Victoria Bitter elevates hard earned thirsts in latest campaign via The Monkeys, Melbourne
Victoria Bitter has unveiled ‘Means More’, its first major brand campaign with new creative agency, The Monkeys, part of Accenture Song.
The campaign, directed by Tim Bullock at Scoundrel, aims to celebrate the skill and intelligence behind hard work, under the brand’s existing ‘For A Hard Earned Thirst’ platform.
Says Ant Keogh, chief creative officer, The Monkeys: “We wanted to create something that felt modern and progressive, while staying true to VB’s roots. So, we chose to elevate and celebrate the skills of some of Australia’s hardest workers, showing that a hard earned thirst doesn’t just take brawn, it also takes skill.”
Says Sarah Wilcox, head of classic beer – marketing at Carlton & United Breweries: “VB’s strong values and assets are well established. This campaign seeks to build upon these, while adding relevance to new audiences, by elevating hard work to a new level. We’re not just celebrating sweat and effort; we’re also celebrating skills and smarts.”
The integrated campaign launches this week across broadcast television, outdoor, radio, online and social.
PLAY THE DRYWALL SPOT
PLAY THE TABLE SPOT
PLAY THE TILES SPOT
Client: Carlton & United Breweries
General Manager – Marketing: Nicole McMillan
Head of Classic Beer – Marketing: Sarah Wilcox
Marketing Manager – Victoria Bitter: Marc Lord
Assistant Brand Manager – Victoria Bitter: Ben Haysman & Gianni Cozzi
Creative Agency: The Monkeys, part of Accenture Song
Chief Executive Officer: Paul McMillan
Chief Creative Officer: Ant Keogh
Chief Strategy Officer: Michael Derepas
Strategy Director: Dave Collins
Creative Directors: Hugh Gurney, Joe Sibley, Adam Slater, Connor Beaver
National Head of Production / Producer: Romanca Mundrea
Senior Producer: Katie Wellbelove
Head of Design: Raph Tamkalis
General Manager: Sophie Gosper
Account Director: Allan Carlow
Account Manager: Isaac Montebello
Production Company: Scoundrel
Director: Tim Bullock
Executive Producers: Adrian Shapiro & Kate Gooden
Associate Executive Producer: Morgan Benson-Taylor
DOP: Jeremy Rouse
Art Director: Alex Holmes
Editor: Adam Wills
Colourist: Ben Eagleton
Online: Soren Dyne
Casting: Natalie Jane Harvie – Citizen Jane
Sound: Squeak E. Clean Studios
Sound Design: Paul Le Couteur – Squeak E. Clean
Executive Producer: Ceri Davies
Photography – Michael Malherbe
64 Comments
Go back to go forward because the reason for having/wanting a VB has never changed.
Excellent.
Great work – nostalgia came rushing back. Lovely writing.
Hearing that voice makes me thirsty.
Thank you Ant & crew; you have made my day.
Real Australian Heroes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md4QIpxfm2Q
or do these films lack an idea? They feel like content pieces.
Makes me want to rip the top off one
It’s just you.
It’s just you. Pedal on.
Yep.
I bet you’re the same type of person who just spent multiple weeks trying to calculate why an advert with a handsome man in his undies was so buzzworthy without “an idea”.
Spat my tea…
Hello, ‘healer of the two wheeler’. Magic.
With our trees disappearing and climate change in full swing, great to see this idiot cutting down a beautiful gum tree for absolutely no reason. Shameful.
I’d say it was dangerously close to the house. They’re not called widow makers for no reason.
So many ads about getting ‘cut’ lately like this tree cutting one.
So I thought I’d just get through them all now to save the industry the hassle:
1. Getting cut from a sports team after a big win.
2. Not getting the last slice of cake.
3. Cutting down even bigger and older tree.
4. An editor being asked to cut out their fav scenes in a film they’re working on.
5. Director saying ‘cut!’ Then the networking giving them the axe.
6. Ex-girlfriend/partner cropping boyfriend out of picture.
7. Band members telling one guy he’s outta the band a la school of rock.
8. Kid has an infected leg and doctor says it needs to be amputated. Surgeon throws leg into the bin like it’s a basketball.
9. Ship is sinking and captain needs to decide who to throw overboard to keep the boat afloat. He chooses the seniors, people with disabilities, and those from diverse backgrounds.
I could go on…
Two things. 1 – What? 2 – Shut up.
what about the bike one but?
