Back in 1984, Matilda Bay created the craft beer category within Australia with a range of beers aimed at those drinkers looking for something a little different. Over the years the category had exploded with competition, and although declining, Fat Yak had remained the highest performer within the Carlton & United Breweries craft portfolio.
When WCN_ was appointed in 2014 we recognised the power and equity within Fat Yak and set about decoupling it from within the Matilda Bay master brand, allowing it to stand alone and become a powerful brand in it’s own right. In creating a Yak Ales brand it brought the freedom and opportunity to grow, connect and engage with the growing mainstream, craft beer audience. Over the years we have evolved the brand and it’s portfolio, building greater standout and relevance within the market, with 2019 seeing the evolution of our already award winning packaging.
WCN_ has led the way and creating ‘a different breed’ of craft beer brand, bringing some much needed humour to a category that traditionally took itself pretty seriously. Strong visual iconography with the Yak at its heart, cutting through the noise of the competition giving the brand an unmissable icon that could constantly evolve and continually build interest from within.
WCN_ has brought scale to the brand. The family has grown from Fat to Lazy Yak (the most successful craft beer launch in Australian history) and then in 2016 on to Wild Yak (which then claimed the title of the most successful craft beer launch in Australian history in 2017), turning around CUB’s craft performance in just 3 years. More recently we have brought further Yaks into the herd such as Lumber Yak (a cold brewed mountain cider) and Rusty Yak (a fiery ginger beer), alongside multiple festival editions and limited releases over the years.
WCN_ has been fundamental in the growth of the Yak Ales brand. We have been responsible for every visual expression of the brand from packaging and merchandise to environment and activation and everything in between. The Yaks brand is now regarded as the nations biggest craft beer brand with an insanely high brand recall from nearly every Australian drinker. The results really do speak for themselves.
Client: Carlton United Breweries, ABV Inbev, Yak Ales
Brand Creation, Strategy, Experience, Identity, Packaging, Naming and Activation