It has been a long time since the local was where Australians hung out. Those great pub rituals – do people even remember them? Now that pubs and clubs are open again, Leo Burnett and Bundaberg Rum thought it would be helpful to remind Australians how to make the local as home-y as the lounge room at home again (except that you have to wear pants).

The tongue-in-cheek campaign, Don’t Forget Your Local, is part of Bundaberg Rum’s $11.5 million COVID-19 recovery fund, Raising the Bar, encouraging Australians to support their local pub, club, or bar, after a devastating 18 months for Australia’s hospitality industry.

The Leo Burnett creative has fun with the notion that returning to the local may be awkward at first, but it won’t be long after Aussies order that first drink at the bar that they’ll remember just how good it feels to be back. It features a series of TVCs in which Aussie comedian, Becky Lucas, reminds Australians how to do all the things that once came naturally, like carrying a round, breaking the ice with the stranger standing next to you at the bar, or simply ‘cheers’-ing a mate.

The campaign is running in NSW, Victoria and Queensland on broadcast television, OOH, online and across social, along with media partnerships with Buzzfeed and the Urban List.

Diageo Marketing Manager, Jodi McLeod, commented, “Covid-19 has had a profound impact on the hospitality industry across Australia with pubs, clubs and bars of all sizes experiencing a massive impact to their businesses. The pandemic has changed the way we ‘local’ as safety regulations have made going to your local more structured and less spontaneous.

“Our challenge is to shift people out of their homes by reminding them about what makes our locals so special and focusing on the socialisation and community benefits of getting back together.”

Leo Burnett executive creative director, Andy Fergusson, added, “It’s amazing how quickly our routines and habits have changed. Two years ago, the idea of needing to create a campaign to get Aussies back to their local would have been laughable. Now, it’s a serious problem to solve.

“But people are feeling a bit of community-responsibility fatigue, so we wanted to ensure the campaign didn’t come across as too earnest or preachy. Because, at the end of the day, we’re just reminding people that there’s a place round the corner where you can share a few laughs and drinks with your best mates. And even though we might have to relearn a few things, it’s still the same old local.”

Australian Hotels Association National chief executive officer, Stephen Ferguson, noted, “Our hoteliers and staff can’t want to welcome their patrons back to their favourite watering holes as life gets back to normal. Bundaberg Rum’s Raising the Bar initiative has done a great deal for Australia’s hospitality industry over the past year, and we’re excited about the launch of this new national advertising campaign.”

Bundaberg Rum’s Raising the Bar has been providing ongoing support to Australia’s hospitality industry for more than 12 months. Over the last year it has provided more than 2000 hospitality venues across the country with COVID safe supplies, including more than 100,000 litres of hand sanitiser, more than 2 million items of PPE, and more than 4,000 digital thermometers.

Credits: 

Client: Diageo [Bundaberg Rum]
Marketing Manager: Jodi McLeod
Corporate Relations & Sustainability Manager: Miriam Pape 
Assistant Brand Manager: Isabella Margin

Creative Agency: Leo Burnett Australia
Chief Creative Officer: Jason Williams 
Executive Creative Director: Andy Fergusson 
Associate Creative Directors: Nico Smith & Mark Carbone
General Manager: James Walker-Smith
Group Business Director: Andrew Inman 
Business Director: Prue Purnell
Head of Brand Innovation: Dan Pankraz 
Head of Production: Adrian Jung
Senior Producer: Brooke Mather 
Multimedia Studio Manager: Dan Crozier 
Digital Designer: Janifer Wong

Production Company: Good Oil
Executive Producer: Sam Long 
Director: Dave Wood 
Producer: Lee Thompson

Stills Production: Flint
Photographer: Andreas Smetana 
Executive Producer: Taryn Mueller 
Producer: Christina Gerace

Post-Production: The Editors
Senior Post Producer: Liv Reddy 
Senior Editor: Mark Burnett 
Editor: Lily Davis

Sound Design: Rumble Studios
Founder & Senior Sound Designer: Tone Aston 
Executive Producer & Partner: Michael Gie 
Producer: Irene Kakopieros

Media Agency: Foundation (Australia) Corporate 
PR Agency: 89Degrees East