Carlton Draught scraps TV ad and goes back to the drawing board
Beer brand Carlton Draught has scrapped its ad campaign at the eleventh hour, after ruling the idea created by Clemenger BBDO went “too far”.
The Carlton & United Breweries brand, part of Foster’s Group, has gone ahead with its latest marketing push with an on-pack promotion giving consumers a chance to win a mystery prize worth $200,000.
It was due to unveil to the trade its latest Carlton Draught TV creative last week, but cancelled the briefing to a future yet to be confirmed date.
A CUB spokeswoman said the TV ad created by Clemenger BBDO Melbourne was suppose to have been the latest installment in the long-running “Made from Beer” campaign.
This is a terrible article… but only because it doesn’t contain the actual Ad! mumbrella=tease.
The caller on the 3AW rumour file (linked on Campaign Brief website story) had the pseudonym “Trouble Brewing” and sounded as though he was reading from a script.
Is the whole thing a beat up for a viral launch?
Or is Clems trying to get around their client’s ban to get the ad out there?
I’m just asking.
At what cost was this decision made, I wonder?
One gets the feeling that the CUB is covering the costs of the TVC cancellation but who gets the blame?
I would think heads would roll….
Smells like a reverse-reverse-hoax to me.
aaha! the oldest trick in the book!
Would you believe they had their office surrounded by 1000 angry CUB staff? no? Would you believe 20 angry CUB night shift workers? No
well… would you believe an angry grandma and her dog disapproved?
Was this something they came to you with Tim? How did this article come about? If they started shouting about it, it appears hoax.. but pretty strange concept..
Unless Clemenger BBDO wanted an excuse to appear risky..
Either way, its not news
They have to try something to compete against Tooheys New….wonder how it will come off
I ahve thought the Carlton ads have sucked for while………….stuid people doing stupid things………….I want cold, great asting beer not to be assoicated with nongs…
A mystery prize worth $200,000??? Sounds like the creative (BTL) idea wasn’t ready by the due date to me!
Hi Riarn,
About two weeks ago they called a press briefing for last week to reveal some new work. It’s not the first time they’ve held a small trade press event to launch a significant piece of trade creative so in itself that wasn’t suspicious.
They then abruptly postponed. When my colleague Camille rang to ask a bit more about it, she was given the answer above.
However, we were a bit suspicious, because they were slightly more honest than you’d normally expect in the circumstances. This is the email they sent us:
.
From: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Tue, 23 Feb 2010 08:32:18 +1100
To:
Subject: Carlton Draught update
Hi Tim
Hope you are well.
As you know, we have a large campaign coming for Carlton Draught and a big part of that will go to market 1st March. See details attached.
There was some Carlton Draught ads in the pipeline (as part of our long running “Made from Beer” campaign) that we were also planning to share with you at the briefing last week however these will not go to air. The ads had been shot but were not finished. So the brand team and the agency are back in development.
Let me know if you need further detail. My number is xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
.
Prior to publication, we checked with another source, who we trust, who assures us that it isn’t a hoax.
For what it’s worth, I don’t think it is a wind-up. I’m not sure a minor stunt on the trade press would sell many more cases of beer.
We will make more checks now though as the questions been raised and report back…
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
The Mystery prize idea wasn’t done by Clemenger. Someone else.
@ Anonoymous
Sorry. I realise that this wouldn’t be done by Clemenger.
I am just wondering if CUB had to pull something out of the hat since the ad was cancelled at the last minute. No doubt they have just briefed a BTL agency to put together a promotion with a prize valued at $200K. “We don’t have time for you to present the idea. I need something NOW to stimulate sales for the Qtr”.
Well I’m guessing that’s what happened anyway!
A Carlton ad that goes too far??? Boundary pushing? Why don’t they just throw $200,000 out of an aeroplane whilst flying over Melbourne? It would be cheaper than engaging Clemenger, making hugely expensive ads and not running them.
Better still, tell the punters they are not going to run the ads and then show the ads they are not going to run and explain that they have gone too far and that’s why they can’t run them!
Better still, the mystery prize IS ownership of the ad that cost them $200,000 that they are not going to run!
Better still…god, I need a beer. That’s it! Better still…
Hey Anonymous, is that you Larry?
Paul – judging by your spelling, you are the nong.
It’s either a massive cock up or a massive beat up … either way, it reeks of a business in trouble. I hear that Carlton Draught’s marketshare is dropping “like a Bomb”, so desperate times … sounds like The Big Idea has been replaced by The No F*cking Idea.
I’ve seen it. It’s great.
I auditioned for these ads and have the scripts. They’re funny and I don’t think they push boundaries at all. Shame they won’t be aired.
‘Mystery Prize’
To the less cerebral on here, maybe ‘mystery’ is part of the big idea.
this link has been doing the rounds today: http://anyexcuse.com.au/
for what it’s worth, i think they’re gold. all the boys in the office are tingling for a beer as i type. they’ve had about 5k visits today – see these going pretty well especially as soon as someone bothers to scrape the videos and post them on youtube.
AS I pointed out during this debate it smacked of collusion between the client and Clemenger and smelt heavily of a hoax to get a million hits off YouTube and get to a much wider audience at bugger all cost. I love the way the agency and Carlton said they would never treat the media with such contempt -heh heh. Of course they wouldn’t. I mean who else could afford to blow $3 million on making the ads and then shelve them and tell everyone they “went too far”.
And Tim, I would re-evaluate that trusted source of yours. However, having viewed the ads and having been treated with such contempt I can only say, “Bravo!” First class scam and now I have “the Carlton Draught tingle in my man plums”…finally Carlton has a winner even if it’s by subterfuge. You guys…!!!
Simple story. Mgmt didn’t approve the creative. Fosters would have looked for a return on their production investment and this is the obvious option. It is a see through strategy and one that I know fosters were considering at post production stage. Although not planned from the outset, definately planned at edit stage