New Zealand was once a nation of proud, beer drinking men. They still enjoyed simple pleasures - playing and watching sport, making things, catching things, and of course spending time with their mates, having a beer and coming up with far-fetched ideas that were going to 'change the world'. But over the past few years, despite NPD and new brands entering the market, beer consumption had slumped. And DB Export, a mainstream lager within the DB Breweries portfolio, was not exempt from this pressure.

SparkPHD needed to remind mainstream beer drinkers that DB Export was the perfect choice of everyday beer for everyday Kiwi blokes. But instead of following the category conventions of bombarding Kiwi blokes with clichéd beer campaigns that try to give them a rational REASON to pick one brand over another, the brand went in a different direction. It was in a position to give them a playful but noble EXCUSE to drink DB Export.

The agency created the world's first 'beer by-product' petrol by turning leftover yeast slurry into 300,000 litres of planet saving biofuel - DB Export Brewtroleum and convinced a national petrol station chain to sell it. That meant it could rally the men of New Zealand around a new cause. The communications strategy was to launch the story with PR, organic social and earned media so that drinkers heard about Brewtroleum in the news or from their mates first and then use paid media to magnify the message and remind blokes to buy DB Export.

In total, the campaign was seen by 96% of New Zealand men. And by giving them a worthy excuse to drink more beer, the agency achieved all of its objectives.

Against a target to grow DB Export sales +5% YOY, sales since the campaign launch are up 15% YOY. But more importantly the product is selling at a higher price point which has a far greater effect on profit. DB Export is now the fastest growing brand in the DB portfolio, with growth more than doubling that of hero brand Heineken and becoming the biggest selling beer in New Zealand.