BrewDog touts green credentials in latest TV ad
BrewDog’s latest television ad highlights the carbon-negative nature of the brewery by claiming to be the ‘planet’s favorite beer’.
Droga5 London’s first TV ad for BrewDog takes a dig at non-BrewDog drinkers
The video ad from Droga5 London runs through cross-sections of the population who enjoy the brewery’s products, before ending with a deliberately flat shot of a woman drinking from a Heineken bottle. As she does the voiceover claims that buying Brewdog’s beer makes the planet better – even for non-BrewDog drinkers. A can of BrewDog’s Punk IPA is then quickly overlaid. The provocative nature of the final shot is in line with the rest of BrewDog’s brand marketing efforts of the past few years.
BrewDog brand and marketing director Lauren Carrol said: “The new campaign reinforces BrewDog’s commitment to having a positive impact, both on our diverse audience and the planet. We’re proud to be a beer for all and to serve our amazing global community. As a carbon-negative brewery, every beer that is enjoyed around the world can have a positive planetary impact.”
In addition, the creation of the campaign itself has had its carbon costs offset. The ad itself is set to go live on Saturday August 7, and will be supported by print and digital iterations that also proclaim BrewDog’s commitment to being carbon neutral.
It comes as brands from FMCG to fashion are taking steps to tout their own green credentials. Unilever recently announced plans to include a carbon footprint label on packaging, and H&M and other fast fashion outlets have been accused of greenwashing in their ad campaigns while they fail to deliver on their promises around sustainability.
It also follows a spate of bad publicity for BrewDog after over 100 previous and current staff accused the brewery of unsafe working practices and a superficial focus on image. A snap poll for The Drum found that the letter had seen greater than expected cut-through with the general population. Conducted by OnePulse, it found that a third of people were already aware of the open letter posted on Twitter (34%) and that half of those polled (50.2%) said the letter had changed their opinion of BrewDog for the worse.
Whether BrewDog’s latest ad will achieve the cut-through of its recent bad press remains to be seen. Initial industry response to the ad has been largely positive, but the response from the public will have to be judged after the ad goes live on ITV during the FA Community Shield on Saturday.