Over Beer? Canadian Club offers the alternative via new TVC campaign via The Works, Sydney
This month Beam Global Australia gets behind Canadian Club with the launch of a series of new TVCs for its campaign, ‘Over Beer?’. Targeting the occasions when people conventionally drink beer, the new TVCs build off the ‘Over Beer?’ campaign, which has been created to drive trial by repositioning the brand away from traditional dark spirits and educating consumers on what sets it apart from the rest – its crisp, light taste.
Launched last night in conjunction with the Winter Olympics, the new’Over Beer?’ TVCs has been developed to appeal to people who want totry something new.
The ‘Over Beer?’ campaign, developed locally by The Works Sydney, raises awareness and
educates consumers on Canadian Club. The launch of the TVCs build onprevious brand activity such as targeted sponsorships and is hyped totake the spirit to the one million case mark in the next two years.
Says Kevin Macmillan, creative director at The Works, who also directedthe TV spots: “This strategy sets CC on its path to being a truechallenger brand and taking market share from beer.”
Ray Noble, Brand Director Canadian Club, describes the creative and thedecision to invest in TVCs: “Canadian Club is different fromtraditional dark spirits – it doesn’t look, taste or act like the rest.’Over Beer?’ highlights this and repositions Canadian Club by targetingthe occasion when people would conventionally drink beer and offering arefreshing alternative.
“Television provides the perfect platform for us to bring the humourand cleverness of Canadian Club to a wide audience who may be lookingfor an alternative to beer.”
‘Over Beer?’ also builds off the sponsorship of season six of’Entourage’ currently showing on Arena, where consumers have theopportunity to win a free case of CC & Dry. The new media activitywill coincide with the launch of the Winter Olympics, airing on Foxteland Fox Sports where Canadian Club is an official telecast partner.
The TVCs will be supported by a major promotion ‘Take a break fromBeer’ in July, a 200ml free taster can trial program given out with anypurchase of premium beer in selected off-premise retailers from April,as well as print advertisements which have appeared in tradepublications. Relevant sponsorship opportunities driving trial willalso continue alongside the ‘Over Beer?’ campaign.
Agency: The Works Sydney
Creative Director: Kevin Macmillan
Director: Kevin Macmillan
Production Company: Mosaic Films
Producer: Craig Bolles
Account Lead: Noeleen Lechner
Media: Razor
Public Relations – Burson-Marsteller
77 Comments
woeful. woeful, woeful, woeful.
get me a beer.
Pay me to re-write this shit?
2 cases of New.
Art direct it?
1 case of New.
Direct it?
3 cases of New.
Just angry because OVER BEER? is awesome.
I’d love to work with that.
It went kinda south in the execution guys.
You would have thought they could have gone a little further than The Grand National in Paddington to shoot an ad for Canadian Club.
Apart from the shocking direction and acting, the ad doesn’t even describe what the product is. The worst alcohol ad of the year so far, and I’m guessing it will take some beating.
This is the worst alcohol ad I’ve ever seen.
So, that’s something at least.
Oh no, get me a beer!
this shit would clean up at the razzies.
with pink.
Absolutely embarrassing, especially considering the Canadian Club work in the US.
Hey Andy D
Still gonna ask for “CC and Dry” after watching that?
I think they just lost their best customer.
see above
crapola
Doh.
It is definitely no Carlton Draught ad but i suspect it will do a better job the Carlton Natural Blonde, officially the worse alcohol tvc ever created…or was that Empire?? Pretty sure both brands are no longer around.
And at a guess these would have been created on the catering budget of one of these so called cracking ads
Is Carlton Natural Blonde a better campaign?? Consumers don’t appear to think so. Or maybe Carlton Empire?
This is embarrassingly bad .
The idea is woeful.
The production values are cheap and nasty. (looks home made)
And it is guaranteed to have no cut through whatsoever in such a tough market.
Back to the drawing board I suggest….. real quick.
JEEEEEEEEEEZ!
The Works have gone downhill a bit,
I thought they had some great Creative guys working there.
Better luck next time.
Five Cougars Thanks.
I love the beers at The Grand National
Learn from your mistakes.
1. Get a better writer to write your scripts;
2. Get a proper director to direct them;
3. Stop trying to save money by directing them yourselves, it shows;
4. Over beer is a good strategy, but these executions are crap.
Sorry to be so blunt, but look at the other comments. I speak the truth.
meh
ouch!
