Matilda Bay promotes Original Ale by launching Rejected Ales that made it via Howatson+Company
In partnership with Howatson+Company, Australia’s original craft brewery, Matilda Bay, has launched Rejected Ales, a limited-edition collection of the 27 near perfect brews they rejected on the way to crafting the award-winning Original Ale.
Obsessed with quality and relentlessly pursuing perfection in everything they do; Matilda Bay’s Master Brewer had no hesitation in rejecting beer that by another brewery’s standards might have been good enough. Rather than keeping these almost perfect beers a secret, the brewery has canned them and made them available to the public to prove just how good their Original Ale is.
Says Phil Sexton, founder and master brewer, Matilda Bay: “We’ve crafted beer to perfection our own way since 1983. If a batch doesn’t meet our impeccably high standards, we reject it. It might be a bit commercially reckless, but it’s just the way we do things around here. So, to demonstrate our dedication to crafting the perfect beer, we’re letting Aussies try our not quite perfect enough Rejected Ales. Which, after our Original Ale, are hopefully the second best beers you’ll taste.”
The Rejected Ales are starting to pick up beer awards around the country. Just like Original Ale did last year.
With names like ‘Yeah…nah’, ‘Keep dreaming’ and ‘Ballpark’, each of the 27 Rejected Ale cans tells a story of its rejection. These have been brought to life in OOH, radio, press, social, DM, retailer integration, and in store activations. It’s Matilda Bay’s first above the line campaign in more than eight years.
Says Gavin Chimes, executive creative director, Howatson+Company: “They say nothing tastes as sweet as success, but at Matilda Bay, failure is delicious too. Now we’ve put that failure in cans for people to try.
“We worked closely with the Matilda Bay brewers to capture the details of their arduous journey. We opened old wounds and old logbooks. And crafted every aspect of our campaign. It was only fitting, considering how much craft they put into their beer.”
Rejected Ales are available Australia-wide:
- Buy a 6 pack of Original Ale to receive a free Rejected Ale at participating Liquor Barons and Ritchie’s stores.
- Buy a case of Original Ale to receive a free mixed 4 pack of Rejected Ales at shop.matildaybay.com.
- Or find a selection at the Matilda Bay Brewery in the Yarra Valley.
Discover the entire journey to perfection at www.Matildabay.com.au/rejectedales
Agency – Howatson+Company
Design – Brogen Averill
Production Partner – Work Works
Photographers – Tim Kindler, Connor Vaughan
Videographer – Remy Brand
Retoucher – Ken Lui
Sound Production – Heckler Sound
25 Comments
I dig it.
Love the thinking behind this campaign. Another hit from Howatson.
I really like this. Perfect for the craft beer market.
I like it. Well done to all involved
Cool. This looks like a Levi idea.
This is lit
It’s the beer that Matilda Bay rejects that makes…Oh wait, this is great.
This is unreal. Wowee.
Drink this beer, it’s not right, but drink it and by the time you get to our first choice, it will taste great??
This is a good thing
Why would I want to drink “rejected ale”? Would you eat Mrs Mac’s new “NQR Pies”?
But it’s well a well-worn creative path… From Volkswagen ‘Lemon’, to John West, to Intermache’s Inglorious Fruits & Vegetables.
There are only 7 stories. And this one is told really well.
If the idea is to attract craft beer buyers, then it’s also spot on strategically – they’re variety and novelty seekers so will lap it up, and it will help the brand to feel a bit more authentically craft (rather than the marketing construct of a big conglomerate that it actually is)
This is very very good.
Love it!
V nice copy on that can.
An idea all about craft and they couldn’t allocate budget for packaging photography / renders. Amateurish.
As a craft lover who once paid to air-freight Sierra Nevada Northern Harvest from the US because I couldn’t buy it here (yeah seriously, I did that) I really like this. I actually want to try them all to see how they got to where they did, in a flight. John West aside, it’s similar to wine, start off with the rouge, then try our Premier then 1er Cru. Try the 75 plots, handpicked vs foot-stomped etc. But the thing I love the most about this campaign is the copy. So beautiful and reminiscent of Levi’s Export Dry wine campaign. Just great to see some craft and irreverence back in beer advertising. I’m thirsty. Real thirsty. Well done everyone.
Dad?
Love your work Tim. Great idea
The can copy says “stadium seating withstanding”. Did we mean notwithstanding?
Thank you for not rejecting inspiration from my film, rejected, in yours.
Clever!
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