XXXX Island: The biggest beer campaign ever?

By James Atkinson

XXXX Island is potentially the biggest marketing campaign ever initiated by a beer brand in Australian history, according to Lion's marketing team, who have revealed the process that went into selecting the island.

As Lion CEO Rob Murray declared XXXX Gold was set to become the country's number one beer, the brewer announced it had leased the 15-acre Pumpkin Island on the Southern Great Barrier Reef for three years.

It will be renamed XXXX Island for the life of a new marketing campaign that will give Australians the chance to win a chance for them and their mates to win a trip to the island valued at $10,000.

Lion marketing director Matt Tapper told TheShout that the company looked at a lot of prospective islands and developed a shortlist over a period of about 12 months.

"When we got to XXXX Island (pictured below), the moment we stepped onto it we had a feeling that this is it," he said.

"It's not too small, it's not too big, it just happens to be the shape of an X, which we thought was possibly destiny. It's the right size to host five or six groups of mates at any given time."

Tapper said the campaign was the logical step for the XXXX Gold brand after it ended its sponsorship of the V8 Supercars, which was subsequently taken over by Coopers.

"The V8s was a really important chapter in XXXX Gold's life, and we felt that it was time to break new ground again and go and do something different," he said.

"We couldn't think of anything better than acquiring an island, it is a step on for that chapter."

Further to comments by CEO Rob Murray yesterday, Tapper said the XXXX Island campaign comes at a time when XXXX Gold is fast becoming Australia's favourite beer.

"Australia's biggest beer brand will be mid-strength, and I think that's a real milestone in the development of the drinking culture in this country," he said.

XXXX marketing manager Anna McMillan said that over the coming months there will be plenty of opportunities for consumers to win a trip to XXXX Island.

"Part of this will involve working with our trade customers, including pubs and bottle shops that stock of XXXX GOLD, to help us communicate this opportunity," she said.