Carlton Dry takes firm aim at Xmas with a new seasonal song via Special Group Australia

When you imagine Christmas you probably imagine a time for sharing, for giving, a time for family spending quality time together with looks of joy and surprise, unwrapping presents…

But we all know that’s actually not the whole truth, is it? Which is why Carlton Dry, the beer that prides itself on being uncomplicated, with agency Special Group Australia, is taking a bit of a stab at all the stuff that complicates a wonderful Christmas – the shopping traffic jams in the carpark, the office hook-ups, even having your racist auntie over for lunch.

And in true holiday fashion, this doesn’t come in the form of a traditional beer ad, but the true medium of Christmas: the celebratory seasonal song. Adapting the iconic Andy Williams song “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year” to be more fitting for the times, the song is titled “It’s The Most Wonderful Time For A Beer”. The rewritten lyrics shout out all complicated things that come at Christmas time, and are performed by Australian crooner Gregg Arthur. The song was arranged and produced by Rumble Studios with a live big band recorded at 301 Studios. The song is available to play over your Christmas lunch or unwrapping of presents via Spotify, YouTube, and will also air in innovative full-length radio placements.

Listen to the full song below:

Supporting the song is a very festive karaoke-style video (so we can all learn the song words) produced by Photoplay and directed by Scott Otto Anderson. There’s even specially made slabs of Carlton Dry that sing the full song when opened, using the same technology as musical birthday cards – as well as a run of limited edition vinyl records distributed to influencers and media personalities. Social content to tie into the campaign has been produced by Carlton United Breweries’ in-house agency, Cubhouse.

LEARN THE WORDS (KARAOKE FILM)

Says Tom Martin ECD, Special Group: “The writing was on the wall for the Andy Williams’ classic song, and I think Mariah has owned the airwaves for long enough.”

Says Julian Schreiber ECD Special Group: “Yes if we can rescue just a few people’s Christmases from Mariah and maybe Bublé I’ll feel like our job might be done.”

Says Hayden Turner, associate director, Carlton Dry: “We know there are plenty of Aussies out there who aren’t terribly stoked about Christmas and are getting a touch over listening to the same songs about a ‘perfect’ Christmas every year. This song is for them. And in the spirit of some healthy Christmas competition, we’ve made it our only Christmas wish to dismantle Queen Mariah’s throne, even just for one day.”

The campaign will run from November 26.

Creative Agency: Special Group Australia
CEO, Partner: Lindsey Evans
Managing Director, Partner: Cade Heyde
Executive Creative Directors, Partners: Tom Martin, Julian Schreiber
Creative Directors: Jade Manning, Vincent Osmond
Senior Creatives: Alastair Flack, Mark Starmarch
Team Lead: Tori Lopez
Business Manager: Laura Little
Executive Producer: Paul Johnston
Producer: Emily Willis

CUB Vice President of Marketing: Brian Phan
Carlton Dry Associate Director: Hayden Turner
Carlton Dry Brand Manager: Deanna Christian

Production Company: Photoplay
Director: Scott Otto Anderson
Executive Producer: Oliver Lawrance
Director of Photography: Simon Ozolins
Editor: Mark Bennett
Post Production: White Chocolate
Music and Sound House: Rumble Studios
Executive Producer: Michael Gie
Music Supervisor: Sharika Toth
Lead Composer: Johnny Green
Sound Engineer: Liam Annert
Photographer: Milos Mlynarik
Media agency: PHD
PR agency: Deathproof