VB revamps its classic beer ads in Australia Day launch
Carlton & United Breweries has launched a new Victoria Bitter campaign as the brand celebrates fifty years of its classic beer commercials.
The Knock Off Times campaign, created by Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, looks to expanding the brand’s positioning and celebrate Australia’s changing workforce.
The latest campaign features the background music used in successive campaigns since the original 1968 commercial as it shows workers having a beer at the end of their working days, but is a marked departure from the format familiar to Australian TV viewers.
VB returned to Australian TV screens in 2015 after an 11 year break during which it was forced to apologise to consumers for changing its alcohol content. Last year the brand stepped away from its twenty year long sponsorship of Cricket Australia.
Tim Ovadia, Head of Classic Brands at Carlton & United Breweries said in a statement: “What we love about these ads are they have all the best bits of iconic VB advertising but with a modern insight that acknowledges the changing nature of the knock off occasion.
“Most importantly they make you want to grab an ice cold VB and remind us how much we love beer.”
Clemenger BBDO Melbourne’s senior creatives, Russell Fox and Jonty Bell added, “This iconic Australian brand doesn’t need reinventing. Instead, we’re incrementally giving it a modern feel while staying true to its historic tone.”
The campaign launched on Australia Day and will appear on TV, out of home and radio over the next six weeks.
Clemenger BBDO Melbourne has a couple of problems with VB’s tagline ‘For a hard earned thirst.’
Adjectival phrases like ‘hard-earned’ need a hyphen.
Most taglines don’t need a full stop.
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Have a beer
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Geez this is a really good ad.
It uses the well worn VB consumption occasion spot but gives it a contemporary approach – an ad that appeals to a universal insight.
That has the brand featured heavily.
That has the product CENTRAL to the idea.
That uses a classic brand asset in the ad.
It’s classic appeal but very fresh thinking without any cliches or stereotypes.
It’s not wanky.
It almost positions VB as “The Innocent” archetype – highly distinctive in the bland “regular guy” beer market.
And that is short, sharp and actually just a nice little piece of communication. Not wanky, not playing to the ad wankers and awards judges.
It’ll probably sell a lot of beer.
It’s probably the only time in a year I’ve looked at an Aussie ad and thought: “I wish I’d made that”.
Well done CUB and Clems.
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