Latest Fosters Advert Really Hits the Spot
The latest campaign from Australian drinks manufacturer Fosters seems to have got its beer to chord with UK audiences. The Brad & Dan adverts, better known to those of us who love them as the Good Call ads, show that Aussies are full of great advice and have a laid-back attitude. Add to this the fact that beer can make it seem as though any problem has a million solutions and you have the perfect recipe for a great ad campaign.
It’s happened to all of us: you’re at the pub with your mates and you get to thinking about life in general and those little annoyances which seem like they’re unsolvable. Think how great it would be to have little pearls of wisdom at the end of your mobile phone; someone you can call at a moment’s notice to set the record straight and make you see sense. This is what Fosters have coined as a ‘good call’.
Fosters has now taken that idea and run with it. We all know the adverts; Brad and Dan sit on a sunny beach dispensing advice down the phone. They first help a poor bloke who has reasonable concerns that his girlfriend might turn out to look like her mum. The duo quickly point out to him that Charlene from Neighbours might have turned out like her mum, Madge, but that Scott didn’t seem to mind. In other words, live for the here and now and don’t worry about the future.
Another caller gives the Aussie blokes a call about a so-called ‘space invader’; the type of person who gets right up close when they’re talking to you, bad breath and all. We’ve all experienced this one, but have probably never thought to follow the advice which Brad and Dan offer. It’s simple, really: shout at them! There’s a good chance that this will really work.
So what’s the message behind it? Well, think laterally. It isn’t just the Fosters beer advert which has caught our eye. The company’s website also allows the user to take advantage of links to Facebook and Twitter. From these sites, you can keep up with what’s going on in the world of Brad and Dan and find out about any future campaigns before anyone else does. In addition to all this, there’s now several beach hut-style bus shelters dotted around UK streets. Although it’s unlikely that these will include a complimentary beer or, indeed, a decent amount of sun, they could make waiting for the bus more of a laugh.
But what does this Fosters advert and the others which have come from Fosters tell us about the relationship which us Brits have with the average Aussie? Well, there’s the obvious historical connection; the part of Australian history which they prefer not to think about, then there’s also the fact that many of us really do wish we could be just like them.
Previous campaigns such as the Backpacker and Deep Sea ads featuring the tagline ‘Get some Australian in you’, really showing the special relationship which seems to exist between the UK and Down Under. It seems that regardless of the historical background, there will always be a connection between the average Aussie and the average Brit. The Good Call ads have now taken up the reins left by previous campaigns.
Australia has always been the destination of choice for young people on a gap year. It’s seen as somewhere you can let your hair down, is far enough away to feel like a real adventure, and is also enough like home to feel safe. When all else fails, you know you can head to the local pub and have some Fosters, just like you do at your local in the UK.
While Fosters may be the largest producer of drinks in Australia with a huge factory in Melbourne employing around 6,000 people, the brand as we know it is only just starting to become popular over there, with Fosters largely a beer UK pubs favourite. Aussie lads and ladettes are currently more likely to drink a Victoria Bitter or a Carlton Draught. Still, this hasn’t stopped Fosters from becoming a force to be reckoned with. As well as the Fosters brand, the brewer can count Corona, Stella Artois and Kronenbourg as its own. Add to this the wine, spirit and soft drinks labels which it also has control over, and the size and influence of the business can easily be seen.
The Brad and Dan Good Call adverts are a perfect example of how we almost look up to our cousins over in Australia. Yes, we are historically linked, but the tables appear to have turned. Aussies seem to have made their own life and settled into it with some style. We might have culture and history on our side here in the UK, but the Aussies have something arguably even better; sun, sea and a ‘no worries’ attitude.
Just imagine being able to relax on the beach in the middle of winter, quietly sipping on a cold beer and watching babes in bikinis frolicking on the beach. As well as this, there’s the joy of having your best mate at your side and a fridge full of even more beers. It’s the stuff of dreams for most blokes in the UK, and is usually only achievable on a very expensive holiday.
We’re obviously hoping that we can get just a small amount of that laid-back Australian attitude by drinking their beer. Clearly just having a few cans isn’t going to get us that far; not when our walk home usually consists of a turned-up collar and the helpful use of an umbrella. What they can do, however, is help us to dream!
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