Now VB is the ‘real’ beer – for men who don’t use handcream

This is the most amazing ad ever. Ever. In the history of advertising.

See, I told you I’ve changed my tune. It’s the new improved Anonymous Vitriol. The 2.0 version.

This ad is clearly an attack on gay men in Australia.

looks good in slow motion

Looks like a Carlton Draught ad

I was a bit confused the first time I watched it.
Maybe it would be punchier in a 30 sec spot, or with another caption.

Felt a little drawn out- but where’s the broadcast 30sec version??

Not sure why the extended directors cut is put on here- when most of the time the public probably won’t see much of it.

Anyway- Rogers did a great job. Casting was suburb. Great editing as well. Think its a very different direction from the regulars, has a much more personal and emotional feel.

Well it most certainly is a beer ad.

Like.

Why has beer advertising in this country ceased being about either taste, or desire for the product?

There was a reason why ‘Hard Earned Thirst’ ran for decades you know.

Isn’t this the same idea as nothing soft gets in? Feels very similar.

the guy with the hand cream was hilarious

This is GOLD!

And T – it’s an ad for VB, surely taste doesn’t really play on their strengths?

I like it. It’s funny and it captures a topical issue in all men but with a embracing tone.

Who would have thought 20 years ago men would be moisturising their hands? ha

@Fake Karl Stefanovic: I’m sorry but, how exactly is this ad an attack on gay men in Australia? I really didn’t get that.
What I got was that it was poking fun at guys going too far to look cool.
Good work D5!

Love it.
The man with the moisturiser dropping the VB is the hook. He’s the overt visual reference to the underlying theme of ‘there’s no place for this type of behaviour in a world where blokes drink beer’

Love it. They’ve done it again.

All of these actors were in the banned Carlton Draught tingle stuff.

Like. Very much. A good point well made.

Made me laugh.

Classic. Wonder if VB will get a sales lift in the East now?

Funny as. It’ll divide people… which is a good thing.

I’d like to know from the “insights” mentioned in the media release what hard-core, brand-loyal VB drinkers thought of this ad in pre-testing? Did they relate to it?!

Or would one view of this ad convince them that VB was now courting inner-city metrosexuals in favour of their most loyal and frequent drinkers?!

It’s certainly no “Big Ad”, and it doesn’t refresh the parts other beers can’t reach for me – and I’m a Real Bloke last time I checked, fair dinkum.

Love beer ads.
This is pure quality and the human insights are fantastic. Well done.

That will cut through the dross. Well done for having a go and taking the piss out of those who deserve it. There is nothing more Aussie than that, is there!

I’ve got myself a hard earned thirst.

the blokes in mount isa will love it.

good ad. but isn’t this cause and effect advertising? i vaguley remember this on Gruen Transfer… or something….

FABTASTIC Love it – hopefully this style of advertising starts a trend where we can become real australian men again!!!

Its great…..thank god….BTW, the dude who thinks this is an attack on gay men get over it……im as gay as they come mate and I soooo get this ad, its a corker 🙂

@ Real Bloke – pre testing? What’s that? 🙂

@T – because VB doesn’t taste that great.

Pretty funny really, shared it with some mates and got them talking and they hate advertising. It does slightly reflect our social situation as well.

What a pile of crap. Viral fail. Does nothing for the brand. Not funny, not entertaining.
lamo.

You know, when I saw that guy go to take the beer with hand cream all over his hands, I thought, ‘dude, it will get all wet and slimy!’. I am such a chick.

Yeah – gay here as well & I think its only poking fun at the meterosexuals – & there are a LOT of gay guys who are a lot more “butch” than straight guys.

This is a great change to the usual dreadful ads -why does this country think its a good thing to be a grubby, overweight, unshaven lout who can’t string a sentance together (e.g. the old VB ads)? They are a tolerated embarrasment in most other countries – you don’t see America elevating their trailer trash to iconic status!

btw Maybe ‘ Fake Karl Stefanovic’ was channeling the real Stefanovic – its the type of dumb ass statement he would come out with!

Just a quick reply to “fake karl stef” are you saying only gay men act like this? a very reclusive lifestyle you must lead my friend. take a walk down chapel street, half the guys are prettier than their girlfriends

This ad gave me a tingle in my man plums.

love it. better than slow mo IMO.

Oh dear, major astroturfing alert.

Do your thing Inspector Mumbo …

If CUB want to sell more VB to a bloke they can bloody well put the strength back up to 4.9%. Oh yeah, the ad is so poofy it will turn men off VB.
Just a tradies view.

Target market isnt tradies lol – thats the whole point

It’s fabulous, well done to them.

So inner city metro’s are going to start drinking VB now? Please.

FISH.

If not tradies, then who? That’s VB’s whole problem. They’re trying to be ‘everyman’s beer’, but they aren’t and never will be. They’re blue collar. And they should be proud of it.

