Waiting for the right time to launch a product in packaging that’s popular elsewhere can give a new-product introduction an added marketing boost. Foster’s Group Ltd. followed this thinking in expanding the reach of its Crown Lager brand in Australia.

    Foster’s joined beverage marketers in North America who’ve shifted their brands—from beer to energy drinks—to aluminum bottles. But Foster’s waited to launch its Crown Lager in an aluminum bottle until the time when marketing impact could be maximized—with a “premium” package that befits the joy of holiday celebrations.

“We celebrate Christmas and New Year’s under the same sun here in Australia, and we wanted to introduce our premium brew in its unique new packaging at the height of the holiday season,” explains Paul Gloster, Consumer Solutions Manager, Foster’s Australia.

Foster’s Crown Lager is the market leader in Australia, popular in nightclubs and with sports fans. It was previously distributed in glass bottles. Meanwhile, consumers and beer marketers had become more accepting of aluminum bottles in Australia. Foster’s turned to CCL Container to create the aluminum bottle for Crown Lager. Text and graphics are dry offset-printed in four colors onto a clear base coat of ink, right on the bottle surface. The inks are oven-cured, and a top layer of varnish gives the bottles a glossy appearance.