DB Export beer drinkers aim to save NZ’s beaches in latest campaign via Colenso BBDO
The world is running out of sand. Sand is used in everything from construction to pharmaceuticals, and as a result two thirds of the world’s beaches are retreating.
To help fight the global sand shortage, DB Export, via agency Colenso BBDO, Auckland, is once again turning to the collective power of beer drinkers.
The brewery has built a fleet of machines that let their drinkers instantly turn their empty bottles into sand substitute. DB Export Beer Bottle Sand will then be supplied to construction companies and commercial partners, reducing the country’s dependence on beach-derived sand. To do their bit, New Zealanders simply have to empty a bottle of DB Export.
The Beer Bottle Sand Machines reduce an empty bottle of DB Export into sand substitute in just 5 seconds. As the bottle is inserted, a laser triggers a wheel of small steel hammers spinning at 2800rpm. As the bottle is pulverised a vacuum system removes silica dust and plastic labels, leaving behind 200 grams of sand substitute.
The brewery is in the process of finalising a two year deal to supply DB Export Beer Bottle Sand to Drymix – New Zealand’s biggest producer of bagged concrete. Beer Bottle Sand will also be supplied to national roading projects, commercial and residential construction, right through to golf bunkers.
Says Colenso BBDO Creative Chairman Nick Worthington: “Brewtroleum’s success came through finding partners who could make the idea more than advertising. We’re thrilled to partner with the country’s biggest construction companies to make DB Export Beer Bottle Sand a viable alternative to beach sand. And we’re excited to work with DB Export drinkers to ensure a reliable supply of empty bottles.”
Says Sean O’Donnell, Marketing Director at DB Breweries: “We can’t solve the problem alone but we knew we could do more to help. Our ambition is to help drive more recycling whilst looking out for the beaches which are an integral part of our Kiwi DNA. We’re proud to launch an initiative that can help us do our bit to protect our beaches for future generations.”
* The world has no shortage of desert sand but unfortunately it’s unusable for construction as the grain is too round. It can however be used to make bottles like DB Export Gold.
*In New Zealand, 3 out of every 12 beers sold end up in landfill. This project aims to keep recyclable glass out of landfill and sand on New Zealand’s beaches.
*Brewtroleum production continues with a third batch of 30,000 litres set for release later this year through Gull petrol stations around the country.
Client: DB Breweries
Creative Agency: Colenso BBDO
Production Company: FINCH
Media Agency: PHD
PR Agency: Spark PR & Activate
Shopper Marketing Agency: Raydar
Digital Agency: Union Digital
21 Comments
Why not just switch to cans ? Stop adding to the problem in the first place? Oh yeah that’s why.
Why does beer advertising in this country suck so badly compared with NZ?
“The beaches! Won’t somebody please think of the beaches!”
If only there was an exisiting large scale recycling program for this uncanny ‘glass’. Maybe we could have a street-side vessel dedicated to it along with the existing refuse collection?
@Cans or Cannes: Glass is more eco-friendly than cans. Hard to believe but true. If you’re really worried about saving the planet go to your local pub and stop drinking at home. Simple.
@ Thoughts – the campaign clearly says it is taking away the recycled glass that isnt able to be reused and instead gets dumped in landfill – around 30% or so of sand is dumbed due to quality issues in what it produces due to being mixed with colour and other grades
I’ve just been jumped.
Bring in a bottle deposit scheme like they have in Europe, US and Australia, where you can get 10c back on your empty bottle.
They could recover hundreds of tonnes of beer bottles which could be turned into sand to help save our beaches.
Then this wouldn’t be just a marketing campaign but an actual real live recycling scheme!
If these things were real we’d be looking at real photos. Not 3d renders & photoshop mockups.
They looked pretty real. In the video. In the bar. Surrounded by people.
Quick empty as many bottles as you can New Zealand! It’s stupid clever. Bastards.
Apparently the idea was blatantly stolen from DDB and they’re up in arms over it. Idea first had by a DDB team, a different creative moves to Colenso with the idea, sells it to DB brewery and they do it first.
In a real Kiwi bar? With those agency-like people. Acting natural. Not noticing the camera. Next you’ll tell us Brewtrolean was a Colenso original idea. Nice.
DDB Export
The actual story is that DDB had as similar idea for the council, 3 years ago, and they never managed to sell it in.
There are no such thing as original ideas any more, at some point someone was always going to come back to something similar. DDB are just butthurt as they haven’t done a single good thing in the last 2 years.
dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb derp derp derp derp
No. The actual story is that DDB presented the idea to Lion in 8 years ago and the creatives that came up with the idea are still there, the creatives that didn’t come up with the idea left DDB are now at Colenso. The council version was a different spin on the idea, and it wasn’t feasible because the sand still has glass in it. You shouldn’t leave out the juicy bits of a story you seem to know a lot about!
So what you’r saying is that DDB could never get it to work, but years later Colenso have figured out a way?
In that case, I don’t see much controversy there. Sounds like DDB gave up on the idea a long time ago.
The bottle crusher is a great idea and we need this here in Latin America. Who makes this unit and is there one for larger bottles such as wine and spirits?
Interesting fact. Beach sand isn’t used for construction due to its salt content. Construction sand comes from either sand pit. (Inland quarry) , river sand or man made -by crushing basalt etc. the world isn’t running out of sand is the simple fact and beaches have nothing to do with construction.
Never let a fact get in the way of a good story!