When VB realised this and were happy with that fact, (you know back in the 60s, 70s and 80s), one in three Aussies drank VB. Since trying to broaden their appeal with dross like this, that figure has dropped in something like one in five. And is still declining. And the tagline REAL? FMD. Nothing in the ad is.

This ad will not sell VB to anyone. And no amount of Droga PR astroturfing on this blog will change the opinions of the Australia drinking public one iota.

@T – very well said. You and I should hang out and punch some sharks together.

T,
I am actually going to concede defeat on this. You are absolutely spot on. A very good point and on reflection I remember making the same mistake myself as a marketing manager, once (NEVER AGAIN).

Too clever for the room ad people. This ad might work with arty types, but does nothing to make VB appealing to normal blokes. It is ALWAYS a mistake to try to broaden appeal without looking after the core.

I was keen to forward this to mates in the USA, but after I watched it twice, I decided not to waste their time. Elbo & T are right.

@Dan – Spot on!!

@Dan. But what are you supposed to do when the core is disappearing, and by appealing only to them – by appealing only to a shrinking pool – you only further alienate everyone else? Surely you have to go after new recruits, no?

I’m a big fan of fishing where the fish are, but I’m not sure in this case I agree with your ‘ALWAYS’…

[I don’t work at Droga… just being a nerd… ]

Tom,

Their pool is disappearing because they’ve abandoned it, not the other way ’round.

And this ad is a shinning example.

Same as I’ve said for “Classic Rock”. You reach the mainstream by being strong with the core first. The core fans then barrack for your brand, and the core becomes bigger. As the core becomes bigger, you reach farther into the mainstream.

I’m just saying that you MUST be true to your brand first. This is what has meaning for fans.

So are you both saying VB should still be doing ads with working class blokes in Blundstones and blue Bonds singlets, sweat, wiping their mouths with their forearms?

(I’m not taking the piss, if that’s what it reads like… I’m just trying to figure out which ‘core’ you think they should have stuck to/have walked away from.)

I wasn’t a huge fan of “The Drinking Beer” Paradey one but this is great stuff. Well done.

I’m saying that VB needs to start being honest about what it really is. It’s a beer for working class blokes. You certainly don’t have to regress to ‘hard earned thirst’ executions (although I suspect they would be more far effective than this ad), but you do have to consider that sort of person as your target. Isn’t this obvious? (Not taking a shot Tom, I just think it really is.)

I also think that beer advertising (not just VB) needs to get back to desire for product, instead of this insipid social commentary on stereotypes. It has nothing to to with beer at all. It’s naff, lame and as their beer sales show, totally ineffective.

Stop trying to be for everyone VB and try winning back the Australia that used to love you.

Droga Planning Department, I’m looking at you.

T

The problem with being the blue collar beer is that blue collar tradies don’t drink like they used to. Look at 5 seeds, they have a massive ‘blue collar’ following. Same with Corona.

They do need to be broader. Its a business fact. Or they will decline with the ageing drinker they currently have.

Me.

If that is the case, then VB needs total re-invention, which this isn’t either.

As it stands, VB has working-class heritage. Inner city urbanites (or whatever the fuck you call them), will simply never, ever drink VB. So which market do you suggest? The real reason why the blue collar world has drifted from VB, is that VB has drifted from them. They no longer identify with ads like this, how can they? So they drink something else. Thing is there’s no reason why VB couldn’t win them back – that’s what advertising is supposed to do, isn’t it? You know, persuade people. Sell product. But instead they try to broaden their market share while it simply evaporates around them

All seems pretty simple to me. Is it really that hard to follow? Apparently for Droga Planning, it is

@T, Real Bloke, Elbo & Dan German thank you for your comments – I wholeheartedly agree!.

“Wont make me buy it”

VB has been on the slide for years and CUB has thrown everything at it, to no avail.

The problem is not the advertising, it’s the product. It doesn’t need a new campaign, it needs a product refresh. They’re shooting for the down to earth everyday Aussie, who wouldn’t touch VB with a ten foot pole because it’s utter shite. Cashed up bogans drink fancy pants premium/imported beers now, that’s fact. Look at the bottle – old school, naff. XXXX changed the bottle, why can’t VB? It’s povvo central. Then try the flavour profile – god awful. There are just superior beers out there.

Meanwhile the existing “up a pole, down a hole” tradie with a beer gut is being turned off the VB brand by these campaigns.

You’ve got 2 options really – let the cash cow die and stop supporting it – or fix the product then change it’s perceptions and target. What CUB has done is kept a stale old product and tried to get kids to drink it – fail. Never happen.

The ad itself is great, loved it.

Was shocked to see they left the shoot caterer and production company accountant off the credits…. what’s this industry coming to?

CUB seems to change it’s brand positioning for VB every season, which to me is the hallmark of a very poorly managed brand with a ‘downstream’ marketing team.

