Carlton Draught Beer Chase - Essay Example

Carlton Draught Beer Chase Carlton Draught Beer Chase Australia has one of the world’s strongest beer cultures. This makes for a very competitive market in which national brewers compete with international brands to capture a considerable percentage of the drinking population. One of the most popular Australian brands of beer is the Carlton Draught brand. Its well known emblem of the Clydesdale horse has been reprinted on each and every brand since the beer was officially launched in 1864. To preserve its competetive edge, the Carlton Brewery Company has sought to diversify its portfolio by creating different brands such as the Carlton Dry, Tooheys, Carlton Draught, and Victoria Bitter. In 2011, the Carlton Breweries’ board of directors decided to focus more on the social media as the singular marketing channel that would be used to market its products. This was by no means a unique decision in the industry, as it had long become evident that social marketing gives organizations an edge over competitors when done strategically. Carlton Brewery Company’s Marketing Methods Carlton Breweries Limited has assorted marketing objectives. It aims to increase market share while also positively affecting product range, for example. The company is also interested in reaching international clients with its different brands, while also making the most of customer service options to retain them. If this is achieved, the company will be able to benefit from increased market share. One facet that has propelled the Carlton Brewery to the forefront is its creative beer campaigns. Just three decades ago, beer campaigns in brewery companies all over the world were not as sophisticated as they now are. They were crude representations of mostly half naked women who looked seductively at the watcher. The main aim of beer making companies was to simply grab the attention of any unsuspecting man. The 21st century, however, has brought about considerable change in the way people perceive things. Beer makers today have to put more emphasis on their presentation in order to attract and retain customers. The available media channels, such as the television and social media sites, have come up with more sophisticated facets that can be used to promote products such as alcoholic beverages (Leiss & Botterill, 2005). The Carlton Brewey Company has made the most of these available resources to propel itself to new markets. One facet that has propelled the company to the front in the competitive Australian beer market is its website. Carlton Draught’s website is extremely appealing. The website is relatively easy to navigate and even has a trivia game- ‘Thinking Caps’- which is something that resonates with the ordinary Australian citizen (Simpson, 2012). The website also sports a ‘flashbeer’ television campaign which has a video of a man who clearly enjoys the brand, whose main ambitions is to be an employee of Carlton. He makes his appeal to interviewers by giving a dance. This is marketing gimmick that will naturally draw the curiosity of even those who do not drink the brand. Carlton Draught’s website also provides comprehensive instructions on how to pour beer in the right way into a glass, and even elaborates on the true meaning of ‘lacing’ – which is refers to the rings that are fashioned on the top part of a glass that was formerly filled with beer (Holden, 2014). The website then expounds on the rules of beer drinking, and takes visitors through some of the processes of making a good beer. The website also seeks to connect its brand to some of the most popular sports in Australia. It accomplishes this by making references to the connection between football, which is a national sport in Australia, and beer. Carlton Draught’s website also comments on its investment in horse racing, which is another popular Australian sport. This success engendered by this website is a prime example of the benefits of online branding in the modern business setting (Marketing Ad. Tech, 2006). Its biggest strength is honesty as well as its unpretentiousness. In addition, the fact that it openly addresses the concern brought by over-drinking by expounding on how clients should drink responsibly, it has also attracted support from unusual quarters. The Carlton Draught website, for example contains a link to information provided by the Australian government about the importance of drinking responsibly (Mosher & Johnson, 2005). The way the company is presented in the website also shows it to be a representation of all the qualities that could be said to be distinctly Australian. Its advertisements are not just confined to online forums, though. Carlton Breweries has sponsored numerous outdoor campaigns in which posters were adorned with some of its iconic catchphrases. For example, there have been outdoor marketing campaign posters which bore intriguing statements developed by the company about the production of Carlton beer. Some of these posters contend that Carlton products are ‘brewed in a big metal implement’, for example; or that Carlton beer is ‘Handcrafted with large machines’ (Simpson, 2012). Such macho-sounding slogans naturally attract Australian citizens; a large percentage of whom tend to identify with the belief that beer-drinking is a manly activity (Simpson, 2012). Carlton Breweries has registered astonishing success in Australia, as well as mainland Europe and America. This is because it is more invested in creating marketing strategies that are geared towards a global audience. Carlton Breweries did not shy away, in 2005, from making an advertisement in controversial settings in order to reach a worldwide audience. Its ‘Big Ad’ commercial was seen by more than 1 million individuals around the world. In the advertisement, there are two opposing armies, set in an ancient era, that are marching towards each other. The advertisement depicts then using the religious melody of ‘O Fatima’, from an aerial perspective (Simpson, 2012). To the viewer, it appears that the two opposing armies form the shape of a man with a beer glass that sports the Carlton logo. The company choose to create such a viral advertisement, which was mostly made up of young adults, in order to reach most of the young who are the majority of internet users in nations all over the world. Before the advertisement was shown on television, it had already been viewed on You Tube, as well as other social media sites. This caused it to gain a large following (Leiss & Botterill, 2005). This advertisement’s success was mainly the result of the targeted marketing strategy that was used by the Carlton Brewery. According to Leiss & Botterill (2005), it is the young adults as well as teenagers who tend to spend most of their time ‘surfing’ on the internet. The Carlton ‘Big Ad’ advertisement was entertaining and humorous, and thus immediately appealed to young adults- the majority of who are not concerned with discussing heavier subject matter. Young adults also use a lot of their time commenting on different modern concerns, or observing new trends in different aspects of life (Leiss & Botterill, 2005). In releasing the advertisement in online forums, Carlton Breweries ensured that it would benefit from the exposure brought about by viral marketing before it could be shown on television. This would also ensure that the advertisement would not suffer from over-exposure. The advertisers, who wanted the input of a young crowd, also understood the importance of using the internet instead of television, which is more popular with an older segment of the population. According to Leiss & Botterill (2005), most people under the age of 40 will subscribe to social media sites such as Face Book just to comment of interesting marketing campaigns that they have seen. The advertisement also emphasized on qualities such as power and strength which appeal to the young adult population in any society. According to Holden (2014), organizations in different industries are increasingly turning to social media sites such as MySpace, Twitter, and Face Book with their marketing campaigns because they have learned that the viewers who have accounts with these sites can easily conduct promotional campaigns for them when they tune in to discussion platforms where the products being advertised, as well as the advertisements themselves, are discussed. The Carlton Draught Beer Chase Even though the ‘Big Ad’ advertisement was well received on a global platform, and would win the esteemed ‘Gold Lion Award’, it would be out-performed by Carlton Brewery’s next big advertisement which was released in 2012. In this advertisement, known as the ‘Beer Chase’, Carlton Draught collaborated with Melbourne’s Clemenger BBDO, which is a well known advertisement agency (AdPressive, 2012). In the beginning of the advertisement, four unpretentious thieves, who have just finished conducting a successful robbery at a nearby bank, go to a local public house to enjoy their favorite beer- Carlton Draught (AdPressive, 2012). Upon reaching the bar, they drop their cargo bag which falls open to reveal huge wads of money. The bar-tender innocuously takes a peek into the cargo bag as he hands the four thieves their mugs of beer. After raising a toast, he slowly clears his throat and gestures to the other side of the bar. Upon turning to see what the bar-man is indicating, the four thieves spy some off-duty policemen (AdPressive, 2012). At this point, the camera shows the entire bar which is evidently full of officers who are off-duty. Clutching their Carlton Beers, the four thieves dash out of the bar. Upon reaching their get-away car, they are plagued with misgivings; and they wonder if it is best to put down their beers so as to be able to drive away or hold onto their beers. The thieves decide to hold onto their beers and flee on foot. The policemen chase them as they try to navigate the streets while keeping their beers from spilling until the thieves come across a raising bridge. Here, the thieves jump onto a passing boat and are frre from the police officers. They then proceed to move to the deck where, contemplating the lovely view, they drink their beers happily (AdPressive, 2012). This advertisement was viewed by more than 2 million viewers on You Tube even before being released on television. It was successful mainly because of the humor that was injected into the car chase scenario. From the advertisement, there appear to be different messages. While it appears to insinuate that there is nothing in the world that can come between a man and his favorite beer- Carlton Draught, the