SUB CATEGORY :

LAUNCH/RE-LAUNCH

COMPANY ENTERING :

LEO BURNETT ISRAEL, TEL AVIV

TITLE :

GAZA BORDER BEER

BRAND :

ALEXANDER BREWERY

ADVERTISER :

ALEXANDER BREWERY

AGENCY :

LEO BURNETT ISRAEL, TEL AVIV

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER :

ADAM POLACHEK

CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER :

AMI ALUSH

CREATIVE DIRECTOR :

ELAD GAIZLER

ART DIRECTOR :

OLGA VOROBIEVA

ACCOUNT DIRECTOR :

IDIT ZUCKERMAN

ACCOUNT MANAGER :

ZIV ABUHAZIRA

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE :

ILANIT TSCHELAK

STRATEGIC PLANNING DIRECTOR :

SHAI NISSENBOIM

STRATEGIC PLANNER :

LIZ STULL

PR AGENCY :

KARVAT & WEISS

MARKETING COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR :

EVA HASSON

AGENCY PRODUCER :

MENNY ZARHIA

TRAFFIC MANAGER :

MAYA VAROCHIK

MEDIA PLANNING MANAGER :

ZILA KNAFO

FILM PRODUCTION COMPANY :

OMRI PAZ, TEL AVIV

SOUND PRODUCTION COMPANY :

NOV, TEL AVIV

PHOTOGRAPHER :

MENACHEM REISS

CAMPAIGN SUMMARY :

ALEXANDER IS A SMALL ISRAELI BOUTIQUE BEER BREWERY, WHICH WAS KNOWN MOSTLY TO ISRAELI BEER CONNOISSEURS. VERY FEW PEOPLE IN THE GENERAL PUBLIC HAD HEARD OF IT, LET ALONE CONSIDERED BUYING IT. THAT, COUPLED WITH THE FACT MOST OF ALEXANDER’S COMPETITION CAME FROM THE WELL-FUNDED BIG INTERNATIONAL BEER BRANDS – MEANT WE HAD SOME SERIOUS CHALLENGES ON OUR HANDS: 1. DEVISE A WAY TO BREAK INTO THE ISRAELI BEER DRINKER’S CONSCIOUSNESS AND CONSIDERATION SET AND EFFECTIVELY RELAUNCH ALEXANDER IN THE LOCAL MARKET 2. CREATE A COMPELLING ENOUGH REASON FOR ISRAELIS TO CHOOSE OUR BEER OVER THE WELL-KNOWN INTERNATIONAL BRANDS THEY USUALLY BOUGHT AND LOVED TO ANSWER BOTH CHALLENGES, WE DECIDED TO GIVE ISRAELIS A CAUSE TO RALLY AROUND AND LAUNCHED THE ALEXANDER “GAZA BORDER BEER”. A LIMITED EDITION BEER MADE FROM WHEAT SAVED FROM THE GAZA BORDER FIELD FIRES SET ABLAZE BY THE GAZANS’ INCENDIARY KITES. A RELATIVELY NEW PHENOMENON IN THE ONGOING ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT – BUT ONE THAT PUT FARMERS OF ISRAEL’S BORDER TOWNS AND KIBBUTZIM SQUARELY ON THE FRONTLINE AS THE FIRES RAVAGED THEIR CROPS AND WIPED OUT THEIR LIVELIHOOD - IN THE PROCESS ALSO TURNING TO ASH THE VERY WHEAT ALEXANDER DEPENDED ON TO MAKE BEER. HENCE ALEXANDER’S INITIATIVE AND ANNOUNCEMENT THAT ALL PROCEEDS OF THE LIMITED EDITION BEER WOULD GO TO HELP ISRAELI FARMERS REPLANT AND REGROW THEIR FIELDS. THE BEER WAS AVAILABLE AT SUPERMARKETS, BARS, RESTAURANTS AND ONLINE, WITH FREE ‘NEXT-DAY-DELIVERY’ ANYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY. IT LAUNCHED THE INITIATIVE WITH A HEARTBREAKING COMMERCIAL WHERE GAZA BORDER FARMERS SPOKE ABOUT THE PAIN AND DESPAIR THEY FELT, AS THEY WITNESSED THE FRUIT OF THEIR HARD LABOR GO UP IN SMOKE. THE COMMERCIAL ENDED WITH A CALL TO BUY THE BEER IN SOLIDARITY. ALEXANDER SOLD MORE BEER IN ONE WEEK THAN IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS.

THE BRIEF :

ALEXANDER IS A SMALL ISRAELI BOUTIQUE BEER BREWERY, THAT WAS KNOWN MOSTLY TO ISRAELI BEER CONNOISSEURS. VERY FEW PEOPLE IN THE GENERAL PUBLIC HAD HEARD OF IT, LET ALONE CONSIDERED BUYING IT. THAT, COUPLED WITH THE FACT MOST OF ALEXANDER’S COMPETITION CAME FROM THE SUPER WELL-FUNDED BIG INTERNATIONAL BEER BRANDS – MEANT WE HAD SOME SERIOUS CHALLENGES ON OUR HANDS: 1. DEVISE A WAY TO BREAK INTO THE ISRAELI BEER DRINKER’S CONSCIOUSNESS AND CONSIDERATION SET AND EFFECTIVELY RELAUNCH ALEXANDER IN THE LOCAL MARKET. 2. CREATE A COMPELLING ENOUGH REASON FOR ISRAELIS TO CHOOSE OUR BEER OVER THE WELL-KNOWN INTERNATIONAL BRANDS THEY USUALLY BOUGHT AND LOVED.

