Carlton Dry creates an uncomplicated way of life based on beer in new campaign via Special Group
Carlton Dry has taught students of the ‘Temple of Dry’ how to be like the beer: free from complication, perfectly balanced, never bitter and always smooth in a new campaign developed by Special Group Australia.
The integrated campaign is an extension of Carlton Dry’s brand platform, ‘Be Like the Beer’, which celebrates the qualities and brewing credentials of Carlton Dry. The platform encourages Australians to match the uncomplicated qualities of Carlton Dry beer.
The hero 60 second TVC features students, under the watchful eye of Master Dry, dedicating themselves to a belief system based on the uncomplicated, easy-drinking profile of Carlton Dry.
Throughout the television spots, Master Dry is seen enlightening his students on the philosophy of Carlton Dry while they undertake rigorous training to be more like the beer such as, walking on water, balancing on top of beer cans, and pulling out bottles from troughs of ice.
The integrated Carlton Dry campaign will run across TV, out-of-home, digital, radio and social.
Says Sarah Wilcox, marketing manager, Carlton Dry: “When we talk to our consumers, they tell us that Carlton Dry is the most easy-drinking beer on the market, super-refreshing with an uncomplicated taste profile, and that’s why they love it. Carlton Dry has been masterfully brewed, to strip itself of unnecessary complications.
Says Vincent Osmond and Jade Manning, creative directors, Special Group Australia: “There’s a lot we can learn from the principles of Carlton Dry; being balanced, smooth and never bitter. I mean, who wouldn’t want to live like that? “It makes sense to base a whole way of life on the principles of the beer. It also creates a tongue-in-cheek narrative that allows us to seamlessly reinforce the attributes of Carlton Dry.
Creative Agency: Special Group Australia
Founding Partner: Lindsey Evans
Founding Partner: Cade Heyde
Strategy Partner: Dave Hartmann
CCO & Partner: Julian Schreiber
CCO & Partner: Tom Martin
Creative Directors: Jade Manning, Vincent Osmond
Senior Creatives: Harry Stanford, Nick Plomp
Designer: Liam Kenny
Team Lead: Tori Lopez
Business Director: James Steer
Business Director: Laura Little
Executive Producer: Paul Johnston
Head Of Production: Nick Lilley
Client: Carlton & United Breweries
General Manager – Marketing: Brian Phan
Acting Head of Contemporary Brands: Antonia Ciorciari
Carlton Dry Marketing Manager: Sarah Wilcox
Carlton Dry Brand Manager: Deanna Christian
Cultural Production Specialist: Maria Tran
Production Company: Goodoil
Director: Adam Gunser
Executive Producer: Sam Long
Producers: Andrew McLean, Katie Kempe
Director of Photography: Ginny Loane
Offline edit : The Editors / Mark Burnett
Post Production: Blockhead VFX
Music and Sound House: Rumble Studios
Executive Producer: Michael Gie
Sound Engineer: Tone Aston / Cam Milne
Production Company: Louis&Co
Photographer: Mat Baker
Retouching: The Bakery Retouching
Media agency: PHD & Cubhouse
60 Comments
Thought I’d hate this. I didn’t hate this.
Periodontist, you like this because it’s all gums and no teeth.
This ad is trying very hard to be liked, but like the recent Nescafé ad it’s just quoting the brief verbatim and throwing in a bit of expensive window dressing. Both approaches indicate a superficial 5 minute approach to problem solving. The formula is identical. A cynic might go so far as to suggest the same creative team wrote both campaigns. Or perhaps the similarity is a certain common laziness when it comes to creating a truly unique solution to different advertising problems. ‘That’s the brief cracked, off to lunch.”
love it. well done to all. great bit of fun
You’ve probably annoyed a billion Chinese with the cultural appropriation. But putting that aside, it feels a little done before. Has a Big Ad vibe about it, and is a right hand turn from previous Carlton Dry work. This brand is CUB’s juggernaut I thought. It now seems trivialised. So buh-bye Carlton Dry.
This is good work for a tough brand. SG’s last campaign for Carlton Dry was sadly a stinker, but it reeked of client over-cooking. Unfortunately, this brand has flip-flopped from ‘positioning’ to ‘positioning’ over the years which is why it stands for precisely…nothing. Hopefully CUB sticks with this for a while.
Strangely, so many brands have forgotten the value of good old fashioned entertainment. Nice to see something that’s just fun to watch.
Not quite Pepsi’s shaolin monk or Barry Dawson the Cougar, but humour from an Aussie beer brand is welcome, especially one that used to produce so much good work in the past.
Sadly, more fists of ham than fists of fury.
nice one
If that CHE Ikea Yoga ad got pulled because it was offensive, this will definitely get pulled.
