Sitting down at the table with Foster's core 18 – 24 year old audience, a common concern became apparent. They really struggle with juggling their career and living life to the full. Young people worry that they'll come to regret missed opportunities that our fast-paced world throws their way.

Foster's has always believed that a life well lived is one filled with interesting stories. Aussie 'can-do' spirit, encapsulated by the phrase 'Why the Hell Not?', is all about doing what feels right and embracing everything life has to offer. We needed to bring this attitude to the fore by daring our audience to seize a truly outlandish, seemingly impossible opportunity.

Our audience place increasing value on experiences, so we couldn't just tell them about Foster's 'can-do' creative vision. We had to show them that saying yes to life leads to epic adventures and fantastic stories. The HELLUVA TOUR was born.

HELLUVA TOUR began in May, when we planted branded phone boxes across the country, challenging people to 'answer the call'. This was promoted via cinema, idents and in pub activations. Highlights from the phone boxes then played across idents and social media.

A month later, we unveiled the van and the four members of the public who made it through. The tour kicked off in September, when we began filming the 11 part All4 series. Our tourists entertained us with a string of hilarious escapades, while off screen we dealt with the Ukrainian crisis and attempting to fly the van beneath a balloon…

We promoted the series using show footage as Channel 4 sponsorship idents (a first for the UK), 30” TV spots, Facebook and Twitter videos, Instagram posts, as well as digital MPUs. In addition, “Foster’s HELLUVA TOUR” became the named sponsor of C4 Comedy - another first.

The campaign went above and beyond all of Foster's objectives. Over 15 million views of HELLUVA TOUR content online meant that viewers were 87% more likely to make Foster's their first choice lager than non-viewers.

Prompted recall of the idents was 6% higher than the C4 strand average, driving awareness of the TV creative 30% higher amongst viewers than non-viewers. The HELLUVA TOUR referenced Foster's new strategic position through statements like 'being up for a challenge' and 'having a real can-do attitude'. This resulted in a 34% increase for Foster’s as 'a brand that makes the most of life’s opportunities'.

This translated into wider equity gains, with 17% increases in a brand 'for me' and that 'shares my interests'. Beyond this we improved ‘a brand to be seen with’ (+7%), ‘brand I can trust’ (+8%), as well as a marker of credibility, ‘a brand with an established heritage’ (+13%).