Channel 4 is teaming up with Foster’s to run a series of shorts following a 17,000-mile road trip from the UK to Australia as the beer brand’s owner looks to move away from a “laddish” image.
The 10-part series, called Helluva Tour, will follow four strangers in “a pimped up camper van” using fixed cameras and footage filmed by contributors. The public will get the chance to be cast in the series via a pop-up city tour in coming weeks.
The five-minute videos will first air on Channel 4’s new online platform All4 this autumn, before appearing later in the year on the main channel and E4 as the Foster’s sponsorship idents for the broadcaster’s original comedy programming.
Ifeoma Dozie, beer brand director for Foster’s owners, Heineken, said: “The Helluva Tour is a completely unique and exciting piece of content that will resonate with consumers. It’s different to any other beer brand marketing and will make Foster’s stand out as the beer for this generation.”
The new campaign comes as SABMiller which is looking to move away from advertising that promotes a “lager lout, laddish, college frat” image. The six-year Foster’s campaign featuring Aussie mates Brad and Dan came to an end last month.
SABMiller chief executive Alan Clark said in May that it was time for the beer industry to move away from advertising in which women were the butt of jokes. “We have to acknowledge that core lager, for many years, was either dismissive of, or insulting to, women,” he said following the company’s recent results presentation.
At the time the Brad and Dan ads were dropped, Heineken, which owns the Foster’s brand in Europe, said the decision to change the way Foster’s was promoted on the continent was made last year and was not related to Clark’s comments.
The deal with Foster’s comes as Channel 4 ramps up its focus on sponsored shorts, with new partnerships and an expanded team. This month Sony began sponsoring a series of shorts featuring the stars of Made in Chelsea playing pranks on each other, called Misbehaving in Chelsea.
Channel 4 partnership controller for funded content and creative solutions Simon Wells said: “This ambitious new branded shorts series provides Foster’s with an exciting new way to engage with Channel 4 viewers through the creation of high-quality and entertaining content.
“It signals our ambition to continue to strengthen Channel 4’s existing collection of advertiser-funded shorts which include major partnerships with Sony, Rimmel London, British Gas and Alfa Romeo.”
