The mainstream beer category's decline had started to accelerate, but as the largest category by soe margin, this wasn't something we could let happen without a ght. This is a story about how planning leveraged an untapped cultural truth powerful enough to increase sales of a declining beer brand in the middle of the GFC. Protecting the biggest source of revenue A core group of loyalists drink the majority of all NEW sold, and just one less beer each per week would mean the loss of millions of litres annually. Keeping these guys happy was our priority. The most insightful of bar crawls lfyou want to uncover the real reasons for people's behaviour you don't invite them to a focus group, you go and get yourself involved in their lives. From Dubbo to Darlinghurst, we talked with people from both sides of the bar. Clear ndings emerged: 1 . Tooheys NEW was becoming the beer you drank by yourself at home, forgotten in an instant and replaced with something a little fancier to make an impression when drinking with friends. 2. It was the beer you drank secretly in a schooner but kept your preference quiet when a mate bought something else forthe round. Sales data supported our ndings: 1. Bottle sales, where the brand is prominent, were suffering the biggest decline. 2. Tap sales, whilst remaining relatively strong, had developed an insightful and interesting pattern. Sales spiked after midnight in venues with enforced glass bans. With branded bottles no longer an option people would rather drink an unbranded NEW than pour their bottled premium brews into plastic schooners