Solo has been an Australian favourite since its inception in 1968, and only recently it made an adults only variation with Hard Solo. The boozy lemon drink quickly went viral as people couldn’t wait to try the classic flavour.

However, the new-to-market drink has people turning heads, and not because of its tart flavour. Rather, there has been an influx of complaints that Hard Solo is marketed towards minors. And, the debate has hit parliament.

MP for North Sydney Kylea Tink has been leading the push to limit or ban alcohol marketing from reaching minors. She spoke about Hard Solo, and referred to it as having issues “from beginning to end”. 

The criticism is tied up primarily in the packaging. 

“This is a product that looks like a soft drink, tastes like a soft drink, has the same name as a soft drink, went through a self-regulatory process and seemingly was approved to be marketed,” she says.

Crossbench MPs met with representatives from the alcohol industry on 10 August 2023, a pre-planned meeting that was about pushing for advertising reform on a swathe of unhealthy and harmful products including alcohol, gambling and fast food.

During this meeting, the new Solo was also brought up.

“We saw this new drink introduced to the market a little over a week ago and that has provided a really useful focal point for us to pursue these conversations,” says Tink.

Hard Solo and its appeal

The complaints weren’t limited to Tink and her team, with Cancer Council of WA also submitting an official complaint about the drink. Its main complaint was that the recognisable Solo packaging was too similar to the non-alcoholic version. 

“The appeal of Hard Solo to minors is evident given the established appeal of Solo to minors,” the statement says.

Solo, which is owned by Asahi, says that the company and the new packaging strictly complies with the ban on marketing alcohol to minors. The company argues that 85 percent of the original Solo consumers are adults, and the new drink is scoped to be bought predominantly by 25- to 50-year olds.

“This drink looks very different to regular Solo and we strongly refute any claims they can be confused,” says an Asahi spokesperson.

It might sound laughable, but the irreverence of Uber Eats’ petition to rename Australia’s capital city to CanBEERa has got people talking. And this has brought attention to Uber Eats’ recent focus on championing Canberra-based beers offered through their delivery service.

The campaign, led by Special PR, generated widespread media coverage. Awareness was bolstered by a range of mixed media marketing campaigns, including roving boards and a town crier, which were used to carry the petition to Parliament ahead of International Beer Day on 4 August.

The tongue-in-cheek petition never intended to take itself seriously; it simply aimed to garner widespread attention.

“With the catchy Town Crier and the ‘Welcome to CanBEERa’ sign outside Parliament House – it was the perfect backdrop for our petition and to get people outside of Canberra talking about it,” says Alex Bryant, managing director of Special PR in Australia.

Uber Eats’ updated beer selection for Canbeera

Uber Eats is shining the spotlight on local Canberra breweries. Within weeks of the campaign, Uber Eats launched its offering in Canberra to help local bottle shops power their deliveries in the ACT. Uber Eats have also made Canberra-based beers available to order in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.

“The nation’s capital has an outsized contribution to award winning domestic beer production and our petition to rename it CanBEERa has brought national attention to these incredible brewers that we hope will translate into national demand for their quality products,” says general manager retail, Uber Eats ANZ, Lucas Groeneveld.

Uber Eats has also made some big strides in liquor delivery, commencing last mile delivery and growing its beer selection by double digits in the last 12 months.

The petition to rename Australia’s capital to CanBEERa was the first campaign by Special PR, Special Australia’s new offering. It continues Uber Eats’ history of always light-hearted campaigns, which often feature celebrities or involve eye-catching advertising.

And as to whether or not the petition will be successful? I wouldn’t hold my breath.

Fast food chain Taco Bell is celebrating “Taco Tuesday” in the UK by putting a positive spin on a common slur on a billboard. “See you next Tuesday” might be often used colloquially for a word we won’t be running here in Marketing mag, but Taco Bell’s risk is worth the reward.

The agency behind the eye-catching billboard The Or has taken a ‘Cheap Tuesday’ offer and ran with it. For £2, customers can treat themselves for a taco and a soft drink every Tuesday. And, in a time of economic crisis, two quid for a meal is an absolute steal.

To advertise this special, Taco Bell’s latest out of home campaign spells out “See you next Tuesday”. It’s a way to stop passersby, and only in the fine print do you find out just why you’re being technically insulted on a billboard.

Taco Bell and its cheap offer

Lucy Dee, head of marketing at Taco Bell UK spoke about the edgy campaign. “Life can throw all sorts of curveballs at you and we all deserve something to look forward to,” says Dee. “The Or have perfectly grasped this through the lens of British humour, creating an eye-catching campaign that frames Taco Tuesday as a weekly highlight and unmissable pick me up.”

