Hard Rated brings the heat across the ditch yet again with new stunts & activations
Australia’s No. 1 RTD, Hard Rated, officially landed in New Zealand earlier this year, launching with a cheeky campaign that leant into the trans-Tasman brain drain, which, according to the brand, may have simply been caused by Australians hogging the best RTD.
For the next part of the campaign, Hard Rated decided to make amends for luring our mates away, by bringing one Kiwi home. A nationwide callout asked people to dob in a friend across the ditch who needed convincing to come back. The entries rolled in, from heartfelt (“Mum’s sick of putting the cat on FaceTime”) to downright brutal (“He supports the Wallabies now”).
Once we found our guy, Grayson, we went all-in to get him home. A helicopter banner flew over Sydney Harbour and Bondi Beach calling on him to come home, this also appeared on the front page of The New Zealand Herald.
From there, human and bike billboards stalked him through his Sydney suburb with messages from friends and family. Radio listeners left voicemails giving him funny reasons for why he should come back, while social followed the trans-Tasman chase in real time. It all ended with a hero’s welcome in Aotearoa, complete with airport signage celebrating his return.
With humour, audacious stunts, and plenty of trans-Tasman banter, the campaign didn’t just cement Hard Rated’s irreverent personality, it achieved our goal of making Australia’s No.1 RTD New Zealand’s No.1 too.
QUOTES:
Tatyana Dickson, GM Marketing, Asahi Beverages NZ, says “New Zealanders have long crossed the ditch for better pay or warmer weather, or so we thought. Hard Rated’s launch campaign flipped that idea, hinting that maybe the real reason was to get a taste of Australia’s No.1 RTD.
“Now that Hard Rated is available nationwide in New Zealand, we’re solving that problem once and for all. With this next, outlandish phase, Hard Rated invites everyone to enjoy what might just be the best thing to ever come out of Australia, right here at home.”
Christie Cooper and James Conner, Creative Directors, Droga5 ANZ, added – “Hard Rated is already a powerhouse in Australia, and we wanted to bring that same energy to New Zealand — with a little cheek and a lot of flavour. This next act in our campaign captures the trans-Tasman rivalry perfectly, proving that sometimes the best imports are worth bringing home.
CAMPAIGN CREDITS:
Client: Asahi Beverages NZ GM Marketing: Tatyana Dickson Senior Marketing Lead: Jonathan Rea Senior Brand Manager: Monique O’Neil Connections Planner: Emily Cryer Social Media Specialist: Izaak Kirkbeck
Creative agency: Droga5 ANZ, part of Accenture Song NZ Lead of Accenture Song, CEO of Droga5 Aotearoa: Storm Day Chief Creative Officer: Damon Stapleton Executive Creative Director: Christie Cooper & James Conner Art Director: Zac Nairn Copywriter: Casey Clarke GM & Executive Producer: Rosie Grayson Integrated Producer: Callum Crabb Design Lead: Lucinda Fortescue-Hansen Group Business Director: James Allan Senior Business Director: Danny Murphy
Spark Foundry NZ Client Partner: Sophie Radford Business Director: Cleo Cunningham Planner Buyer: Helen Luo
__Hearts and Science __ Jord Webb-McRae: Account Manager
MEDIA CONTACT: Larissa Meikle; M: +61 401 508 601; larissa@catfishmedia.com.au
