Foster’s has brought back its long-running characters, Brad and Dan, in a new campaign from Adam & Eve/DBB.
The pair first appeared in a series of ads starting in 2009 as part of the "Good call" campaign, in which they provided amusing advice to British men experiencing social conundrums such as what to do if your mate starts talking about the economy on a night out.
Foster's put Brad and Dan’s laddish stylings on pause in 2015 and kicked off a new platform, "Why the hell not?", with a spot about a male cheerleader.
The latest ad, which debuts during the Grand National tomorrow on ITV, takes a dig at the hip, expensive craft beer that has become increasingly popular in recent years, coinciding with mainstream lager brands including Foster’s struggling to maintain sales.
Supermarket sales of Foster’s were down 4.4% to £348m in the year to September 2018, according to Nielsen data. The biggest-selling modern-style craft beer, BrewDog Punk IPA, is far smaller but sales in the same period grew 30.2% to £40.4m.
The new work sees the two Antipodeans respond to call from "Harry from Abergavenny", who is hosting a barbecue and wondering what to serve his pretentious brother-in-law. They advise him to "pour the amber nectar into an old jam jar" and "tell him it was brewed in an abandoned coal mine". It finishes with Harry handing over a jar of "Voodoo Jazz Hat" to his unwitting in-law.
It was created by Ben Stilitz and Colin Booth, and directed by Tim Bullock through Blink.
Richard Barnes, marketing manager at Heineken, said: "Foster’s has a legacy of making great advertising that engages people emotionally. We wanted to bring back this ‘No worries’ brand essence and encourage people to see the pint glass half-full with a dose of Aussie positivity.
"This campaign will add some refreshment to the classic lager category and we’re sure consumers will love it, thanks to its entertaining, relatable and memorable content."
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