Carlton & United Breweries: How being stupid was sensible for Carlton Dry

Matt Pearce and Michael Derepas

This case study describes how Carlton Light, an Australian beer brand, targeted male beer drinkers with a down-to-earth campaign.

Carlton & United Breweries: How being stupid was sensible for Carlton Dry

Campaign details

Agency: Clemenger BBDO MelbourneAdvertiser: CUBAuthor: Matt Pearce and Michael DerepasTotal campaign expenditure: $2 - 5 million

Executive summary

Carlton Dry was a shining light for CUB, growing in a declining domestic category, and outpacing direct competitors.

However, with 'masstige' taking full effect and imported brands selling for similar price points, the brand was under serious threat from the likes of Corona. Instead of playing to their strengths and injecting more aspirational codes, we championed the opposite. 'Hello Beer' helped...

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