Dan Morris, ECD at The Or added to Dee’s comments. “The incredible offer of a £2 taco and drink in this economy is almost guaranteed to become a landmark weekly moment,” he says. “In fact, it’s so powerful that Brits may even start using ‘See You Next Tuesday’ as a way to describe the uplifting spa day for your soul that bargain tacos give you, rather than to hint at a certain offensive slur. Hopefully.”

So, next time you think you’re being called a ‘See you next Tuesday’, check the fine print. Perhaps it’s not as sinister as it looks.

Fast food chains constantly refresh their menus to keep the crowds coming, and for disappointed diners who miss out on limited releases it can be a long wait for another chance. Now, for the first time in years KFC is offering its Fiery Zinger Burger, but this time with an added boost to appeal to heat fiends.

The end result is the company’s hottest ever burger.

“We know so many Aussies like their meals to pack a punch, so the Fiery Zinger Burger is perfect for fans looking to satisfy their heat cravings or test their limits,” says KFC Australia chief marketing officer Tami Cunningham.

It’s an amplification of a staple marketing technique for KFC.

The brinkmanship of heat marketing

It’s easy to see why selling spiciness works. The Scoville scale lends brands authenticity to position products in an adventurous market that treats every release as a dare.

And who doesn’t love a challenge? There’s strong marketing value in any call to action, and the chance of social media virality. One of the most popular YouTube series ever is a combination of Scoville and celebrity called Hot Ones, which has sustained enough popularity to reach 21 seasons.

But there are perils. Brands risk alienating adventurous customers by either underdelivering or posing a danger to unseasoned taste buds. The Google reviews left by naive chip munchers on the ‘Paqui One Chip Challenge’ product make for an interesting read of bodily experiences.

KFC brings back the Zinger Burger heat

The Fiery Zinger Burger released for a short period in 2016, but this time it comes with a new level of heat, thanks to its extra-hot sauce of 11 chillies – which includes jalapeños, habaneros and Carolina Reapers.

“Delivering a fresh take on iconic KFC flavours, the hottest burger from the Zinger range is sure to delight Aussies with a unique KFC eating experience that truly brings the heat. Get in quick as you never know when it’ll be back again,” says Cunningham.

To up the ante, there is also a new Fiery Double, with spicy fillets acting as buns in a burger.

The spicy meals will only be available for a limited time, from 8 August until 4 September, so don’t wait around. But for those with the KFC app, early access is under way. 

KFC was recently singled out as hot in a different way, found to have Australia’s favourite chips.

Rum and Coke might dominate cocktail menus around the world, but Pepsi wants consumers to consider Pepsi as the perfect partner for the popular drink.

If you thought there was a special day or month for everything, you’re not wrong. August is Rum Month and companies are pulling out all stops to celebrate. Soft drink giant Pepsi has joined the celebration and opened up a debate as old as the drink itself: Coke or Pepsi?

Pepsi is vying to be recognised as the better tasting cola when pairing with rum. In a new campaign #BetterwithPepsi, the campaign has been designed to make people rethink rum and Coke.

Along with a social media campaign, Pepsi’s creative includes finding a secret Pepsi logo in renowned rum company Captain Morgan’s own bottle. With a small circle, Pepsi shows that perhaps Captain Morgan was always hinting that it should’ve been the beverage of choice with the spiced rum. 

Pepsi pulls up the numbers to prove it’s a worthy battle for rum and Coke 

Pepsi also has the numbers to support that the recipe should now become ‘rum and Pepsi’. In a recent consumer preference survey, 56 percent of participants responded that they enjoyed mixing Pepsi with their spiced rum rather than Coke.

The research went even deeper, with flavour experts coming into the battle.

“Rum tends to evoke warm, sweet flavours reminiscent of caramel and vanilla, a result of the oak barrel ageing progress,” explains PepsiCo’s corporate executive research chef for global beverages Chef Kyle Shadix.

“The crisp, sweet and citrusy notes in Pepsi bring perfect balance to the warm spice notes of rum, like cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, creating a smooth, well-rounded taste profile for a perfect summer cocktail!” 

Perhaps this should all come down to the most reputable decider of all: a blind taste test.

The rescue of Australia’s hopes at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in a thrashing of Canada has been the crowning highlight of a seamless event, and the public is engaged. The conclusion of an entertaining Ashes series failed to impede the success, its metropolitan viewership of 754,000 drastically outshone by the Matildas’ 4 to 0 win over Canada.

It feels like this could be a turning point for women’s sport on the global stage.

Everyone’s tuning in for the Matildas

On Monday 31 July 2023, 1.55 million Australians watched Hayley Raso and company dispatch the higher ranked team across the major cities, with almost a million sticking around to watch the post-game analysis.

After the first Matilda’s game, Football Australia CEO James Johnson, said, “this tournament is creating history and we are delighted as Host Nation. We are seeing a surge in support for women’s football, not just in ticket sales, but also in broadcast viewership, fan festival participation and merchandise sales.”

