• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Brews News

The news the Australian brewing industry reads

New Zealand
Australia
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • News
    • Brewery Radar
    • Brewery Openings
    • New Zealand
    • New Beers Wrap
    • Media Releases
    • Sponsored Posts
  • Radio Brews News
  • Jobs
  • Classifieds
  • Business Directory
  • Events
    • Featured Events
  • Brewery Pro
  • Advertise / Subscribe

What should I call this column about VB’s, sorry Vic Bitter’s, latest change of heart?

September 4, 2012 by Media Release

I just don’t know what to headline this column.

  • Don’t worry about all the ice, move the deckchairs over there?
  • All marketers are liars?
  • If we say it out loud it becomes true?
  • If it wasn’t broke, why fix it?
  • Vic bitter over CUB flipflops?

If you’ve ever wondered why Australian Brews News has a jaundiced view of beer marketers, it has been amply demonstrated today.

After spending the last three years denying absolutely in public and in private that VB’s reduction in alcohol would in any way affect the taste of the beer – and that beer drinkers didn’t care about it anyway – CUB have announced that VB will be restored to its previous strength. CUB Chief Executive Ari Mervis has even written a grovelling full-page apology letter titled, “We heard you…we’re fixing it.”

The question is should the apology be believed anymore than the original denials?

On October 3, 2009 then Group Marketing Manager for VB & Crown Lager, Paul Donaldson, was quoted as saying they had received very few complaints:

He insisted: “We wouldn’t mess with the taste of VB.

“There is nothing blokes can buy for $5 that means more to them than their beer.”

He said master brewers worked for six months to perfect the reduced-strength VB. “We consulted 1000 loyal VB drinkers and no one could pick it,” he said.

Now CUB’s Chief Marketing Officer Andy Gibson says that “today’s announcement is a victory for the beer drinkers of Australia.”

Which beer drinkers? The ‘very few’ who complained, the ones who were wrong three years ago or the ones who couldn’t pick the difference?

Even though three years ago CUB had received very few complaints, now those complaints are a deafening crescendo that they have suddenly been forced to take notice of.

So, were they spinning then, or are they spinning now? Can they even tell the difference anymore?

The We Got It Wrong mea culpa is a classic strategy to make the beer drinker, the one that was told that they were stupid for caring about the issue in the first place, that they have been listened to. The problem is that they forgot all about it long ago. Even in publishing its hand-wringing apology, CUB cites a three year old complaint letter. You could almost bet that they have received none since. It’s a dead issue, especially since their major competitors marched in lock step with their beers that all sit at 4.6% as well.

It seems that since taking over CUB, the new SABMiller has been playing “If I can Turn Back Time” in high rotation through the corporate PA system as the view seems to be by turning back time beer drinkers really will love them like they used to do. However, abandoning the Carlton and United Brewers moniker and the flash new logo to return to Carlton & United Breweries will do no more to restore the company’s fortunes than adding more cane sugar to VB and calling it Vic Bitter will.

This is a shiny-suit-led, marketing-driven company that has lost the faith of beer drinkers. For all of the talk of the new beer-focused management, all beer drinkers are being offered are old labels, hollow apologies and an extra serve of brandwank topped off with spin. {MK}

http://youtu.be/mEszTzdUMcY

Media Release

We heard you… we’re fixing it
Victoria Bitter will return to its best

Carlton & United Breweries (CUB) confirms that Australia’s most iconic beer, Victoria Bitter will return to its original full strength and full flavour from October.

Changes to the packaging, marketing and recipe, with a resultant change in alcohol strength of Victoria Bitter are amongst a raft of changes intended to restore Australia’s most iconic beer “back to its best”.

CUB’s Chief Marketing Officer Andy Gibson says thattoday’s announcement is a victory for the beer drinkers of Australia.

“The Vic Bitter drinkers have spoken and told us that we should not have tinkered with their beer”, Gibson said.

“So we have listened and during the course of October Victoria Bitter will be returning to its best, in fact we reckon it will be better than ever.”

In a first for the brewer, CUB Chief Executive Ari Mervis has penned a full page “We heard you…we’re fixing it” letter to the beer drinkers of Australia, stating that we “had got it wrong” with changes to the brew over the past few years.

The new Victoria Bitter will begin to roll out to pubs, bars and bottle shops nationally over the course of October. The wholesale price of Vic Bitter will not change.

