BrewDog has launched a new nationwide campaign that flips its infamous reputation on its head – using the brand’s own controversial past as fuel for its most self-aware, tongue-in-cheek idea yet.
The campaign, titled What Have BrewDog Done Now? parodies the kind of outrageous tabloid headlines that have followed the brand for years, with strap lines including:
- BrewDog launch new IPA that only exists on LinkedIn
- BrewDog launch reality TV show to find next CEO
- BrewDog scrap HR department. Launch therapy dog scheme instead
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Each ad grabs attention with a fake-but-believable stunt before revealing the real headline: the beers themselves. The creative twists BrewDog’s history of playful chaos into a moment of self-reflection – reminding drinkers that behind every headline is a team obsessed with world-class craft beer.
Lauren Carroll, chief operating officer at BrewDog, said: “We’ve never been shy about stirring the pot, but behind every headline is a team obsessed with brewing world-class craft beer. This campaign spoofs the outrageous stunts of the past to shine a spotlight onto the thing that really matters to us: the beer.”
The campaign rolls out from today across high-profile OOH sites in London and Manchester, before expanding to 48-sheets in Hackney, Aldgate, and Brixton from 10th November.
Online, fans can take part in an interactive quiz to guess which past BrewDog moments are true and which are fabricated – with free beer up for grabs via exclusive discount codes.
BrewDog is an independent brewer and hospitality business, founded in Aberdeenshire, Scotland in 2007 by James Watt and Martin Dickie, with a simple mission “To make other people as passionate about great beer as we are.”
Headquartered in Ellon, Scotland, BrewDog employs over 2,700 people, operates over 120 bars, hotels and venues worldwide including flagship locations in London Waterloo and Las Vegas, breweries in Ellon Scotland, Columbus Ohio, Berlin Germany, and Brisbane Australia and hotels, including a flagship in Manchester City Centre. BrewDog brews hundreds of different beers, led by the “Headliner Series,” which includes the flagship Punk IPA, as well as Lost Lager, Wingman and Hazy Jane. The brewer exports its beer to over 60 countries globally.
The brewery has historically been no stranger to controversy, with founder Watt’s “Shadow DOGE” launch, an ASA investigation into questionable “solid gold can” competition prizes and a BBC investigation into the behaviour of its founder towards staff just some of the media circus that has followed the brand.