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So long to the Socceroos

Australia’s mens’ soccer team, the Socceroos, has hardly held comparable relevance within the sport to the Matildas, ranked by FIFA as the 27th best team at the time of writing compared with 10th. Yet with the greater prominence of the long-established men’s event, the Socceroos have previously seemed to garner more attention in Australia. 

This group-stage game against Canada topped the viewership efforts of the mens’ 2022 campaign in Qatar, when a comparable match against Denmark only drew in 618,000 people, though to be fair it was much later at night. 

“This heightened interest in our national iconic brands is also reflected in record CommBank Matilda’s merchandise sales online and in retail stores. These numbers reflect the growing strength and appeal of the women’s game, particularly the CommBank Matildas, and it’s a testament to the incredible athletes who are providing us with such thrilling football,” says Johnson.

We’ll have to wait and see if the Matildas next game in the Round of 16 sets a new record for Australia at the World Cup.

Read more about the Matildas and the Socceroos by checking out Football Australia’s marketing efforts in its TikTok partnership here.

It seems that there are not many left in Australia this European summer. As the consumer appetite for flocking to another country intensifies, Urban List Vacays helps those planning a trip.

According to the 2023 Urban List Travel Report, three in four Australians have declared that overseas travel is their priority over the next three years. Perhaps it’s the hangover of two years of hard lockdowns, or perhaps it’s the call of European content, but the report states that 70 percent of respondents are already in the planning phase of an adventure abroad.

Urban List hears the call and launches Urban List Vacays

For both seasoned and new travellers, the planning stage can be some of the most overwhelming. Urban List has partnered with Flight Centre to take the stress out of making sure that the itinerary is meeting (and exceeding) all the traveller’s needs.

Urban List Vacays is an arm of Urban List with six dedicated travel hubs for some of the most popular destinations for Australians: Tokyo, Bali, Fiji, Sicily, Hawaii and London.

It’s an ideal partnership, as Urban List has long cemented itself as a site leaned on by foodies all over the country. With its listicles that detail where to find the best sandwiches, ramens or even Aperol Spritzes in Australia’s major cities, it only makes sense that these suggestions go global. The microsites part of Urban List Vacays details the best places to stay, where to eat and what fun activities to do when in the specific city.

So, if you’re looking for the best place for a ‘cold one in London’, Urban List Vacays has you sorted – leaving travellers with the most important things: capturing the best Instagram worthy content to make those stuck in their Australian offices start planning their next vacay.

Singer, dancer, and all-round talented former Wiggle Emma Watkins stars in the latest Nintendo Switch spot. 

In the new campaign from the gaming giant, Emma Watkins shows off how much a Nintendo Switch is integrated into her busy lifestyle. From chilling out with Ring Fit Adventure at the end of a long day, through to playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Pikmin 4 with her family members, the Nintendo Switch seems to have it all.

First launched in 2017, the Nintendo Switch has since been a staple in the suite of Nintendo consoles. From games through to encouraging being active, its latest campaign shows that this is much more than just about gaming. 

Emma Watkins as the face of Nintendo Switch

With her upcoming feature in Celebrity Amazing Race, Watkins is ready to show off her competitive edge. So battling her sister in the Nintendo games battleground just made sense.

An avid fan of Nintendo Switch, Watkins says, “It’s been such a thrill to partner with Nintendo Australia for this campaign and show how these games, and Nintendo Switch, form a part of my home routine and help me to relax and unwind by myself and with family. Sharing the fun with my husband and sister has been great too!”

The commercials also feature Emma’s sister, Hayley Watkins, and her husband, Oliver Brian, in supporting roles. The first TV commercial, featuring Ring Fit Adventure and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, is out now.

First rising to prominence on Australian screens as she became a member of The Wiggles, Watkins star continues to rise as her passion for movement and bodily expression has expanded into an interest in sign language. Watkins has worked on spreading awareness of Australia’s deaf community since she was young, and has learnt Auslan in recent years, completing her Diploma of Auslan (Australian Sign Language). She is currently studying a Diploma in Interpreting at Deaf Connect and her PhD at Macquarie University in Sydney, focusing on the affective, artistic integrations of sign language, dance and film editing.

Pepsi is teasing a new campaign for the 50th anniversary of hip hop’s birth in New York City that focuses on a titan of both genre and metropolis alike: The Notorious B.I.G.

Although Christopher Wallace (also known as Biggie) died in 1997, his legacy as an icon of hip hop continues to evolve as Pepsi strikes up another partnership with his estate. A fresh Instagram spot captures his distinctive personality and connection to the brand, returning to a Pepsi-themed freestyle recording by the rapper.

“We’ve been working with Pepsi to commemorate my son’s artistry and connect his music with the sounds and artists of today. We hope fans will enjoy it as much as we do,” says his mother Voletta Wallace.

