Boonie’s Binges Banned Backwards

Interesting to see that Foster’s has come out today and apologised for using former Australian cricketer and holder of the unofficial Sydney to London beer drinking record as a model for a marketing promotion conducted in the 2005/06 and 06/07 seasons.

A senior executive, Chris Maxwell, said the company now sees that using David Boon as the model for a talking doll which was activated by TV commentary signals was the wrong kind of ambassador for the VB brand.

“Looking back, we have decided that was the wrong thing to do. We didn't have the foresight to see that this issue was going to be so significant. And in glorifying that behaviour we have added to the issue of the normalisation of binge-drinking in Australia.”

"We thought that David Boon had a perfect fit with VB. He was a good Aussie bloke, with good Aussie values. However, we have had a lot of criticism around using him in regards to this binge-drinking issue,'' Mr Maxwell said at a Sponsorship Australasia conference in Sydney yesterday.

I guess the reason that Foster’s decided to apologise for the use of Boonie some four years AFTER the promo finished was because they were speaking at a sponsorship conference – I don’t even recall there being much fuss at the time. I assume the standard gaggle of wowsers auto-posted their outrage to newspaper letter columns at the time but other than that?

And as for Boonie being a “good Aussie bloke with good Aussie values” – couldn’t agree more. The fact that, in his younger days, he did something a wee bit silly (52 cans on a flight to London silly) in an isolated case of peer group pressure and sporting club culture doesn’t mean he should become the poster boy for binge drinking. We’ve all done things that, looking back, we see as irresponsible or unhealthy or lacking good judgement, but most of us also move on, learn from the experience and don’t repeat the mistakes of our youth. Some of us even mature.

Can we stop generating a mythical moral majority where I just don’t think it really exists? The bleaters are always going to carry on but, you know what I reckon? There really are still a thousand times more of US than there will ever be of THEM!

Perhaps by way of assuaging* their guilt, Foster’s could bring out a new Boonie doll this cricket season which says things like; “Do us a favour, Knackers, and put the kettle on?” or, “Tell you what, Shags, let’s put these cans down and share a strawberry parfait!”

Cheers
Prof. Pilsner

*Assuage – now that’s a word you don’t often hear in these pages, is it?! I think it means that they are making thereselfs feel better by being sorry. Or sumfink.

and thanks to Mrs Lager for pointing me to the story - I don't read The Big Paper!

Raise a Glass

You may have gathered that I am no huge fan of the largely spiritless corporate brewing giants who appear to be in the market for money rather than for the pursuit of beer and beery excellence. Don’t get me wrong – I understand why they do what they do and that there has to be big brewers so we can better appreciate the little guys – I just pay them that much attention.

Which is probably why this promotion caught my eye. It seems that, while it is clearly part of a marketing campaign to raise brand awareness and cement revenue streams, this particular ploy appears to have some element of social conscience and respect for culture and tradition.

The ‘Raise a Glass’ campaign is driven by Foster’s major brand, Victoria Bitter, in conjunction with Legacy and the RSL. The first thing that struck me is that the whole VB branding is almost invisible, set into the site as a subtle understatement rather than a fan-faring ‘look at me, look at me!!’ kind of grandstanding. The purpose of the promotion (apart from shifting units) is to remember and honour those who have served in military conflicts around the world over the past century.

Timed to tap into the ANZAC Day commemorations the program is as much about raising awareness as it is about raising funds. Funds are raised by donations through the website as well as through sales at bars and clubs. RSLs and other clubs will also have kegs of VB donated by Foster’s.

But it is the website and ad campaign that convinced me that there may actually be a heart beating faintly somewhere within the beast that is Foster’s as they both tap into a deeper understanding of the sacrifices and courage of our fallen diggers. The site provides a kind of forum where ex and currently serving soldiers and their families can contribute pictures and stories that will ensure that the events and incidents which don’t qualify for the history books are not lost when the last of these men and women pass away.

For anyone who enjoys a beer and a good yarn and has some sense of the ties that really bind a Nation’s culture, this site is worth a look. And if you can, get out on ANZAC Day and raise a glass to those who fought so that you could have a nice cold beer and not have to ask for it in Japanese or German. Even if it is only a VB.

Cheers
Prof. Pilsner