A beer truck, a retro ad and a former PM – a case study in the risks of getting your storytelling tone wrong. By Dr Erin O’Dwyer
I was stuck in traffic behind a truck recently. On the back, a bold ad for Hawke’s Patio Pale – complete with a bronzed Aussie bloke in budgie smugglers and with aviators, standing triumphantly, tulip beer glass in hand. The tagline? You can’t say no to a Patio.
In the ten minutes I spent behind the truck, I moved from amusement to outrage to reflection. In the end, all those reactions distilled into a single question: who is this ad’s audience?
A beer, a brand, and a former PM
Clearly, the ad was meant to be fun and cheeky – just like its namesake Bob Hawke, Australia’s beer-loving, larrikin former PM. It also succeeded in its singular mission, which was to grab attention (mine!). The golden sepia tones, the geometric patterning on Hawke’s cossies, and his toned body and banging sideburns are reminiscent of another time. But beneath the easy-going charm are some complex, and dare I say sinister, subplots.
For some, the sight of a near-naked, life-sized Bob Hawke sparks fond memories of a time when leaders were seen as ‘of the people’, when politics and pub culture went hand in hand.
The founders of Hawke’s Brewing Co, Nathan Lennon and David Gibson, chose Hawke deliberately. “Bob reminds us of a simpler time,” they’ve said. “[He brings] back nostalgia, safety, comfort, admiration for what [he] achieved as a leader.” Hawke agreed to lend his name and face to the brand on one condition: that his share of revenue be donated to environmental non-profit Landcare. Which the beer co still does, even after Hawke’s death. There’s no doubt this is a company with heart – and genuinely good values at its core.
For some, the sight of a near-naked, life-sized Bob Hawke sparks fond memories of a time when leaders were seen as ‘of the people’
Who’s not in the frame?
But while the Hawke’s Patio Pale ad wins in its ability to make you look twice (or for ten minutes, in my case!), it’s also heavily gendered. It speaks directly to a certain kind of man. One who wants power and influence, and a physique that matches his ambitions.
Many remember Hawke for his philandering, and as a bad drunk. What message does an ad like this send to the thousands of Australian women who live with alcohol-fuelled domestic violence? What does it say to women in male-dominated workplaces, with lecherous bosses, whose lives are stymied by the gender pay gap? Or to young people questioning the old tropes of masculinity, power and leadership?
And what about the tagline – You can’t say no to a Patio? It is the language of coercion. It accepts alcoholism, violence, control. It puts the man’s appetites, desires, physical strength and dominance in the middle of everything.
Even the tulip beer glass is duplicitous – it’s smooth and curvaceous, like the body of an idealised woman.
The Hawke’s Patio Pale ad speaks to a man who wants power and influence, and a physique that matches his ambitions.
Audience is everything
When I teach storytelling, the first question I ask is: who is your audience?
Who are you speaking to? What assumptions are you making about them? What do they value? What might they find alienating, funny, nostalgic – or offensive?
Would I ever buy a six-pack of Hawke’s Patio Pale for myself? Probably not. I am not this ad’s audience. But I am a mother of sons and a lover of men. So when the message excludes me – and worse, alienates me – it matters more than the marketers might think.
Storytelling isn’t just about voice or visuals. It’s about resonance. And a story that lands well with one group might completely miss – or harm – another.
What storytellers can learn from the back of a beer truck
If you’re telling a story – in brand, in media, in leadership – ask yourself:
- Who’s this story really for?
- Who might be alienated by it – and why?
- Is the tone I’m using creating the connection I want? Or is it sending the wrong message?
- Am I speaking to my audience with language and tone and imagery that resonates with them?
- Am I storytelling for good? Am I drawing on the values that sit at the heart of the work I do?
Sometimes the best insights come when you’re sitting in traffic.
