Bundaberg & Leos Enlist Comic Becky Lucas To Celebrate The Pubs Reopening

Remember those great pub rituals – the art of a good ‘Cheers!’, the dexterity involved in masterfully carrying a round, or the quality ice-breaking chat that lands you a new friend?

After a devastating 18 months for Australia’s hospitality industry, Bundaberg Rum’s $11.5 million COVID-19 recovery fund Raising the Bar is encouraging Australians to support their local pub, club, or bar with a new tongue-in-cheek campaign called “Don’t Forget Your Local”.

Set to appear in NSW, Victoria and Queensland, the campaign will feature on broadcast television, OOH, online and across social, along with media partnerships with Buzzfeed and the Urban List.

The “Don’t Forget Your Local” campaign acknowledges that our hospitality sector has not only had to deal with lockdowns, restricted trading, and rising costs, but with new socialising habits that have seen us become far more comfortable on the couch than at the pub. So even when our local is open, we’re visiting them less frequently.

Created by Leo Burnett, the “Don’t Forget Your Local” campaign taps into the insight that returning to the local may be awkward at first, but it won’t be long after we order that first drink at the bar that we’ll remember just how good it feels to be back.

In a series of TVCs, Aussie comedian Becky Lucas playfully reminds us how to do all the things that once came naturally to us; carrying a round, breaking the ice with the stranger standing next to you at the bar, or simply ‘cheers’-ing a mate.

In launching “Don’t Forget Your Local”, Raising the Bar aims to get Aussies excited about getting back to their favourite local and in typical Bundy Rum humour, remind us of all the great times we’ve missed during COVID-19 lockdowns.

Diageo marketing manager, Jodi McLeod, said: “Covid-19 has had a profound impact on the hospitality industry across Australia with pubs, clubs and bars of all sizes experiencing a massive impact to their businesses. The pandemic has changed the way we ‘local’ as safety regulations have made going to your local more structured and less spontaneous.

“Our challenge is to shift people out of their homes by reminding them about what makes our locals so special and focusing on the socialisation and community benefits of getting back together.”

Leo Burnett executive creative director, Andy Fergusson, said: “It’s amazing how quickly our routines and habits have changed. Two years ago, the idea of needing to create a campaign to get Aussies back to their local would have been laughable. Now, it’s a serious problem to solve.

“But people are feeling a bit of community-responsibility fatigue, so we wanted to ensure the campaign didn’t come across as too earnest or preachy. Because, at the end of the day, we’re just reminding people that there’s a place round the corner where you can share a few laughs and drinks with your best mates. And even though we might have to relearn a few things, it’s still the same old local.”

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Becky Lucas Bundaberg Rum Diageo Australia Leo Burnett