It worked for British Beef, New Zealand Lamb and French apples, and now the UK brewing industry hopes to create a generic marketing campaign for the great British pint.
In an initiative spearheaded by the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), national brewers including Coors, Scottish Courage, and Interbrew are discussing an alliance with the 33 members of the Independent Family Brewers of Britain (IFBB), with companies including Fuller's, Shepherd Neame, Greene King and Wolverhampton & Dudley actively involved in the discussions.
The campaign has yet to be given a name, but the aim will be to develop public awareness and support for all style beer in all its styles, including bitter, lager and stout. The campaign will stress aspects such as its purity and heritage, the craft that goes into brewing, and health benefits linked to hops and other ingredients.
Mark Hastings of the BBPA confirmed: "There is a lot of work underway on developing a significant programme to support beer generically, improving its image and encouraging more consumers to look upon it positively, as has been done very successfully with wine."
Fuller's beer and brands director, John Roberts, who represents the IFBB on the BBPA's PR committee, said that while wine has successfully positioned itself as a natural product, "beer has a very industrial, manufactured image. The perception is often that it makes you obese, and it makes you violent."
Mr Roberts said he hoped the brewing trade will agree a code of practice which would see promotion for beer move away from the humorous approach used in most advertising towards a more positive image. "There is general agreement that we need to be more self-disciplined about the way we present the image of our product, and there is a lot of enthusiasm and support for a generic campaign.
Initial funding would come for the payments already made by brewers to the BBPA, said Mr Roberts, "but Fullers would also support the creation of a fighting fund to drive the campaign forward."