DB Export: Brewtroleum
DB Export tasked Colenso BBDO with boosting beer consumption among men. The brand sought an innovative way to link increased drinking directly to a positive, tangible environmental benefit. The challenge was to create a fun, compelling reason for men to consume more DB Export, transforming brewing waste into a valuable, eco-friendly product, thereby enhancing brand perception and driving sales.
Creative Idea
DB Export turned beer waste into Brewtroleum biofuel, giving men a green excuse to drink more.
DB Export Beer created Brewtroleum, a unique biofuel made from beer brewing waste, giving men a fun, eco-friendly reason to drink more beer while simultaneously addressing environmental concerns by reducing carbon emissions through an innovative recycling process.
Turning Beer Waste into a Global Fuel Phenomenon
116,000 Tonnes of Yeast Slurry
The project was a massive logistical undertaking that began in February 2015, five months before the public saw a single ad. DB Export partnered with Gull New Zealand to extract ethanol from yeast slurry - a brewing byproduct typically relegated to animal feed. By blending this ethanol with 98-octane petroleum, they created 300,000 litres of "E10" biofuel. The launch was anchored by a completely rebranded Gull station in Kingsland, Auckland, where opening day queues stretched for over a kilometer.
The Permissibility Problem Solved
Creative Chairman Nick Worthington and the team at Colenso BBDO identified a specific cultural shift: tightening drink-drive limits and health trends were making beer consumption harder to justify. By framing every pint as a "selfless act of environmental heroism," they gave men a noble excuse to drink. This "permissibility" strategy worked; while the beer category was declining by 6%, DB Export sales surged by 10%, moving 8.6 million bottles during the campaign and generating $3.9 million in incremental revenue.
Deadpan Comedy and Kiwi Everymen
Director Tim Bullock was tapped for his signature deadpan style, opting for relatable "everyman" actors rather than celebrities to maintain the campaign's grounded, humorous tone. The production also served as a tribute to founder Morton Coutts, the inventor of continuous fermentation. The impact was so significant that over 50 global breweries contacted DB to inquire about the technology, proving that "doing good" could be a commercially viable, consumer-funded marketing model.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
DB Export utilized its massive industrial byproduct—yeast slurry—to engineer a high-performance biofuel. By partnering with fuel distributors, they transformed brewing waste into a tangible consumer product that could power real vehicles.
Category
Beer marketing traditionally focuses on taste, social status, or sports, treating sustainability as a dry corporate obligation. Most brands fail to make environmentalism feel like an active, rewarding benefit for the individual drinker.
Customer
The target male audience felt a growing tension between their love for beer and the increasing pressure to be responsible citizens. They wanted to contribute to the environment without sacrificing their lifestyle or hobbies.
Culture
The campaign tapped into the global 'eco-anxiety' trend, where environmentalism often felt like a chore. It resonated by subverting the idea of sacrifice, offering a humorous, 'lazy' way to be a planetary hero.
Company
DB Export utilized its massive industrial byproduct—yeast slurry—to engineer a high-performance biofuel. By partnering with fuel distributors, they transformed brewing waste into a tangible consumer product that could power real vehicles.
Category
Beer marketing traditionally focuses on taste, social status, or sports, treating sustainability as a dry corporate obligation. Most brands fail to make environmentalism feel like an active, rewarding benefit for the individual drinker.
Strategy:
Reposition beer consumption as an act of planetary salvation by turning brewing waste into a high-performance biofuel solution.
Customer
The target male audience felt a growing tension between their love for beer and the increasing pressure to be responsible citizens. They wanted to contribute to the environment without sacrificing their lifestyle or hobbies.
Culture
The campaign tapped into the global 'eco-anxiety' trend, where environmentalism often felt like a chore. It resonated by subverting the idea of sacrifice, offering a humorous, 'lazy' way to be a planetary hero.
Strategy:
Reposition beer consumption as an act of planetary salvation by turning brewing waste into a high-performance biofuel solution.
Results
The campaign produced 300,000 litres of Brewtroleum. It resulted in 3.3 million beers sold. Sales increased by 10% in a declining market. DB Export became New Zealand's fastest growing beer brand. The initiative also saw 50 of the biggest breweries expressing interest in participating globally, with Brewtroleum being sold at 60 filling stations across New Zealand. Heineken reportedly curbed a massive global footprint in breweries and generated significant earned media coverage from outlets like VICE, Daily Star, Fox News, and Discovery News.
+10%
Sales increase in a declining market
3.3 million
Beers sold
Fastest growing
New Zealand beer brand
Strategy Technique
Build an Utility, Not an Ad
DB Export created Brewtroleum, a tangible biofuel, transforming brewing waste into a useful product. This utility provided a compelling, eco-friendly reason for men to consume more beer.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Turn Message into Product
DB Export transformed its eco-friendly message into Brewtroleum, a tangible biofuel product. This allowed the brand to literally embody its commitment to sustainability through consumption.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
The campaign excels by transforming a product's byproduct into a tangible, world-saving solution, making "drinking beer" an act of environmental heroism through ingenious product innovation and impactful storytelling.
The fundamental idea of creating biofuel from beer waste is a genuine product innovation that also serves as the campaign's core concept, elevating a beer brand into a sustainability leader.
The campaign masterfully blended product development, environmental action, earned media, retail presence, and traditional advertising into a singular, impactful narrative.
Catchy and thought-provoking taglines like "Save the world, one sip at a time" cleverly reframe beer consumption as an eco-conscious act.
The campaign generated significant global news coverage, demonstrating exceptional ability to create a story that resonated far beyond traditional advertising channels.
The campaign's true brilliance lies in the symbiotic relationship between product innovation (Brewtroleum) and the integrated communication strategy that championed it, making the act of drinking beer a civic duty.
