By Clyde Mooney – editor Australian Hotelier
Commemorating 150 years for its top-selling draught beer, CUB has kick-started a campaign to reinforce the value of draught beer and pubs in Australia.
A century and a half since Carlton & United Breweries purchased Carlton Draught, the country’s biggest brewer is celebrating the milestone with TV and social media campaigns based around its concept of Carlton’s ‘Amber Jubilee’.
“We thought 150 years of beer is worthy of a Jubilee,” said CUB general manager of marketing, Andrew Meldrum.
“And given it’s beer, we thought why not an Amber Jubilee.”
Three new TVCs launched last night, aimed at reminding drinkers of the great Aussie tradition of sharing a pint, pot or schooner in the pub.
The Amber Jubilee campaign also features a competition to find the best 150 pub stories from across the country, with the top venues receiving a celebratory wall plaque to immortalise the yarn in pub-lore, and $150 to put on the bar to “hopefully kick-start some more stories”.
CUB also commissioned an official portrait – ‘Beer in a Pub’ – (pictured) which will be centre of an exhibition of memorabilia at the brewhouse in Abbotsford until the end of April.
There will also be a limited edition ‘heritage’ brew available to selected venues, and commemorative products such as ‘pot and parma’ deals and ‘specially designed retro Amber Jubilee bar mats and coasters.
“We’re looking for all stories big and small; it might be the one about the kangaroo called Joe Joe who used to hop in to a bar in Gippsland for a cheeky pot of Carlton once in a while, or the time David Bowie filmed ‘Let’s Dance’ in the public bar.
“Whatever the story, we want to hear it,” said Meldrum.