Source: CUB calculation based in part on data reported by Nielsen through its ScanTrack Liquor Service for the Beer Category for the Australian off premise liquor market. (Copyright © 2010, The Nielsen Company.)

For more information, please contact:

Jacinta Frilay (Pulse Communications)
jacinta@pulsecom.com.au
0416 463 919

Steve Munachen (Pulse Communications)
steve@pulsecom.com.au
0404 014 930