Hard Rated.
Carlton and United Breweries has launched a long-term brand platform for Hard Rated alcoholic lemon premix via Clemenger BBDO.
The campaign stakes a mischievous flag in the sand for the product with a bold and brazen little character that lurks within all of us, laying low as we go about our laundry and dishes. But every so often, when an opportunity arises, the “Inner Cheeky” pops up to encourage us to have a bit of fun.
The work celebrates cheeky acts, like using a run club as a dating app or making a full meal out of cheese tasting samples in a supermarket deli.
In the films, we see an ‘inner cheeky’ rise from the mischief-maker’s head after they’ve broken an unwritten rule and then sit on their ‘outwardly cheeky’ human’s shoulder as the pair celebrate by cracking open a Hard Rated.
Hard Rated marketing manager Amy Pollock-Hall said the product that has had a meteoric rise to the top.
"Hard Rated's classic lemon taste and refreshingly low-fizz liquid has appealed across demographics, establishing the brand as a juggernaut," she said.
"This campaign layers mischievous intent to celebrate cheekiness in all forms and build meaning beyond the liquid."
Clemenger BBDO executive creative director Ant Phillips said the team has channeled a bit of cheekiness with this campaign.
"Hard Rated has naturally found its way into Australian culture as the drink that is a little bit cheeky," he said.
"Now we want to bring that cheekiness out in everything we do with the brand. And by that, I mean we literally want to bring it out of the top of people’s heads."
The campaign launched across OOH, film, audio and social on December 1.
Credits:
Client – Carlton & United Breweries
Head of RTDs and Cider – Sarah Wilcox
Marketing Manager – Hard Rated and Good Tides – Amy Pollock-Hall
Creative Agency – Clemenger BBDO
Chief Creative Officer – Adrián Flores
Executive Creative Director – Ant Phillips
Executive Creative Director – Richard Williams
Creative Director – Derek Anderson
Art Director – Ben Bryan
Copywriter – Tom Vizard
Copywriter – Riana McKenzie
Copywriter – Talia Stone
Chief Strategy & Experience Officer - Simon Wassef
Strategy Partner - Brooke Thompson
Managing Partner - Jason Melhuish
Group Business Director - Sam Siddons
Business Director - Lauren Mayne
Business Manager - Mack Horton
Producer – Amalia Markis
Head of Studio – Matt Gauci
Retouching – Sam Tsui
Production Company – Hooves
Director- Ayappa
Executive Producer - John Pace
Producer - Renae Begent
Offline Editor- Jack Hutchings @ The Editors
Grade - Martin Greer
Online and VFX - Pancho
Sound design – Liam Annert @ Rumble Studios
Media Agency – PHD