Becauseeeeeeeee?
Nice. I like it. It’s funny.
Glad to see it’s still alive and well in Australia
Love the ad, but Im bitter about that space running through the middle of the stacked lockup. Who let that through? First thing I saw and I cant unsee it.
Beer comedy is back. Extremely glad. I hope this isn’t the only beer to do it. Unfortunately this falls flat when you compare it to Australia’s beer films. I’m so glad there was at least an attempt though.
I didn’t know that the Ikea ad got pulled but there is an argument to be made for yoga in its current form being Scandinavian: https://www.yogajournal.com/yoga-101/yoga-s-greater-truth
Beer ads are back! In pog form!
It’s entertaining and I love it. It’s fun and exactly what I want from an ad – made me smile and not overcomplicated.
It has Boag’s Pure Waters vibe. That’s a better place to be for a beer ad than just showing token three guys of a certain age drinking beer.
This is peak cultural appropriation. A beer version of Disney’s Mulan…wow…ground breaking…
Sorry, it’s not funny.
What’s so funny about this? Yawwwwwn.
I’m Asian and I love this!
It’s a beer ad for blokes, not ad guys. So who gives a rats about all that other BS. The one major concern, the lead fellow. He lacks the charisma and funnies needed to pull it off.
Agree
I think this was a great spot let down by the music. It feels as if they only had 10 minutes and $0 to pull something together. More time briefing them in tandem with the director would have resulted in a more epic ad.
The old Carlton ‘fails’, normally involving a fat man struggling to get over a fence or cross the water would have been punctuated by a better sound track.
So much of this genre relies on the music and it feels flat. No offence to the production houses, they are brilliant. But this wasn’t given enough time or respect.
are gold.
It’s not funny, the lock up with that huge gap through the middle is clumsy. I like the colours, that’s about it.
A lesson for this thread.
Yeah, sure, at least we’re back to entertaining. Thats a good start. The last few years have felt like CUB and Lion trying to ‘rational’ us into buying stuff or showing us the factory, or ingredients. I drink beer, especially basic beer like this, for fun.
Finally an agency was aloud to do something fun and unfortunately didn’t.
A silly Kill Bill. Okay…
Thankfully Special are killing it in every other way.
Surely a top 3 Aus agency
If it was funny.
Nice one Jade and Vince! Great to see funny coming back to beer ads.
When was the last time a ginger ‘hero’ sold a product. Never. Terrible casting.
Yep, that’s racism
I like it.
I don’t want to.
But I do.
No doubt some keyboard ninjas will find something to be offended by but these are Good fun and well crafted except the Terrible Tagline lockup. Ffs close the gap!
What a stupid comment. Grow up. And realise that a comment like this is basically racism. You’re being derogatory to a group within society for a physicality that they don’t have any influence over.
Master Dry says; https://ibb.co/JxXddbh
How about that China virus then? Ah, racism. So funny right?
Special Group – Please stop posting positive comments. This campaign is not funny, if anything its corny.
cultural appropriation.
Great ad, F off haters – no I don’t work at SG, but I would like too
Cancel culture out in full effect I see.
Not funny. Writing or cast.
A beer brief, what I’d give for one of those. The strategy is not so much showing as running down Flinders St with its bollocks hanging out. Well balanced. After your first thought of acrobats you settled on your second. Pity. You always have to dig deeper.
What is with the Aussie ad industry’s obsession with rangas?
Serious question.
Nice product ad though, not sure what it’s positioning from a brand perspective.
The opinions in these comments aren’t shared by the Carlton Dry demographic. If anything, they’ll like this ad more because yuppies like you hate it.
Anything is better than the dull rational and ‘aspirational’ beer ads from 2010-2020. They all sucked ass.
This is a promising sign and I hope this marks the return of fun beer ads…you know, that ones that real people actually liked and remembered.
My name is Martin and I approve this ad
This is a shocking edit
Would’ve been better if the main character was a Typical Pub Bloke
Surely ad producers are aware of cultural appropriation these days. Even if you took the white guy master out it would still not be funny.
Where was this ad made (NZ?)
Wondering who the featured actor is in this ad.?
I am also wondering who the actor is. My partner thinks it’s David Wenham, but I’m not sure.
Watched it intensively about four times, and I still can’t figure out what this “stacked lockup” is that supposedly has a gap in it.
This ad rubs me the wrong way. Its clearly cultural appropriation. Draws on every stereotype of martial arts in Asian culture. The marketing team must be obnoxiously unaware or just choose not to care.
If Martin can’t figure out how to find balance by the end of part 2… just give up on Martin! Don’t let Martin drown… make C D 2.0 with 10% fresh lime! Sink or Swim Martin? MER!!!