Australia’s largest brewers, Foster’s and Lion Nathan, have shifted their marketing focus by spending more money promoting brands for the under-30’s market, rather than their more established lines. According to the Melbourne Age newspaper, both companies invested heavily in campaigns advertising youth-oriented brands in 2003, to curtail a decline in beer consumption due to the popularity of alcopops.

Lion Nathan spokesman, Warwick Bryan, said it was more cost-effective to switch their focus, which resulted in volume sales increasing by 36% for their Extra Dry brand in 2003. He said: “…you more response from advertising to that group of consumers… they've also got the biggest per-capita consumption of alcohol."

23 March, 2004