Victoria Bitter will be:

  • Returning to full flavour, full strength at 4.9%;
  • Bringing back the unmistakeable packaging, including reinstating the “Victoria Bitter” name on labels and cans; and
  • Restoring the tagline “For a hard earned thirst”.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dan Summers says

    September 4, 2012 at 8:59 am

    So by original they don’t mean how it was for decades before Pride of Ringwood was developed?

  2. Ryan says

    September 4, 2012 at 9:02 am

    It will still taste like shit.

  3. Darren says

    September 4, 2012 at 9:24 am

    why why why do breweries listen to (or perhaps even employ) marketers, fair enough, let them pick the colour of the carton, or the spokesperson but never let them near the beer, even VB, not an awesome beer but an Aussie icon none the less

  4. Matt says

    September 4, 2012 at 9:34 am

    So I wonder what the actual reason for this change is? The only real prompt I can think of is that some market research showed that drinkers preferred higher alcohol levels or were placing VB into the mid strength category.

    Hardly a big news item, and as the article says, there probably would be few that really care. Maybe they were hoping to recreate the ‘Coca Cola reverting back to its original formula’ marketing ploy…..

    • Darren says

      September 4, 2012 at 9:42 am

      but Matt didnt they already do VB Original? I doubt the ABV level would really play a big role in a beer of that gravity anyway,the ingredients and how you make it play a much larger role in flavor development that 0.3%ABV

      • Pete Mitcham says

        September 4, 2012 at 11:45 am

        VB Original was something of an attempt at ‘nostalgia-meets-craft-brewing’ with VB brewed as it may at one time have been. It was an ale, had quite a bit of hop character (I think POR) and came in 18 pack cartons. It was actually a pretty fair beer according to my notes and memory but didn’t hit numbers to continue.

        • Darren says

          September 4, 2012 at 11:47 am

          yeah all I can remember of Original VB was that it was different to VB, not a show stopper though

  5. Thomas says

    September 4, 2012 at 10:04 am

    andy they still won’t bring back KB lager?

  6. grant says

    September 4, 2012 at 11:18 am

    even tho i’m not keen on the stuff, next time i’m at the bottle shop i’m going to buy a can of “VB”. Then in October i’m going to buy a can of “Victoria Bitter” and see what all the hype is about. I’ll be very surprised if there’s any difference seeing tho they put so much effort into keeping the taste the same in the lower ABV VB.
    Do they believe this will give them back top spot on the most popular beer table? Unfortunately for them, VB will still be VB and the public are slowly moving away from that style of beer.

  7. Michael says

    September 4, 2012 at 11:43 am

    What Ryan said

  8. Pete Mitcham says

    September 4, 2012 at 11:49 am

    I’m going to make a bold call and declare that VB will not just return to the number one spot, but that the increase will be dramatic. Can’t help feeling that the great majority of VB drinkers will buy it by the slab now that CUB has ‘justified’ the drinkers’ indignation.

    In other news, Matt and I have enough material here to record a month’s worth of Radio Brews News ‘Soapbox’ and ‘What-The-Froth?!’ segments. Woo-Hoo!!!

  9. dodzilla says

    September 4, 2012 at 12:45 pm

    Why is this even been discussed? I used to like Carlton cold too before they dropped it to 4% alc. to beat the higher alcohol taxing bracket.

    I used to drink VB when I knew no better, and now we are spoilt.

    I can get a case of Tsingtao for $40 or Ottinger for $30(just 2 examples) which have more depth of flavour then VB new or old will ever have!

    It’s garbage! Full stop!

  10. Vilma says

    September 4, 2012 at 11:43 pm

    The beer that Veered

  11. Justin says

    September 16, 2012 at 9:31 pm

    OK we get it, you want it back how it was before?
    Well good news!! CUB have re-employed Barry and he is back to p1ssing in the vat twice daily! You should notice the sweet taste returning by October 🙂

Category: News Tagged: brandwank, CUB, VB

Share this post:

FacebookTwitterLinkedInPinterestRedditEmail

Primary Sidebar

Signup!

Australian Brews News
is supported by

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

© 2021 | Website by Lance Montana

  • News
    ▼
    • Brewery Radar
    • Brewery Openings
    • New Zealand
    • New Beers Wrap
    • Media Releases
    • Sponsored Posts
  • Radio Brews News
  • Jobs
  • Classifieds
  • Business Directory
  • Events
    ▼
    • Featured Events
  • Brewery Pro
  • Advertise / Subscribe

Get the latest Brews News!