Bringing it home.
Hard Rated has officially landed in New Zealand earlier this year, leaning into the trans-Tasman brain drain in a campaign via Droga5.
“New Zealanders have long crossed the ditch for better pay or warmer weather, or so we thought,” said Asahi Beverages NZ GM marketing, Tatyana Dickson.
“Hard Rated’s launch campaign flipped that idea, hinting that maybe the real reason was to get a taste of Australia’s No.1 RTD.
“Now that Hard Rated is available nationwide in New Zealand, we’re solving that problem once and for all.
“With this next, outlandish phase, Hard Rated invites everyone to enjoy what might just be the best thing to ever come out of Australia, right here at home.”
A nationwide callout asked people to ‘dob in a friend’ across the ditch who needed convincing to come back.
Once Hard Rated found its guy, Grayson, a helicopter banner flew over Sydney Harbour and Bondi Beach calling on him to return home, and this also appeared on the front page of The New Zealand Herald.
“Hard Rated is already a powerhouse in Australia, and we wanted to bring that same energy to New Zealand, with a little cheek and a lot of flavour,” said Droga5 ANZ executive creative directors Christie Cooper & James Conner.
“This next act in our campaign captures the trans-Tasman rivalry perfectly, proving that sometimes the best imports are worth bringing home.”
CAMPAIGN CREDITS:
Client: Asahi Beverages NZ
GM Marketing: Tatyana Dickson
Senior Marketing Lead: Jonathan Rea
Senior Brand Manager: Monique O’Neil
Connections Planner: Emily Cryer
Social Media Specialist: Izaak Kirkbeck
Creative Agency: Droga5 ANZ, part of Accenture Song
Chief Creative Officer: Damon Stapleton
Executive Creative Directors: Christie Cooper & James Conner
Copywriter: Casey Clarke
Art Director: Zac Nairn
Group Business Director: James Allan
Senior Business Director: Danny Murphy
GM & Executive Producer: Rosie Grayson
Integrated Producer: Callum Crabb
Design Lead: Lucinda Fortescue-Hansen
Intermediate Graphic Designer: Vivian Heng
Senior Finished Artist: Lisa Stowers
Production Company: Eden Studios
Helicopter Banner: Airvision Aviaion
Media Partners: Spark Foundry NZ | Hearts and Science
