Matilda Bay launches the new taste of Aussie Wheat Ale by targeting people who’ve just lost theirs in new campaign via Howatson+Company
Australia’s original craft brewery, Matilda Bay, in partnership with Howatson+Company, has launched the ‘Non-Rapid Taste Test’ to help Aussies identify if their taste has returned post COVID-19.
The tests were created to promote the all-new Aussie Wheat Ale, a light and zesty beer with hints of Seville orange and tangerine flesh.
Unlike the familiar rapid test, Matilda Bay’s *non* rapid test comes with a delicious can of Aussie What ale, along with an instructional tasting card that helps users determine if they can appreciate flavour again.
Influencers and media personnel who have recently recovered from COVID were sent their very own ‘Non-Rapid Taste Test’. The campaign is further supported by earned and paid media, with core taste descriptor messaging featuring in PR, social and OOH content across the month of August.
Says Amy Kearney, brand manager at Matilda Bay: “Our new Aussie Wheat Ale has been designed to give Australians a taste like they’ve never tasted before. It’s lighter and zestier than traditional European wheat ale, and we knew we needed a campaign that made its unique and delicious taste the hero. We’ve loved working with the Howatson+Company team again, to launch our latest product in a clever way that leverages a truly relevant cultural conversation.”
Matilda Bay Wheat Ale is now available at Dan Murphy’s and BWS Australia wide and online.
Agency – Howatson+Company
CEO: Chris Howatson
CCO: Levi Slavin
ECD: Gavin Chimes
CDs: Daniel Bolton and Sophie Beard
Designer: Dana Rogers
Head of Production: Holly Alexander
Producer: Caitlin Perz
Group Business Director: Ollie Wearne
Business Director: Madde King
Business Manager: India Clarke
Head of PR: Ben Handberg
PR Executive: Millie Clout
43 Comments
how funny is covid
using covid 3 years later.
I had Covid last week. Feels current to me
Turns out H+ didn’t lose their poor taste
don’t remind me (spew emoji)
enough said
Terrible follow up
Aussies have covid. I reckon it works
I don’t mind this. Well done
Clever and simple
I’ll take this test!
…a sense of humour
Bet you the case study video will be lit
Matilda Bay may once have been “Australia’s original craft brewery”, but is now owned by Asahi – they have approx 50% of the Australian beer market. I think a more accurate description is niche brand within a corporate portfolio.
This got mine. Fresh + stands out.
This is a weak gag that H&Co have spent far too much time on.
Booze and Covid make very uncomfortable bedfellows. Something you ingest needs some sort of appetite appeal. This just instinctively feels wrong.
Ever won an award? Just curious. Because normally, it’s the non-formulaic shit that wins awards and rewrites the Old VD Guy rules.
Yes, I won lots of ‘em. And the work in each case was highly original for the category. Clients were often very uncomfortable because my ideas didn’t resemble the expected and usual. However, my ideas, when accepted, often increased the fortunes of the client, spectacularly in many cases. One campaign was adopted worldwide and ran for decades. I was sitting in a cinema one day (remember cinema?) when my latest commercial came on the screen. The person in front of me leaned over to her friend and said “Watch this, it’s really good.” Have you even come close to that?
Quite a few times mate, both years ago and quite recently. I just hate it when people use ‘formula’ assumptions to knock work. Our job is to experiment, to fail, to push the boundaries, we should encourage those who do. There are enough suits and junior clients pissing on our work as it is.
This just isn’t nearly as clever, insightful or sophisticated as the previous work. 5/10
Where’s the talent with taste gone?
I love this.
And I think this is funny. Agree the case study will be fire.
Feels like a symptom of having a great idea on a client with creative appetite and then not having the creative chops to fill the appetite.
It’s a shame because personally I’ve loved that How+Co have held themselves to some pretty high standards of creative and craft so far. This feels like a misstep. Hopefully only a blemish and not a result of getting bigger and losing that strangle grip on the great stuff
This makes no sense at all for the brand, the drinker or as an idea. Over complicated and does nothing to make me want to try it.
Campaign Brief comments are so savage, like holy shit, I’m never making anything in this world ever again haha.
and is the Campaign Brief comments section in the room with us now?
You are all such a bunch of losers it is actually painful knowing I’m in the same profession as you.
Poor taste. And obviously an over-designed award entry
Matilda Bay – the beer you drink when the taste doesn’t matter
Such a weak follow up. Sorry
Admire any idea that makes them all love it or hate it.
will love it
Honestly, to be a creative in this industry and getting shredded by your peers is so hideous. Can everyone just relax a little. It’s beer. The reckless vitriol from some of you crusty old farts is repugnant.
How about not capitalising on a global pandemic that killed millions for a piece of metal?
Speaking on my own behalf, I come here hoping to be dazzled by some new work, not to skewer something for the fun of it. But the format is designed to provide feedback, and unfortunately much or even most of the work presented on the CB Blog fails to impress. Various critics on this thread have actually provided constructive criticism, particularly in regard to the obvious conflict between a product associated with ingestion enjoyment & appetite appeal and a RAT type test. The negative comments here seem very mild to me. If you think these comments are vicious, you need to get out a bit more.
I loved Rejected Ales and left a comment to that effect on campaign brief. This I think is rubbish. Seems like it’s from different creative minds or strategy and lacks intelligence and craft that most Howatson and Co work has.
I’m not sure how we say that without it coming across as a negative. But if we call out the positives then surely we can call out the failures too?
Shouldn’t it be RAPID? NON kinda shoots itself in the foot.
Surely it’s because good tasting beer deserves to be enjoyed slowly.
Nope. It’s august. This is really poor taste (pardon the pun).
I look forward to trying it, though please bring back THE ORIGINAL REDBACK BEER as the new one isn’t anywhere near as good as the original
I don’t think they’re capitalising on covid, it’s just an insight around covid. and most people do look forward to a beer after a bout of it. if the beer i have just so happens to be a taste test, then even better.