The campaign, which hails Foster’s as being "crafted for the thirstiest men on earth", will appear in a new television advert to highlight the brand’s Australian heritage.
Set in Melbourne 1888, the ad is a dramatised version of the lager’s founders rescuing English cricketers with the lager as they succumb to the searing heat, during a match with the Australian team.
The ad, which appeared for the first time last month during Channel 4's comedy show The Last Leg, is a gentle nod to the brand’s sponsorship with the England and Wales Cricket Board as the Official Lager of England Cricket.
Foster’s has formed a multimillion-pound partnership with broadcaster Channel 4 across its digital and social platforms, television and cinema across the summer.
Genuine heritage
Heineken beer brand director Ifeoma Dozie laid out how provenance has played a major part in the Foster’s brand.
She said: “Foster’s has genuine heritage and we have brought the pioneering founders, William and Ralph Foster, to life in this new campaign.
“They revolutionised the way beer was served and ice-cold amber nectar is still enjoyed by millions of drinkers every year.”
Heineken announced it was set to give Foster’s a major rebrand earlier this year (March), including new fonts, T-bar lenses and point-of-sale material, featuring the slogan ‘crafted to refresh’.
The beer giant’s trade marketing manager Paul Gordon said the rebrand followed consumer feedback, which highlighted a need for a modern look.
Keeping the credentials
He said: “Mainstream lager is a huge category… as much as wet-led, community pubs are in decline, it still is absolutely huge and Foster’s, within that classic category, is one in four of every drink that is sold.
“It’s really important we understand these consumers and keep offering them the right brand to relate to their drinking experiences.”
He also explained how the rebrand came about and what was taken into consideration when the new look was developed.
Gordon added: “We’ve listened to our customers and we’ve had some quite constructive feedback. It’s been really key to make sure that when we redevelop it that we keep our credentials.
“We want to make sure that the refreshment comes through, the quality comes through and the heritage comes through.”