Well Kev you’ve outdone yourself. Can I suggest a great little book called “The Cult of the Amateur” by Andrew Keen, published a few years back. Its’ main point was that just because technology makes something possible, doesn’t mean you should have a go. Having iMovie doesn’t make you an editor, having Garage Band doesn’t make you a composer, having Photoshop doesn’t make you an Art Director, just as having Word doesn’t make me a writer. Give the client a call, apologize profusely, & pony up for a director.
Cheers.
A new low in Australian advertising.
A question to Kevin Macmillan.
Did the client force you to make these and direct them yourself or did you have to talk them into it?
I feel like a Tooheys
I can’t stop watching them. I find them fascinating, a bit like a horrific car crash.
People who like beer don’t get ‘over’ it.
Beer is more than just a drink, it’s a liquid miracle.
Someone, somewhere presented this and thought it was funny.
It has absolutely no shred of humour whatsoever. Not even unintentionally.
It’s normally pretty harsh on here, but this is, genuinely, one of the worst spots I’ve ever seen.
And what’s the POINT of a strategy like ‘Over Beer?’
It’s like running ‘Over Tea?’ in England.
Shamefully bad.
im pretty sure i notice that ‘comedian’ from a big brand beer commercial
Why? WWWWWHHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYY?
May I suggest you stick to what you’re good at.
You know that scene in Alien 4: Resurrection where Ripley finds that room with all the half-baked mutant attempted clones of herself, and one of them says “Kkkkill…me…”?
To be honest not knowing where the stories were going, or how they were going to end hooked me in, which made them entertaining for me. I like that there were comedians instead of actors because it gave the spots natural humour without being too over the top. Personally I like them.
OK Alice (10:08), if you knew what you were talking about, you could see that using ‘Comedians’ instead of actors was a big mistake. Why? They look like they’re acting. This isn’t helped by the terrible dialogue. Maybe you should have spent more time writing it? Ha, gotcha! You must be the writer of this crap. No one else would try and defend it.
A marvellous attempt in setting benchmarks for a new low standard in Australian advertising. Honestly, who could have presented these to a client?
OK Mr Gotcha. Am not the writer, nor do i know the writer, nor anyone at The Works. Dont feel i was defending it but rather expressing my opinion…which is, what i thought comments sections were for.
David Mamet’s dialogue would be eviscerated by the direction and acting in these spots. That’s where much of the blame lies.
Alice.
Presumably you even work in advertising, or at the very least have a vague interest in it.
If you do, I suggest you find another job – as your advertising judgement is woeful.
what a waste of an alright idea.
so badly executed it isn’t funny.
What is wrong with you lot. I like these. Watched them a few times. They’re not slap your thigh laugh out loud but still unworthy of the appalling vitriol above.
I’ve tried using stand-up comics in ads before. And just about every time, they’ve been shit.
Fact is, most comics only really work in long-format monologues, not in ads. It’s not their fault, it’s just what they’re good at.
Much, much, much, MUCH better to make your script as funny as you can possibly make it, then let a good director work with good acting talent to bring it to life.
Using a stand-up comic and expecting them to ‘make it funny’ just doesn’t work.
1.48 PM. You’re wrong. They are.
Someone once described this blog as just like ‘smearing an ad in blood then lobbing it into a kennel.’
Yup.
One of the most awarded ads of all time was hamlet photo booth. I think you’ll find he was a comedian……….
haha alice is so shit
Ha ha. I’d hate to be served by that bartender. Especially as he could have turned around and made a Makers Mark and Soda, which is nothing like a beer but tastes rather nice. Funny, there was also a lot of Jim Beam on the shelf too. No CC though. I’m thirsty.
The kennel analogy is funny 3:15, and most people are smart enough to know it to be true. That’s why when they produce a pile of shite like this they don’t let it get anywhere near the kennel.
sweet lord jesus….someone shoot it and put it out of its misery. (pun intended) 😛
Absolutely right Dave (5.10pm).
I mean, we’ve all done shit ads but I’d never dream of putting them on here!
What this show’s is a COMPLETE lack of judgment. For writing them, for presenting them, for choosing to direct them, for writing that press release and finally, for putting them on here like they were good and something to be proud of.
it’s just an AD. Go and sell some more cr&p and stop abusing people on blogs like you are trying to solve the mysteries of the planet. I suspect you all have internal day to day struggles with yourselves as it stands, they are just trying to do sell something under a clever guise as opposed to shoving it down your throat.
