The Weekend Starts Now
Foster’s Lager
Issue 10 | March 2009
Agency
EHS Brann Cirencester
Creative Team
Frazer Howard; Stuart Morris; Samantha Lewry;Tim Waltho;Jimmy Thompson
Production Team
Ben Matthew; Matthew Fitzimmons
Date
August – October 2008
Background
When the agency started to develop this campaign, Foster’s had already launched a promotion with Glasgow radio station Clyde 1 FM. From 4pm on a Thursday afternoon, Clyde 1 would reveal the name of a Glasgow pub that would be hosting a Foster’s Night the following evening. The biggest group of people who arrived at the chosen pub by a set time (usually 5pm or 5.30pm) on the Friday could then win a Foster’s related prize. The brief, then, was relatively simple: to produce a series of emails that would increase the number of people going to the ‘pub of the week’ by the set time.
Idea
The initial thought was to produce an email that simply told people the name of the pub and the time by which they needed to get there – together with a few Glasgow/Foster’s/Clyde 1FM related titbits. But then the agency thought, ‘If these people are going to get to the pub early on a Friday evening, we’re going to have to make sure they’re able to leave work on time. Damn it, we’re just going to have to help them.’
And so ‘The Weekend Starts Now’ campaign was born. Every week, a new ruse to get out on time was emailed out. Fake letters. Spoof computer crash screens. Make-believe online newspaper articles. And a few more besides. These were designed to turn into viral activity and, as such, rejoice in the kind of ‘mate-centric’ humour so important to the Foster’s brand.
Results
The agency feels it ‘cannot possibly comment on whether or not people used the emails to sneak out of work (cough)’. However, the Weekender events were a roaring success, and attendance significantly improved after broadcasting the emails.
Volume/size of campaign
79,042 emails were sent out over the nine week campaign period.
Our Thoughts
This is one of those little jobs where client expectation would have been minimal. Just create an email alert to the fact that you and your mates can get a good time and some free beers on a Friday night. Someone at EHS Brann would have had to suggest that the agency could do more than that. And yes, it might cost a bit more too but it would be worth it. That someone did a pretty good job, not just selling an idea but selling how agencies can, and do, add value.