Beer is intrinsic to the Australian way of life and today Australia is ranked fourth internationally in per capita beer consumption at around 110 litres per year. Since the mid 1960s Victoria Bitter has been an iconic symbol of Australian culture, and in 1999 VB represented one in four beers sold in Australia. For more than two decades, Australia’s only billion dollar retail beer brand and top 3 seller in every state, Victoria Bitter (VB) sold the equivalent of one slab every second. This equated to twice as much as any other full strength beer in the market and held VB firmly in the No. 1 market share.
The proud pinnacle of Australia's working class, VB ads represented the light at the end of the tunnel for the everyday hard worker in Australia.
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The idea of earning your keep and earning reward was a large part of the Aussie culture and therefore the catchy phrase that represented VB emphasised on earning. The video shows many examples of Australian everyday clothing, Aussie football (unique to Australia and in specific, Victoria). This reaches out to the audience giving the “just like you” sense. The direct address of “you” within the rhyming scheme of the advert provides a sense of inclusion and makes the advert a personal and direct approach. Furthermore, the voice used as the narrator is one of a thick Aussie accent, which is deep and informative, and consistent as a brand voice, reflective of ‘real men’ and the target consumer.
But, changing beer profiles, tastes and expanding repertoires all lead to a rapidly changing beer category. In 2012, the per capita volume of beer consumption in Australia was at a 65-year low, the category was declining at a 4.1% year-on year and no brand suffered more than Australia’s iconic mainstream beer Victoria Bitter. By 2012, VB had weathered 12 years of consecutive decline that left the brand at barely half of its size and market share, plunging from the number one position that they had held for over two