Marketing News: £6m twist for Foster’s

Foster’s new premium line extension, Foster’s Twist, is being launched with the support of a £6 million TV advertising campaign. This will run until the end of 2006 and takes the brand’s total above-the-line investment in the UK to more than £50m.

Twist hit the market in July. Following a successful initial roll-out, brand owner Scottish & Newcastle (S&N) anticipates that this wide-reaching campaign will reinforce the brand identity among target consumers, after its debut on August 23.

With a big budget and a highly targeted media plan, Phil McTeer, Foster’s brand manager at S&N, explains: “During the first burst of the campaign, 85% of all 18–34-year-old men will see the ad, which is more than double the amount of men who watched the FA Cup final.”

The 30-second ad, called “Laid-back”, was created by M&C Saatchi, while Starcom MediaVest controlled media buying. Set in a sunset beach bar, the ad features two men who are relaxing on a sofa supping Foster’s Twist.

As one of them gets up (presumably to fetch the next round), he manages to walk while retaining his laid-back sofa stance. A suitably impressed onlooker proceeds to attempt to imitate, but lands flat on his face. The ad rounds out with a shot of the bottle, set at the same relaxed 45º angle with the catchline: “Foster’s Twist. The laid-back lager.”

According to McTeer, “Foster’s Twist is designed to appeal to 22–28-year-old men and women who are looking for a lighter, more refreshing bottle lager”.

Since the launch, Twist has secured a host of on- and off-trade listings, and S&N anticipates
that this extensive campaign will drive both sales and availability.

© db September 2006