We needed to remind mainstream beer drinkers that DB Export was the perfect everyday beer choice for everyday Kiwi blokes.

Instead of following the category conventions of bombarding Kiwi blokes with clichéd beer campaigns that try to give them a rational REASON to pick one brand over another, we went in a completely different direction.

We were in a position to give them a playful, but noble, EXCUSE to drink DB Export.

BREWTROLEUM.

We created the world’s first ‘beer by-product’ petrol by turning leftover yeast slurry into 300,000 litres of planet-saving biofuel - DB Export Brewtroleum - and convinced a national petrol station chain to sell it.

DRINK MORE BEER. SAVE THE WORLD

It was the ultimate incentive to buy.

INTRODUCING BREWTROLEUM:

To remove cynicism around ‘Is it for real?’ we first seeded the story with all local media platforms who doubted that a local beer brand could do something as ridiculous as turn beer into petrol.

TVOne News covering the live pilot to see if Brewtroleum actually worked (it did).

We then looked for anything media-related that could be powered by Brewtroleum and powered it - including the entire production of a local comedy show.

MAKING IT REAL:

We created a physical presence for the brand through a partnership with Gull petrol stations. Brewtroleum was rolled out to 62 stations nationally for six weeks via a branded Brewtroleum petrol tanker and pumps – creating another media channel in itself.

AMPLIFYING THE STORY:

Kiwi men were then recruited to join our movement through TV, digital video, social and media partnerships – driving awareness and delivering longevity.

The campaign was seen by 96% of New Zealand men.

By giving them a worthy excuse to drink more beer, we achieved all of our objectives.

Against a target to grow DB Export sales +5% YOY, sales since the campaign launch are up 10% YOY.

But more importantly the product is selling at a higher price point, which has a far greater effect on profit.

DB Export is now the fastest growing brand in the DB portfolio, with growth more than doubling that of hero brand Heineken and becoming the best selling beer in New Zealand.

Brand measures have also improved significantly:

‘Great brand for me’

Target: from 7% - 10%:

Achieved: 12%.

‘Innovation’

Target: from 9% - 11%

Achieved: 14%.

‘Brand Approval’

Target: from 7% - 9%

Achieved: 10%.

SAVING THE WORLD:

That objective is ongoing but we continue to do our bit.

One beer at a time.

At the heart of our campaign was a bloody great idea - turning beer into biofuel.

But, our standout success was thanks to a crafted media strategy of Paid, Owned and Earned media working together to not only get blokes talking about our brand, but giving them an excuse to drink more beer by getting actively involved in our ‘save the world’ movement.

We also created a new media channel; a Gull petrol station takeover where 62 pumps throughout the nation confirmed that Brewtroleum was real, not just a PR stunt.

We delivered YOY sales growth of 10%.

Our target audience was all beer drinkers. Keeping the audience broad was essential to driving maximum business growth.

The communications strategy was to launch the story with PR, organic social and earned media so our drinkers would hear about Brewtroleum in the news or from their mates first, then use paid media to magnify the message and remind blokes to buy DB Export.

This broke down as follows:

1. Introduce NZ to Brewtroleum; the story of how it works through PR and earned media

2. Make it real; Tell NZ where they can buy it, showcase tankers delivering it and create interest in Brewtroleum petrol stations through PR and earned media

3. Amplify the story with a call to arms; tell beer drinkers that they can help save the world by drinking more DB Export through paid media.

New Zealand was once a nation of proud, beer-drinking men.

They still enjoyed simple pleasures; playing and watching sport, making things, catching things, spending time with their mates, having a beer and coming up with far-fetched ideas that would ‘change the world’.

But, in recent years, beer consumption had slumped.

In order to keep sales volume up, price was having to come down. Not a great place for a brand.

Following a 15% sales decline across H1 2015, we were charged with delivering 5% sales growth YOY for New Zealand beer, DB Export.

We were also asked to positively shift the following brand metrics:

1. ‘Great brand for me’ - from 7% to 10%

2. ‘Innovation’ - from 9% to 11%

3. ‘Approval’ - from 7% to 9%.

‘Saving the World’ wasn't an objective.

But we made it one anyway.