Shouting a mate a beer is an Aussie tradition – a generous act already embedded in Australian culture. Last year, Great Northern turned it into a large-scale fundraising platform with Rural Aid, to deliver tangible support to rural communities impacted by drought, flooding and rising costs. The Great Shout returns this year with a campaign execution awarded to Dentsu Creative in a competitive PR tender process.

The campaign launched during the NRL’s Magic Round May 14-17, built around the symbolic ringing at Suncorp Stadium of the Great Northern Can Bell, a new creative device incorporating a beer can design to rally fans to “shout a round” for Queensland farmers doing it tough.

The full campaign spanned live stadium integration, experiential activations, retail and venue partnerships, social, and earned media, with every schooner of Great Northern Super Crisp purchased at Suncorp Stadium across the weekend triggering a 50c donation to Rural Aid. The initiative also extended to more than 200 participating pubs and clubs across Queensland through Great Northern keg sales.

Dentsu executive creative director Zac Pritchard, stated, “For this year’s edition of The Great Shout we wanted to up the ante. We started with a symbol synonymous with Aussie pub shouting behaviour, the bar bell, and transformed it into something memorable, the Can Bell. And it was everywhere – in stadium, on TV, in billboards, on mobiles, in pubs and even at Magic Round. Along with the awesome partnership with the team at Asahi, it’s been a great demonstration of DC working seamlessly with our earned capability. The work is excellent, the coverage rolled in and hopefully the donations to Rural Aid match the effort we’ve put in bringing this campaign to life.”

The Great Shout attracted funds of $300,000. This year’s ambitious goal was to double that – raise more than $600,000. The Last Call on the Great Shout is taking place from May 18 until May 31 as final push on this goal. People are able now to donate directly online via Great Northern – The Great Shout.

Great Northern spokesperson, Ian Giles, commented, “Great Northern has always stood for mateship and community, so The Great Shout is a natural extension of that. Magic Round brings together fans from all over the country, making it the perfect stage to rally Australians behind farmers who need support.”

Rural Aid CEO, John Warlters, added, “Creative campaigns like The Great Shout play a vital role in raising awareness of the challenges faced by farmers and rural communities. As a charity that relies on public donations, Rural Aid depends on this awareness to drive support and ensure practical help continues reaching those who need it most.”

Credits:

Client: Great Northern Brewing Co 
General Manager Brand and Portfolio Asahi Beverages: Lauren Fildes
Head of Beer Brands at Asahi Beverages: Ben Eyles 
Great Northern Brewing Co Marketing Manager: Zac Gelman
Great Northern Brewing Co Brand Manager: Patrick Wallace
Great Northern Brewing Co Assistant Brand Manager: Chloe Brown

Social: 1House
Partner: Rural Aid 
Media: PHD

Creative & PR: Dentsu Creative
Executive Creative Director: Zac Pritchard
General Manager, Earned and Social: Madeleine Page
Chief Strategy Officer: Graham Alvarez-Jarratt
Chief Practice Officer: David Halter
Copywriter: Lachlan Collie
Art Director: Rowan Marsh-Croft
Designer: Paris Elwood
National Head of Production: Craig Sloane
Account Director: Micayla Pretorius
Account Manager: Sarah Male
Senior Account Executive: Sophia Cull
Account Executive: Maddi Webber