Great comment Alice, you’re clearly an expert 🙁 A tip for those who want/need to use “comedians”……they’re funny because they write what they say, not the way they deliver your crap……
Oh.dear.god……
sweet.baby.jesus. (the little black one that appears in the Madonna video)…
that is truly the most dreadful attempt at humour / directing ever.
truly truly dreadful.
I googled Canadian Club and its a whisky! Wow, what a strategy! S0 SAD!
3.28pm
Hamlet Photo Booth was a comedy sketch that a couple of lazy creatives decided to attach a Hamlet cigar too. So they wouldn’t get done for ripping off the sketch they got the comedian to do it. Not rocket science. Wouldn’t win a sausage these days. But it is better then this pile of stink…but that’s not hard.
I love these ads.
…even the agency that created this rubbish is at a loss for words. After all, traditionally the first couple of comments on this blog are all about how brave the client is, or how charming the scripts are etc. But they don’t even seem to be defending it. Strange.
12.25 I assume you work in advertising. Because you have such an exulted view of yourself. The reason why I say this is because you’re a useless c@#t.
I quite like Alice. Anyway, c’mon ad people, surprise me!
1:50 – you work in ads or just a sad observer that was never picked to play?
Before anyone comments on this blog, please consider this.
Generally we all make great ads until our clients make them bad.
Usually by that stage the Client’s sucked up all the budget so there’s nothing left for production.
Sometimes the client PR’s it here. No joke, it’s happened to me before.
In my personal opinion, The Works haven’t always made advertising that inspires me to stop sucking a strippers tit, put down my bourbon, call a taxi and get to work before 10am. However, owning a successful agency, I am sure that they get it.
To everyone fisting this ad on the blog, it only shows one thing to me – you’ve never had anything made, or anything decent made (and published here).
If you think this ad’s sad, imagine what the industry thinks of you. And some here – are not as anonymous as they think. It’s what experienced copywriters call learning a ‘tone of voice’.
Put yourself in their shoes or shut up and post something better.
Ads like this makes me want to change channels.
Blogs like this makes me want to change careers.
Hey Aussie, we do shit ads for Canadian Club over here too.
Damn right we do.
True – Steady on fellas – too much negativity is taxing but it’s warranted in this case.
Admittedly, I’ve not done a lot of great work that doesn’t owe credit to a large number of professionals, so am to be in a position to upload a great TVC of ‘my own’ to gain the credits you require. This shows no respect for the ‘industry’ by not using any one of Sydney’s more than capable directors.
The client didn’t fist this as there is always money in a TV budget for a director and lets also assume that they rolled out the two best scripts (groan).
It should be impossible to shoot a pub scene that I desperately want to turn away from but it turns out that it’s with four crap angles and has been lit like it’s 11am on the sun.
Throw in cheeseball casting, the bobbing BACK OF A HEAD in every single shot and an end line of “I’m not recommending anything” (he could at least recommend a Canadian Club?!) then it’s pretty much a fail on every single agency level.
This one should be steaming for quite some time, lucky there’s all that extra ‘successful’ profit to wipe some of the smell off with.
Too true 2.31.
The works show no repsect for the film and production industry.
It is so obvious that they were trying to make a bit of extra cash from the job. I wonder how the client feels now they’ve seen the ads.
True. But a good editor could have made these scripts sing (better talent and director even better). They probably realised they had 20k left in the kitty to do it and didn’t want to be cunts by asking one of you guys to do a favour they’d never pay back.
Come on man, we’ve all been there before.
I think we should adopt a new policy. Try not saying something negative (aka destructive) and find a positive when you see crap work.
Positive = creative
Negative = destructive
Judging by this thread, everyone here are fucking suits.
Hey 7:28,
I left a negative comment and I’m certainly not a suit. And if you knew anything about The Works, you’d know this is not an isolated example of them directing what they’ve written. It’s something they should realise isn’t doing their agency or clients any favours.
I’d like them to do well. But this isn’t the way to do it. Better they pull a few favours from a director or editor. The outcome would be better all round. That’s negative, yet constructive, criticism.