advertisement could also be said to be a humorous demonstration of the adage ‘Don’t drink and drive’- with the intimation ‘you might spill the precious beer’ (Australian Anthill, 2014). This advertisement drew a lot of praise for its humorous depiction of the lengths to which men would go to remain with their favorite beer. In the first place, it makes use of a popular theme- the car chase- which is a staple of all celebrated action movies. The chase scene in the advertisement is actually very strategic. It is created to appeal to a social media savvy section of the young adult male urban population that consumed alcoholic products on a regular basis and enjoys having it issues from a tap. The insinuation is that a can would not contain enough of the precious stuff to satisfy any man. This quirky advertisement has endeared Carlton’s signature product to many beer consumers. In creating such a creative advertisement, the Carlton Brewery was also increasing the chances of it being shared by non-drinkers as well as drinkers in social media forums. The theme of a car chase speaks to a shared culture among young as well as old men; and can help in creating a feeling of male bonding (Simpson, 2012). Another reason why the Carlton Brewery’s ‘Beer Chase’ advertisement was such a resounding success was because of the platforms in which it was release. Carlton’s marketing managers are aware of the fact that modern consumers are more intrigued by knowledge than even comedy. They discuss the attributes of different products as well as their advertisements in social platforms (Vorhies & Morgan, 2009). If they know about a brand but do not have adequate information about it, they will naturally turn to other sources to get what they want to know. This means that today, advertisers have to make sure that any information given to the pubic about a particular product is accurate (Holden, 2014). This will then spur social conversation about the brand. The Carlton Brewery also engages its customers before inundating them with information about its products. Its website has facets that engage visitors and make them feel as though they own part of the product, and play a vital role in ensuring its success. This is a relational method of customers that remains absent in traditional methods of advertising. For example, in outdoor advertising where posters are used, the customers are engaged before being given information. They merely communicate in a comprehensive manner that is geared towards reaching the largest number of people about the good attributes of a given product. Modern methods of advertisement, such as the use of social media to reach consumers, are more geared towards ensuring that the product remains popular with the customers over an extended period of time. This calls for the cultivation of customers over a platform that engages them about the product’s qualities. Conclusion Brands such as Carlton Draught are essentially presented as a part of a continuous experience in which pieces of content are set apart and provided to the audience when relevant. The Carlton Brewery has successfully achieved this. Almost a decade ago, when it launched the campaign that was christened ‘Made from Beer’, the company began to engage consumers through different presentations of its products. The theme then proceeded to ‘Men with Canoes’ and onto ‘Big Ad’ in 2006. The ‘Beer Chase’ idea was a succession of the ‘Big Ad’, and actually outperformed the former advertising theme. The Carlton Brewery has proved to be consistent with the tone of its messages, thus attracting a lot of consumers. In its website, the company also responds to each query in its comments section, and sings of with a very Australian sounding ‘Cheers’- which increases the level of identification with Australian culture for the consumer. This combination of personable as well as humane characters can play a significant part in the retention of customers. References AdPressive. (2012). The Beer Chase – Funny Carlton Draught TV Commercial. Retrieved from http://adpressive.com/the-beer-chase-funny-carlton-draught-tv-commercial-122112/ Australian Anthill. (2014). The Top Ten Greatest Australian Television Commercials Ever. Retrived ffrom http://anthillonline.com/the-top-10-greatest-australian-television-commercials-ever/ Holden, S. (2014). Marketing insights from the birth of boutique brewing in Australia. Australian Brews News. Retrieved from http://www.brewsnews.com.au/2012/10/marketing-insights-from-the-birth-of-boutique-brewing-in-australia/ Leiss, W., & Botterill, J. (2005). Social communication in advertising: Consumption in the mediated marketplace. New York: Psychology Press. Marketing Ad. Tech. (2006). Masterclass: The Revolution Masterclass on viral marketing. Retrieved from http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/article/607737/masterclass-revolution-masterclass-viral-marketing Mosher, J. F., & Johnson, N. (2005). “Flavored alcoholic beverages: An international marketing campaign that targets youth.” Journal of Public Health Policy, 26(3), 326 – 342. Simpson, W. (2012). The Australian beer companion. Melbourne: Explore Australia Pub. Vorhies, D.W., & Morgan, N. (2009). “Market orientation, marketing capabilities, and firm performance.” Strategic Management Journal, 30(8), 909 – 920. Read More