Clemenger Gets Up to Mischief with 'Born Cheeky' Platform for CUB’s Hard Rated

The Clems team has channeled a bit of cheekiness to build a long-term brand platform for Carlton & United Breweries’ Hard Rated alcoholic lemon premix. The launch campaign across OOH, film, audio and social stakes a mischievous flag in the sand for the product that has had a meteoric rise to the top, becoming the country’s number one light ready to drink (RTD) alcoholic beverage.

To bring Born Cheeky’s mischievous mission to life, Clems developed a bold and brazen little character that lurks within all of us, laying low as we go about our laundry and dishes. But every so often, when an opportunity arises, the “Inner Cheeky” pops up to encourage us to have a bit of fun. The creative celebrates cheeky acts, like using a run club as a dating app or making a full meal out of cheese tasting samples in a supermarket deli.

In the films, we see an ‘inner cheeky’ rise from the mischief-maker’s head after they’ve broken an unwritten rule. After applauding the ballsy move, the ‘inner cheeky’ sits on their ‘outwardly cheeky’ human’s shoulder as the pair celebrate by cracking open a Hard Rated.

Amy Pollock-Hall, Hard Rated marketing manager said, “Hard Rated’s classic lemon taste and refreshingly low-fizz liquid has appealed across demographics, establishing the brand as a juggernaut. This campaign layers mischievous intent to celebrate cheekiness in all forms and build meaning beyond the liquid.”

Clemenger BBDO executive creative director Ant Phillips said, “Hard Rated has naturally found its way into Australian culture as the drink that is a little bit cheeky. Now we want to bring that cheekiness out in everything we do with the brand. And by that, I mean we literally want to bring it out of the top of people’s heads.”

The campaign launched on Sunday 1 December 2024 running across OOH, film, audio and social.