Thanks Steady on Fellas, for tarting to choose the merits of the debate as opposed to just calling everyone hopeless at what they do. Unfortunately, you have still yet to make a point about why the ad is good or why the ad is bad.
This ad has a bit destructive in it so my tone of voice becomes destructive, but let’s argue the points and not the man. Also, I am not a suit but merely a humble sub-contractor creative / art-department.
The ad deserves flaming as there are some sage lessons in there for many:
1. As a subby; It pisses me that they chose not to employ whom they should have and the result is deserving.
2. As a small (‘successful’ / over 10 years?) advertising business; I’m pissed that there’s a CEO somewhere probably thinking “Get Australia-branch on the phone and tell them that they are to never, ever, make another TVC for us there again”
3. As a creative, it gets 1 out of 10 on every consideration beyond the core idea.
4. Script; I leave scripts to others but am sure this is way off on basic levels – beer is optioned 8 times before there is a cobbled on end-frame, unconvincingly suggesting CC as an option. Sooo unconvinced and then the second script is pretty much a carbon-copy by written by http://www.theseaurus.com
5. Budget Constraints; There was still money to hire 9 EXTRAS for a two person dialogue, plus the client is an alcohol company embarking on a great premise which challenges the beer market, so they didn’t have to go far to find the coin to ensure it’s success by way of a few seasoned pros.
It seems I must ask you to point out the positives in the ad or I can assume you either;
– agree the ad is a donkey but think we should all hold hands, sing Kumbaya and cleanse the thread; or
– you were part of the ad’s production; or
– you are Kevin MacMillan.
Are you Kevin MacMillan???
– Can you say why someone had to make a dodgy gag/skit of it?
– Why it is shot in a wine-bar’ish scenario, surrounded by women drinking riesling and blokes that look like they are only up for mincing down a few alco-pops?!?
– If it wanted to cut into beer, did you consider an ol’-mate pub (Friend in Hand, Glebe?) that would have afforded better shots, had a better connection to the target market and the smaller set would not need all the (pointless/miscast) extras.
I’m starting to think anyone would have done it for their book alone, it has that much potential gold! There’s your positive!!! it’s a fine concept with every chance of great success and acclaim on all levels, if everyone just concentrated on doing their own job well.
Somehow a really nice idea got an entry-level looking, ‘Big Kev’ – “I’m exxxcited!” treatment, on steroids, with the works.
C’mon aussies…..
Where’s your sense of fairplay? Give Alice her “fair go”
I agree with her…. maybe you don’t … but grow the **** up….
she deserves an opinion!
BTW I love CC!
The ad is trying to sell ready-to-drink whiskey which is meant to take the place of another ready-to-drink alcohol: beer. This product is only available in Australia right now and apparently from what i hear, its a bit hit. Maybe the ad makes more sense there once people are more familiar with the product?
You are all such bitter, bitter people… who seem to be very unhappy with the way your lives have panned out. It’s just an ad. Chill out. Your judgement reeks of jealousy and cynicism.
Being a CC drinker for over 50 years [I’m Canadian] I’m appalled that you don’t even explain what the product is. I know, but thousands wonldn’t have a clue. Get a new ad!
well i must admit i am a bit over beer! i think beer is getting a tad boring they all seem to taste very similar unless you spend a small fortune on some boutique beer! i have tried CC and it wasn`t to bad so i`m up for a change.
This is the biggest scam o0r ripoff I have ever seen in 57 years…SHAME!
Have seen the adds many times, I agree with 50year drinker of CC if you didn’t know the produce the adds certainly don’t give you a hint at what it is. I happen to love it, I was introduced about 7 years ago and have been a regular consumer since.
Sorry you lot, I like the add, its so typical of an old ozzie bar with a young turd serving. The thing is CC and dry is great, no matter what you think. Dont need a blonde bimbo hanging over a ferrari to try and sell it either!
Due to an offensive digital advertising board having been erected on the corner of South Road and Nepean Highway in Glen Eira council (lighting up the entire Hampton East and beyond) which is advertising this product, we will now be boycotting this product and letting everyone know to do the same. What kind of company advertises on a billboard that uses more electricity than a small nation (advertising to whom at 3am???). Disgraceful
Am I the only one here who thinks this is hugely sexist? An obese, middle aged male says “I think it’ll (beer) grow on me” to which a women sarcastically replies lIke think it already has”. Imagine the genders reversed. Sexist hypocrisy at it’s finest.