Carlton Draught: Decision to can TV ad was ‘not a PR stunt’
Carlton & United Breweries says its last minute decision to pull a TV ad for its Carlton Draught beer brand just before its release was “not a publicity stunt”, Mumbrella has been told.
It follows an article published earlier today in which Mumbrella revealed CUB’s move to abruptly scrap the ad which would have been the latest installment in the long-running “Made from Beer” campaign.
CUB said it felt the ad “pushed the boundaries too far” and told its advertising agency Clemenger BBDO Melbourne to come up with a new TV creative.
But industry speculation has begun to mount that it is part of a PR stunt to generate publicity around its latest marketing campaign.
And speculation has been further fulled by a man who called into the Rumour File segment on 3AW’s breakfast show.
Identifing himself as ‘Trouble Brewing’ he informed the presenters Ross Stevenson and John Burns of CUB’s decision to pull its TV ad which he claimed had cost $2.5m to make.
But a CUB spokeswoman told Mumbrella: “It is not a publicity stunt”.
We would not approach a campaign in that way. And you don’t treat the media like that. We would never take relationships with the media lightly – tell them something and then go back and contradict that.”
When questioned if it was likely to have been orchestrated by one of its creative agencies, she added:
I have faith it would not have been someone connected that closely to our business.”
3AW script:
Trouble Brewing: Good morning Ross and John. Rumour has it that Australia’s biggest brewing company, which has been getting a fair bit of stick in the financial pages recently has just expended over $2.5m producing a new campaign to invigorate one of its major brands.
However, this extravaganza is unlikely to be aired because at the last minute it was unilaterally canned at the highest level at the company and causing a great deal of consternation.
However, there are a few copies of the commercial in existence and it is likely it will pop up on YouTube therefore achieving its objectives and reaching a bigger audience along the way.
And rumour has it that it will be worth seeing.
Presenter: So they’ve got an ad and they’ve pulled it at the last moment, cost $2.5m.
I’m obliged to ask you Trouble Brewing it’s not one of those viral campaigns where they send out a message – they send out a rumour that it has been pulled – then they release it on YouTube and thereby ensure that it’s bigger than any television campaign by getting someone like you Trouble Brewing to ring the ‘Rumour File’, is it?
Trouble Brewing: No, absolutely not. This was all kosher, it went through all the right channels and was destined to be an award winning commercial as I’ve heard it.
Presenter: And what was it advertising?
Trouble Brewing: One of their major brands?
Presenter: Which one?
Trouble Brewing: I’d better not say.
Presenter: Okay, I guess their major brand would be Carlton Draught. Trouble Brewing thank you very, very much. If anyone knows anything more about it can we get a copy of this ad that’s been pulled for Carlton Draught.
The agency, the production company, the post houses, etc will all have presumably signed confidentiality agreements.
So if this “shelved” extravaganza leaks, as “Trouble Brewing” has hinted it might, presumably CUB will go to a fair bit of trouble to isolate the source, and maybe even go after them.
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This smells like stale beer. If it is not a beat up then Carlton’s marketing and Clemenger’s creative should be beat up for not thinking it up in the first place. We now have a $2.5 million dollar ad campaign that is being hailed as very funny by anonymous contributors on various media websites including this one, anonymous radio callers flagging YouTube as the place to be watching as it is “worth watching” and Carlton saying they would never treat the media like that and that they have faith in their creative agencies not to pull a stunt…are you serious? Well of course, stupid question…
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Huge risk. Wouldn’t take the chance canceling a TVC at the last minute… don’t have the kahunas to pull something like that. I doubt someone over at Clems BBDO Melbourne would either.
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I’m still betting this is the agency trying to pressure the client into releasing the commercial in time for Cannes.
Risky, considering this was supposedly an upper, upper management decision.
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It’s balls gentlemen and if Carlton lacked them in the first instance they need to grow some now. If they are being leveraged by the agency (which I doubt) then they need to deliver the master stroke and claim the kudos for the whole shebang now. This will get them the desperately needed publicity, raise their profile and shut me up (among others)about how useless they have been in the last little while…it may even sell some beer!
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Firstly Snake, I am not a man, though I have been told I have cojones.
Secondly, If the client vetoed this commercial, it will not have been the first time that an agency made an expensive ad that never saw the light of day.
The ad has been viewed by several commentators, who seem to be saying it’s “awesome” or whatever. So we are all intrigued. But ultimately, it is the client’s 2.5m and if they shelve the ad, then I wouldn’t want to be cop the blame as the rogue who posted it, with CUB’s lawyers bearing down.
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If it’s genuine, i feel for the team involved.
Wasn’t there a case a few years back when a team sued there agency for loss of future earnings following an ad pull?
They managed to prove the ad would have won awards, accolades and pay-rises.
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TYPO: their not there (before anyone points it out).
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My apologies Ms/Mrs Cojones for such a presumptuous assumption on your gender. I am not normally that sexist. I think I just got carried away with the underlying conspiracy theory. However, I think if it goes the way it seems to be heading, Carlton might be quite happy to revisit their decision and may even reload the campaign to take advantage of a YouTube tsunami of public interest to maximise the exposure. In light of recent poor reviews of their advertising this could represent a major coup.
There is even a strong possibility that it may raise Carlton’s profile enough to sell some product.
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