Heaps Normal says no to ‘dangerous’ and boring drinks this Dry July
Ahead of Dry July, independent non-alcoholic beer company Heaps Normal is encouraging Aussies to reject water and pick up a beer instead (but make it non-alcoholic) in its newest tongue-in-cheek campaign.
The new campaign, ‘Just Say No to Water’, parodies the look and feel of 80s and 90s ‘war on drugs’ ads, starring musician Donny Benét.
Benét highlights water as a “dangerously boring drink” and “a plague on pubs, bars, restaurants and bottle shops around the country” and says it’s better left where it belongs – in rivers, lakes, oceans… and even toilets.
“The worst thing a non-alcoholic brand could do is tell me to drink less alcohol,” said Benét. “But if I want to swap water for a delicious, frothy, beery beverage to get through my gruelling workout routine, so be it. I’m just glad there’s a non-alc brand out there that gets it. ‘Bout bloody time.”
The Australian non-alcoholic beer market is expected to grow 9.16% a year, pulling in an estimated $289 million in revenue in 2023, while alcohol consumption is at its lowest level in more than 50 years, at 9.4L per capita.
In a survey of 1,000 Australians conducted by Pureprofile in March, more than a third of respondents said they’re drinking less than they were this time last year.
Endeavour Group, the parent company of Dan Murphy’s and BWS, reports one-in-10 customers had bought a low or zero-alcohol product in the past 12 months.
Musician Donny Benét stars in the campaign
Heaps Normal’s co-founder and CEO, Andy Miller, said the conversation around alcohol being bad for you has been had, and the new campaign instead playfully encourages swapping out the ‘boring drinks’ people turn to.
“People get it, and we don’t need to preach that,” he said. “We think the real danger is that are people drink less alcohol, there’s a risk that they’re picking up bland, boring drinks instead. Have a delicious non-alcoholic beer instead.”
Heaps Normal marketing director, Tim Snape, added: “Our drinkers love the fact that we’re not ramming sobriety down their throats, and that we’re having a bit of fun with a product that can so easily take itself too seriously.
“The fact is, you can drink beer whenever you want now, so… f*ck water. Have a beer instead.”
Credits:
Marketing and creative: Heaps Normal
Production: Yeah Rad
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Lauren McNamara is a journalist at Mumbrella, covering the creative and PR beat. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS.
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