A good call? Foster’s moves on with new ‘Why the hell not’ campaign
Foster’s is launching its new ‘Why the hell not?’ campaign today as it moves on from the long-running Good Call ads to focus on Australia’s fictional first male rugby cheerleader.
The beer brand claims that the male cheerleader character represents a more “proactive approach” to its advertising, which is now inspired by the famous “can do” Australian attitude to life.
The first installment of the campaign, created by adam&eveDDB, will premier tonight during Channel 4’s 8 Out of 10 Cats and will be supported through additional social media content and the promoted hashtag #whythehellnot.
Ifeoma Dozie, beer brand director for Foster’s at Heineken, which owns and manages the brand in Europe, said the new direction maintains the brand’s long association with comedy and will “drive excitement, interest and increased sales” to Foster’s.
“Our consumers’ outlooks on life have changed – people want to give things a go and share experiences leading to a richer life,” she said. “The ‘Why the hell not?’ campaign taps into this thinking.”
Foster’s previous Good Call campaign was hugely successful for the brand. A winner of the IPa Effectiveness Awards Grand Prix in 2014, its ROI in the UK translated to £32 for every £1 spent on advertising.
However there had been a suggestion from critics that Good Call had been dropped due to its sexist undertones.
Allan Clark, head of SAB Miller – which owns the rights to the Foster’s brand in the Australian market, where it is a much smaller player than in Europe – previously said: “The world has moved on from lads telling jokes on a Saturday and high value consumption; beer is now drunk by women and men together.”
Dozie, speaking to Marketing Week back in May, refuted these claims.
“I think like most brands there is a target audience and, for Foster’s, female are still secondary to 16-24 male buyers. I don’t think ‘Good Call’ was sexist, it was highly successful and this change is only moving away from the agony uncle idea, not in appealing to men,” she explained.
“With our Foster’s Gold and Radler brands we see more opportunities to appeal to that secondary female audience, especially with Radler as it has a lower alcohol content and more opportunities for mixed sex occasions.”