Limited edition Pepsi MAX cans will be released and major global cities are set to be decorated by new B.I.G-themed street art pieces, working with the Christopher Wallace estate to raise his profile with younger audiences.

 

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Returning to an unearthed B.I.G recording

In 2020, Pepsi released a freestyling animation that featured the highly-marketable recording for the first time, in honour of Wallace being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Pepsi marketing team felt this anniversary was the right time to build on that release.

“We are always keeping a finger on the pulse of culture while listening to music fans’ preferred choices, and in the lead up to this momentous cultural occasion, they told us they had Biggie on repeat,” says Gustavo Reyna, senior director global marketing at PepsiCo. 

“In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of hip hop, an art form that has touched every corner of the world and evolved into one of the most significant drivers of popular culture, Pepsi is honoured to partner with The Notorious B.I.G. Estate to bring this unique encore of Biggie’s art and talent to a whole new generation of music fans in never-before-seen ways.”

Read about Pepsi’s relationship with the advertising disclaimer here.

Two high-profile marketing campaigns just culminated in the ‘Barbenheimer’ opening, as Barbie and Oppenheimer finally released in cinemas. The discrete artworks were entangled in a cultural phenomenon to which they will forever be attached, but so many commentators misunderstand the sensation.

It was Barbie that came out on top in box-office earnings, taking in US$356 million to Oppenheimer’s US$180 million worldwide. It’s the biggest opening for a film directed by a woman in history, and director Greta Gerwig has been lauded for outperforming counterpart Christopher Nolan.

But ‘Barbenheimer’ was never a contest.

Marketing blitz

You’d struggle to find anyone who hadn’t engaged with at least one aspect of Barbie marketing, as it was absolutely everywhere.

On top of impressive traditional advertising, collaborations kept the movie prominent for months, from pink burgers to Impala roller skates. Our favourite was the partnership with Airbnb, which allowed fans the chance to request a booking in Ken’s bedroom of ‘Barbie’s Malibu DreamHouse’.

But Barbie had everything primed for global engagement. The long history and many evolutions of Mattel’s crown jewel set the stage for this success through excellent brand recognition, so with an enormous marketing budget of reportedly US$150 million, failure seemed unlikely.

The marketing for Oppenheimer largely emphasised its solemn approach to the historical story with few colours other than in explosion depictions, providing a stark contrast to the vibrant Barbie branding that would spawn ‘Barbenheimer’ through creative online comparisons.

The symbiosis of the ‘Barbenheimer’ phenomenon

When the Barbie release date was announced in April 2022 the overlap was framed as a contest, with one Twitter user calling it an “epic matchup”. But as marketing operations got underway that’s not how things played out.

This is not the first experience of such an anticipated dual opening for Hollywood, or even Nolan. In 2008 Mamma Mia! and The Dark Knight shared a launch date, but a differentiation was made between the fans of heart-warming musicals and superhero blockbusters, which is common counterprogramming. 

The connection seems to have been inflated recently in the context of ‘Barbenheimer’, as watching both features in a single cinema visit was not common.

This time around, instead of duelling for attention and treating this as a typical competition, the two productions succeeded in merging narratives to elevate the release date’s importance as a whole. Internet fandom played an undeniable role in the media narrative, but the stars of each film played up the entwinement. 

“I think it’s just great for the industry and for audiences that we have two amazing films by amazing filmmakers coming out on the same day,” Oppenheimer’s lead actor Cillian Murphy told IGN, while Barbie’s Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig posed with Oppenheimer tickets in June.

It’s an unexpected symbiotic relationship that has borne fruit. Each movie should be considered a huge hit thanks in part to the existence and coinciding release of the other. 

The opening weekend for ‘Barbenheimer’ was the biggest haul for the box office since mid 2019 when Avengers: Endgame debuted, providing relief for the unstable movie industry.

WB is opening the doors to BARBIE’s dreamhouse July 21, 2023, where it will show against Christopher Nolan’s OPPENHEIMER.

BARBIE VS THE BOMB. Epic matchup.

— Exhibitor Relations Co. (@ERCboxoffice) April 27, 2022

A tough time for the cinemas

Recent years have seen historically low cinema attendance figures, thanks in large part to the coronavirus pandemic. According to Screen Australia, the total domestic cinema admissions fell from 84.7 million in 2019 to roughly a third as many the following year, only recovering to 57.9 million in 2022.

Streaming has also had a major effect on this cultural shift as on-demand access to high-quality content naturally disincentivises ticket sales, but that alternative stifles cultural phenomena like ‘Barbenheimer’ without key factors like communal attendance and limited release windows.

Though this may inspire future openings, as writers and now actors strike in the US it’s hard to see this event as a turning point, since more engaged cinema audiences don’t matter if there is no content to serve them.