Mark my words, in six months time we’ll be seeing ads for VB with tradies covered in shite. Perhaps drinking too much VB causes temporal personality disorder.

I’m off to grab a hypothetical beer with T, the only one making any sense here.

T – I’m not sure if its as simple as you say.
The reason that blue collar has drifted from VB is that VB has drifted from them?
VB was on a downward spiral when it still had the Hard Earned strategy.
The fact is that Australia changed.
Blue collar changed.
More beers were introduced and they were competitively priced.
Its drinkers were ageing, or literally dying.
The trouble is no NEW drinkers were buying into VB.
No youth, hard earned doesn’t resonate with them. It’s all about the now.
So VB has to stand for something else – or manage it’s decline.
Not saying this is the right thing to stand for but it does feel like they are the ones that could say it.
Anyway, like all things, time will be the judge.
And I do agree with the idea of total reinvention – I think that is exactly what is called for. I imagine though, it would be a very brave Fosters board who would do that. And I think short term thinking might cloud long term ambition.

“Me” speaks a lot of sense: VB’s decline is because the world changed (and they reacted too slow).
I do loads of stuff with tradies, factory guys, bricklayers, fridgies and such… and they defy any and every “blue collar” stereotype. They’ve changed. They get haircuts and tattoos inspired by Cousins, they ‘manscape’ their body hair, they wear cool shades, sharp clothes, pimp their utes, etc, etc, etc. Younger tradies care what women think of them (which is why they’re changing in the first place…).
The world moved on, and VB stayed put. It innovated too late, and now it’s trying to play catch-up… or possibly it’s managing the decline while CUB launches new brands and products.
I’m not going to go into bat for Droga any further, but I don’t think this work alienates tradies and blue collar guys in the slightest. I’d bet money that young blokes who live west of Petersham (any of you in advertising ever go that far west?… I know for a fact that most of you don’t… I know that many of you can’t even point to Bankstown or Castle Hill on a map) would react like this: “Yup, that’s me. I’m a real man who doesn’t do all that poofy stuff…”
If anything this new direction will work harder against a blue-collar audience than the inner-city hipster girly-men it pokes fun of. In my book this approach is worth a go while CUB gets new products in the pipeline and out the door.

I will now gracefully bow out of this thread…

Fair enough

What ever your position, thanks all for keeping the debate civil. Refreshing to engage in a conversation on an adver-blog that didn’t degenerate into a free for all.

Has been fun

Amen brother.

It might be promoted as the real beer for real men… but plenty would be proud to march under a different banner…. As for the image of having two blokes help you drink it – are they really doing you a favour? I reckon mates don’t have mates drink VB anymore…Droga’s ads usually hit the spot … this one won’t arrest the slide of the former iconic brand….

What the fuck is a Guybrush?

All of us critics are wrong apparently as Simon Canning, marketing “expert” for The Australian thinks it’s real-ly good:

http://www.campaignbrief.com/2.....f-the.html

the guy with the hand cream really made me laugh…. wonder if sales of VB willl go up in The Beresford!!!!

Foster’s have a pretty good record of letting well established brands dwindle and die. Anyone remember a Foster’s brand called, er, Foster’s?
In a side note, a mate was in the UK last week and bought a six pack of VB there for $10 – try doing that in Melbourne.

it’s amusing ad, but 5 mins later I can’t remember who its for – just another anonymous beer ad.

I’d love to see the unaided recall on this down the track.

why do you ask?

Some excellent analysis and deconstructed thinking on this thread.

Especially thoughts around the “blue collar” demographic.

This is key, as the blue collar brigade are gone and the CUB is now the segment.

They think differently, they behave differently and their attitudes to how they percieve and present themselves is definitely not a flanny wearing, AC/DC listening, Commodore driving mulletted bogan anymore.

Most importantly how they spend the money in their wallett is different.

This segment wants to drink Corona or any other new beer other than a Coldie or a VB.

VB needs to re-invent from a product development and brand viewpoint first – fiddling with the ads is the tail wagging the dog.

The main problem is that VB is a beer made for people that don’t exist anymore.

But if you are going to flog a dead horse, well why not make it funny. So 10/10.

I love the ad and I’m completely the wrong demographic – being female for a start, so the ad really does not hit the mark despite being creative, lots of beer money standard production and offering an emotional connection. Just to the wrong people. Saying that the other half bought a six pack of vb’s last night (maybe they are extending their demographic or maybe he’s just feeling cheap) and it tasted like sweetened dishwater mixed with the scummy dregs of apple juice. Really vile – no wonder those illusive blue collar guys call it ‘piss’. Time to pass the baton to the CUB product R&D team..

after seeing the new campaign a few times I have stopped drinking VB.

Droga was never the right agency in the first place!
Place

They can advertise VB until they are blue in the face. It’ll still taste of cats p1ss and I will not drink it(.)

I have watched this ad 10 + times and are still scratching my head.
advertising wank from lads in skinny jeans. Bewildered.