In a category that often defaults to familiar sporting sponsorships and safe creative, Sunday Gravy has taken a different sort of swing.
The independent agency has launched the inaugural Coopers Mild Ale Coober Pedy Classic for Coopers Brewery – an unlikely golf tournament set on one of the roughest courses in the world.
At the centre of the idea is a little-known but powerful hook: the red dirt of Coober Pedy and the lush greens of Scotland share reciprocal playing rights. The Coober Pedy Opal Fields Golf Club holds official reciprocal rights with St Andrews — the birthplace of golf.
From that improbable connection, a campaign platform was born.
Rather than create another traditional beer-and-sport partnership, Sunday Gravy created an experience: a tournament on the rugged, turf-less fairways of Coober Pedy, complete with BYO turf, busted buggies and opal-mined bunkers. Win the Classic and you and a mate head to Scotland to tee off at one of the world’s most iconic courses.
It’s billed as a golf tournament for beer drinkers, not golfers — unless you’re a golfer who likes beer. No handicap required. No strict dress code. Consumers simply buy any Coopers Mild Ale for the chance to play.
For Ant White, Co-Founder and CCO at Sunday Gravy, the thinking reflects a broader shift in how brands need to behave.
“In a climate where audiences, absently scroll past most things, you have to think differently about earning attention. Entertainment first is always our starting point. When brands get the chance to create something tangible, something you can attend, compete in and, even better, share a beer at, you take it. It’s about creating experiences people genuinely want to be part of.”
The work sits firmly within Coopers’ long-running Forever Original platform — but expresses it in a way that feels culturally alive rather than executionally repetitive.
Jessica Douglas, Brand Manager, Coopers says:
“For us, the Coober Pedy Classic is a great extension of our long-running Forever Original brand platform – backing Aussie ingenuity and celebrating individuality. In a category that often plays it safe, we are once more choosing to play it differently. Or, more accurately, Forever Original.”
Lucy Noblet, Campaign Manager, Coopers, adds: “The Coober Pedy Classic captures the Coopers spirit perfectly. Backing the locals, celebrating originality, and creating the kind of tournament where having a laugh with your mates matters more than your handicap feels unmistakeably Coopers.”
Importantly, the campaign isn’t just a promotional mechanic — it’s a content engine built around authenticity and place.
Sunday Gravy partnered closely with the local community, casting Club Captain Steve Borrett as lead talent and leaning into the town’s proud, no-frills personality.
The hero film, shot by Hayden Sommerville of MOFA, adopts a nostalgic 80s golf tutorial aesthetic and is anchored by the unmistakable voiceover of sports broadcasting legend Sandy Roberts.
Sunday Gravy creatives Alex Crampton and Lenna Boland say: “Partnering with the locals, especially Club Captain Steve Borrett as our lead talent was a highlight. Coober Pedy doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not. It’s proud of what it is. That felt very Coopers to us. Authentic, dry and just bloody fun.”
From a channel perspective, the campaign has been designed as fully integrated from day one — spanning PR, video, digital, social, OOH and radio — with earned media playing a central role in amplifying the cultural contrast between outback Australia and the spiritual home of golf.
“This is how we believe brands should show up, not just in feeds, but in real life. From pre-launch famil to earned media the ambition is to grow awareness of Coopers Mild Ale with a completely new cohort of drinkers,” Sean Sowerby, Head of PR & Content at Sunday Gravy added.
The Coober Pedy Classic takes place 15–17 May 2026, but for the agency and brand, the real play is longer term: building distinctive brand assets that live beyond a single media cycle.
As the campaign line puts it: “You don’t have to be a pro. You just have to buy a beer.”
CREDITS
Client: Coopers
National Marketing Manager – Kate Dowd
Brand Manager – Jessica Douglas
Campaign Manager – Lucy Noblet
Social and Digital Manager – Aaron Child
Social Media Co-ordinator – Maddi McCarthy
Trade Activation Manager – Amy March
National Trade Marketing Manager – Jacqueline Whybrow
Creative Agency: Sunday Gravy
Production Company:
Production Company: MOFA
Director: Hayden Somerville
Executive Producer: Llew Griffiths
DOP: Alex Serafini
Post Production: Offline & Online editor: Jen Cahir @Sunday Gravy
Colourist: Ted Deacey
With special thanks to Steve Borrett and Nadine Lewis at Coober Pedy Golf Club.
Media Agency: Atomic 212
Senior Digital Manager: Ray Liew
Planning and Trading Director: Maddy Papilion
Planning & Trading Manager: Georgia Rowntree
