Foster’s links with Oz brand for 5m blitz

Scottish Courage has joined forces with Australian surfing label Rip Curl as part of a 5m promotion for its lager brand Foster’s.

Called Fostralia 2000, the beer promotion is the biggest in Scottish Courage’s history and is claimed to be the biggest in Europe. It will run in about 50,000 pubs, clubs, off-licenses and supermarkets, as well as on Virgin Radio, Capital FM and in FHM magazine.

First prize winners – of which there are expected to be 380 – will be flown to Sydney for five nights to celebrate the millennium and then on to Australia’s Gold Coast for a further ten days.

In a deal with Rip Curl, which is seeking to raise its profile in the UK, Scottish Courage is offering secondary prizes of Rip Curl T-shirts and wallets.

The spend is part of a 25m marketing budget behind Foster’s this year, designed to boost the brand’s 25 per cent share of the UK standard draught lager market.