As a matter of fact, I’ve got one now
Please proof read before commenting
Fells like a response to an ABAC legal issue. I assume you can’t say “a hard earned thirst needs a big cold beer” anymore…otherwise why would you change it?
I want to personally shake your hand. Well done.
It’s a nice way of saying ‘on your bike’
Great spots. You all deserve a VB.
Brilliant stuff. Well done
NO please do go on.
A shame you can’t say ‘a big cold beer’ and ‘the best cold beer is Vic’ anymore. It’s nice. I think the working class featured know their job involves a bucket-tonne more than what inner-city ad people assume, but maybe this is aimed at those inner-city people.
Love this return
Ant, Macca, Hugh & Joe- bloody great
He’s done it again.
(And I bloody knew VB must have been going to the Monkeys after English Bitter… how could you not put that brand back in his hands? So glad my prediction was right… Monkeys Melbourne should gun for the entire CUB account… )
Do you think the original VB ads had an idea? Why are these any different?
Sibley the best
Loved the precision chainsaw spot!
I like this I really do… Not many creative briefs could deliver us a film depicting beer at work or on the road… Brave stuff, and a proper nod back to a bygone era.
Shits on any of the other CUB work others have done the last few months.
Proud of you bunch of legends. Well done X
hard earn craft fuck yeah.
nice one slater & co.
Find it odd the last spot was solar power and cutting emissions, and the new spot it cutting down a tree.
If you can’t see the idea, I question your ability. Celebrate a hard days work. Been the same idea forever.
These are all great. Nice radies too. xo
Guy fixes bike in the desert. Rides off. The end.
That my friend is an execution. Not an idea. Back to school…
Based on these comments to this AD and the other Monkeys AD’s I am going to assume all the employees at Monkeys have been asked to jump praise the work ….,
Brilliant work Monkeys.
There is never doubt every piece of work that leaves your doors nails the strategy
You is damn right. the other mob no longer have the chops. not hard to work out at all, hey.
Not from the agency but do agree these are brilliant. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
The copywriter in me is so damn jealous. And the motorcyclist in me couldn’t be more delighted by “healer of the two wheeler”. You’ve earnt that coldie. Well done all.
Hats off.
Nostalgic and silly just the way I like it
Celebrate men doing shit. Focus on a small detail, often missed. That’s the High Life.
Exactly what I was going to say. Wonderful use of rhyming alliteration that Miller High Life is famous for. Nice to see it used here deftly.
Very average.
@ @Beery yeah, it’s got that crafted pedigree. The moments aren’t as private and prosaic as High Life, and everything is a lot more jaunty. I mean, that music is pretty big.
This is feels like the client has tacked on a new ending to be ‘progressive’… Nostalgic yes, beautifully crafted yes, true to it’s roots yes, but the ‘means a whole lot more’ sign-off falls flat and felt weird.
Any agency in Melbourne could of done this, it’s a re-hash of the original let’s be honest.
B –
An agency in Melbourne did do this.
It’s called The Monkey’s Melbourne office.
It’s where Ant works.
In fact Melbournes where he’s always worked doing stuff like The Big Ad.
Hugh Gurney, the man, the myth, the mad dog.
Strategy creative and craft are all very good. Simples.
Thank you VB client and Monkeeeeez for making some nice stuff.
Go Woke go broke. This is the opposite.
Got a tradie to single-handedly take down a large wooden shed, about a year ago. One hot day. When he was 95% finished – just clearing some tree branches off the ground – we brought him a six-pack as a thank you.
Within the hour he took his circular saw through his thigh.
Two ambulances and a helicopter came. Cops too. We hid the beers.
Probably needed the beers more than ever tho…
Why is the William McInnes voiceover so Shouty?
We smell BS. A tradie wouldn’t cut wood onsite with a circular saw. And if he really did… why were you stupid enough to give him beer before he finished?
VB doing ads now with The Monkeys. What happened to Clemenger?
We didn’t know he was going to whip out a handheld saw for those branches! Indeed it seemed unnecessary, they were easy enough to break, but hey… his call. And despite the blunder, he probably knew what he was doing better than you with your tradie tool rules from the office chair.
Plus, why would anyone come here and make that shit up?
What a great ad.
As a tree feller; if you cut them right, they will go where you want them. If they are good trees and the weather is perfect.
The difficulty starts with defects in the tree and the weather.
Still it’s a great ad.