THE STRATEGY :

ISRAELIS UNLIKE PEOPLE IN OTHER COUNTRIES ARE A SOLIDARY BUNCH. IT’S SOMETHING THEY LEARNT FROM GOING TO THE ARMY TOGETHER. WHEN YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON THE GUY STANDING NEXT TO YOU – YOU’LL GO TO ANY EXTENT TO HAVE HIS BACK AND MAKE SURE HE HAS YOURS. SO ISRAELIS HELP EACH OTHER OUT – NO MATTER WHAT SIDE OF THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM THEY’RE ON. KNOWING THAT FACT, ALEXANDER BEER DECIDED TO GIVE ISRAELIS A CAUSE TO RALLY AROUND: THE LIVELIHOOD THEIR ‘BROTHERS’- THE FARMERS OF ISRAEL’S BORDER TOWNS AND KIBBUTZIM WHOSE CROPS WERE BEING TORCHED BY THE GAZAN’S INCENDIARY KITES. A NEW MEASURE DEVISED TO KEEP THE ISRAEL-PALESTINE CONFLICT CENTER STAGE THAT HAD TURNED OVER 28000 HECTARES OF WHEAT – ON WHICH THE BREWERY INCIDENTALLY ALSO DEPENDED FOR ITS OWN BEER PRODUCTION - INTO TO ASHES.
SO IT LAUNCHED A LIMITED EDITION “GAZA BORDER BEER” MADE WITH THE WHEAT RESCUED FROM THE BURNT FIELDS AND CALLED FOR ISRAELIS TO SUPPORT THE GAZA BORDER FARMERS BY BUYING IT AS ITS PROCEEDS WOULD GO TO REPLANTING THE FIELDS. THE BEER WAS SOLD NOT ONLY IN SUPERMARKETS, BARS&RESTAURANTS, BUT ALSO ONLINE – AN UNUSUAL PLACE TO SELL BEER WITH A PROMISE OF NEXT-DAY-DELIVERY

THE EXECUTION :

ALEXANDER LAUNCHED ITS LIMITED EDITION “GAZA BORDER BEER”, AVAILABLE AT SUPERMARKETS, BARS, RESTAURANTS AND ONLINE, WITH FREE ‘NEXT-DAY-DELIVERY’ ANYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY. PRESS RELEASES WERE SENT, SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS WERE ACTIVATED AND INFLUENCERS WERE CONTACTED TO LEND A HELPING HAND IN SPREADING THE WORD ABOUT THE NEW BEER AND WHAT IT STOOD FOR. WE CREATED A COMMERCIAL WHERE GAZA BORDER FARMERS TESTIFIED AND SPOKE ABOUT THE PAIN AND DESPAIR THEY FELT AT WITNESSING THE FRUIT OF THEIR HARD LABOR GO UP IN SMOKE. A COMMERCIAL THAT OF COURSE ENDED WITH A CALL FOR ISRAELI CONSUMERS TO BUY THE BEER IN SOLIDARITY. COMPANIES LIKE GOOGLE AND YOUTUBE WERE CONVINCED TO JOIN OUR CAUSE AND GIVE OUR LIMITED EDITION BEER SIGNIFICANT VISIBILITY THOUGH MASTHEAD TAKEOVERS.

THE RESULT :

ISRAELIS ENDORSED THE INITIATIVE INSTANTLY. THE PRESSED RAVED – MORNING SHOWS, EVENING NEWS BROADCASTS, THE DAILY PRESS – GTHEY ALL COVERED OUR LIMITED EDITION LAUNCH. ALEXANDER SOLD MORE BEER IN ONE WEEK THAN IT SOLD IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS. THE INITIAL BATCH OF LIMITED EDITION BOTTLES SOLD OUT IN THE SPACE OF JUST FIVE DAYS. SALES ON THE BRAND’S WEBSITE INCREASED BY 1500%. ISRAELIS’ DEMAND FOR THE BEER WAS SO FIERCE WE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO MAKE MORE. SO THAT WHAT STARTED AS A LIMITED EDITION BEER IS STILL BEING SOLD TODAY. SO FAR WE GAVE BACK 60000$ TO FARMERS…AND THAT’S JUST THE BEGINNING. ALEXANDER WENT FROM A LITTLE UNKNOWN LOCAL BOUTIQUE BEER BRAND, TO THE BEER THAT WAS ON EVERYONE’S LIPS (LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY) – ITS SALES GROWTH RATE OUTPACING THOSE OF THE COMPETING BIG INTERNATIONAL BEER BRANDS.