Beer, glorious beer: But is Saatchi’s blockbuster Tooheys New TVC a match for The Big Ad?

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Beer raining down from the heavens above… It sounds like some sort of amazing dream but Lion Nathan, via Saatchi & Saatchi, Sydney has made this dream a reality in their new blockbuster TOOHEYS NEW ‘CATAPULT’ SPOT.

“In some ways, the concept behind ‘Catapult’ is completely insane, and yet the idea of wanting it to rain beer is also entirely plausible. When your lips are parched and the sun is up, a great beer certainly feels like a gift from the Gods… Tooheys New has just brought the dream to life for all to enjoy.”

So says David Nobay, executive CD of Saatchi & Saatchi, Sydney. “A shared glass of beer is like an invisible handshake. It’s the great Aussie unifier. And yet, for too long, the imagery behind mainstream beer has been skewed to such a narrow blokey bias that it has the opposite effect. It’s like a club you can’t join, unless you have the right face. The new Tooheys New campaign explodes all that crap and firmly recasts mainstream beer as champagne for the masses.”

Adds Nobay: “Multi-award winning director Garth Davis is not only achampion bloke but an incredible director. Together with his producerKaren Sproul, he made this job everything we imagined it could be.”

‘Catapult’opens with people of all ages and backgrounds scattered across the topsof buildings in a city. As the shot pans in we notice they’ve gotcatapults and are shooting beer ingredients into the sky, but to noavail. Finally, after several failed attempts, the Tooheys Stagappears. He is their last hope and offers himself up to be catapultedinto the sky. The stag proves the magic ingredient when a few secondslater the heavens open and precious Tooheys New rains from the sky. Thepeople rejoice in the streets, collecting the golden brew with anythingand everything they can lay their hands on.

“‘Catapult’ is aboutTooheys New bringing people together to make great things happen. It’sall for the love of beer with the hero of the ad, the thing that bringsthe people together in happiness and celebration, being Tooheys New,”says Lion Nathan marketing director – mainstream brands, Paul Foster.

“We’reexcited about the ‘For the Love of Beer’ campaign and think ‘Catapult’is an outstanding execution that clearly positions Tooheys New as aforward thinking mainstream beer in the dynamic Australian beer market.”

Launchedoff the back of un-branded outdoor activity in some of Australia’s mosticonic locations – for example the Glebe Island silos in Sydney’sPyrmont – ‘Catapult’ was first ‘previewed’ via the web from today(Valentine’s Day) but will quickly launch into pay TV, free-to-air andcinema with a mix of 90, 60 and 30 second spots.

Branded outdoorsupports the TVC from its free-to-air launch on 19 February. ‘For theLove of Beer’ has been extended to the brand’s recently revampedpackaging and adapted for Tooheys New’s ongoing sponsorship of alllevels of Rugby Union.

Credits

Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney

Executive CD: David Nobay

Creative Team: Tim Brown,

Pete Buckley and Eron Broughton

Agency Producer: Scott McBurnie

Account Director: Sasha Orr

Director: Garth Davis

Producer: Karen Sproul

Production Company: Exit Films

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