Droga5 Aotearoa has created a campaign for Hard Rated with the tagline, “Why go to Aussie when Aussie’s best drink just came to you?”
Australia’s RTD, Hard Rated, is hitting New Zealand shelves.
The campaign kicked off with a tongue-in-cheek apology in the form of a false cover wrap on the front of the New Zealand Herald and a radio spot from Hard Rated’s self-proclaimed chief trans-Tasman relations officer. The message? The real reason behind the Kiwi migration to Australia wasn’t job prospects or sunshine — it was access to Hard Rated. But now, the drink is available across New Zealand, effective immediately.
The campaign spans OOH, radio, press and digital.
Hard Rated is going the extra mile with a promo to fly a deserving Kiwi back home.
“New Zealand has seen a talent drain for years. The usual excuses? Better jobs or better weather. But we suspect there’s been a more pressing, more delicious reason — access to Australia’s number one RTD. With Hard Rated finally available here, we’re expecting fewer one-way flights,” Christie Cooper, creative director at Droga5 Aotearoa said.
“We feel partially responsible for this trans-Tasman exodus. So, we’re owning it, apologising, and letting everyone know there’s one less reason to leave. Because why go to Aussie when Aussie’s best drink just came to you?” James Conner, creative director at Droga5 Aotearoa added.
“Australians have a habit of claiming Kiwi culture as their own — we saw an opportunity to flip that script. With this bold and cheeky lemon RTD, we’re bringing the taste and attitude that made Hard Rated a hit in Australia straight to Kiwi drinkers,” Oliver Downs, GM marketing at Asahi said.
