Of shiny things and mixed messages

Well that’s another CUB media release that seems to have passed us by. Maybe it’s because we broke the news about Carlton Draught’s new Keg Can and they figured we didn’t need the media release. Whatever.

Carlton Draught's trade marked 'keg can': Draught beer at its best?

Carlton Draught’s trade marked ‘keg can’: Draught beer at its best?

Anyway, I really can’t be bothered editorialising the CUB marketing team’s latest nonsensical say-the-first-thing-that-comes-into-their-heads-irrespective-of-what-it-means marketing lines. I will let them speak for themselves.

On 15th May, CUB responded to the Lion Tap King announcement in an article in The Shout.

The article said:
Draught beer is “sacrosanct” and you won’t see Carlton & United Breweries develop a product that enables consumers to emulate it home, according to CUB sales director – on-premise Paul Donaldson.

“We had a number of suppliers come to us to try and launch it based around Carlton Draught, given it’s the most popular draught beer in the country,” he said.

“After we spoke to the AHA and about 20 or 30 publicans, we decided against it.”

Donaldson said CUB’s view that draught beer is sacrosanct has been heightened under SABMiller’s ownership.

“It’s just too important to put mixed messages in the market,” he said.

“We don’t have any plans to re-evaluate it at the moment, in fact the opposite is true – [our approach is] about how do we put more resources into on-premise?”
Then last week, announcing the ‘shiny’ keg can, they issued a media release containing the following:
Alaistair McCausland, marketing manager for Carlton Draught, said the keg can was about championing the Aussie pub experience. “You see a keg and instantly think having a beer at the pub,” McCausland said.

“We all know the pub is the best place to enjoy a fresh Carlton Draught with your mates, but for those times when grabbing a stool at the bar just isn’t possible, holding a keg can at home will absolutely be the next best thing. Plus, they’re really shiny.”
So, draught beer is sacrosanct and we don’t want to take away from the pub experience so when you see a keg and are reminded of a pub have made it so you can take it home. Huh?

Yep…as the Clarke and Dawe piece we published earlier today shows, one thing the team at CUB know all about is mixed messages. Not to mention getting distracted by shiny things.

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