Traditionally combining boats and beer has not been a great idea, but beer stalwart Lion Nathan has decided that it’s a great way to pitch its mid-strength XXXX GOLD brand.

The ‘XXXX GOLD Boat Building Project‘, developed with BMF Sydney, spells the end for the long running ‘Jacko’ campaign that supported the brand for more than eight years.

The new campaign will feature 12 new characters, three groups of mates, each coming together on a project: building a boat.

The campaign is based on the insight of ‘man time’, busy men taking time out of their work and home lives to come together and spend real time with their mates, working together on a project.

Brett Grebert, mainstream marketing director, Lion Nathan is proud of the success brought by “Jacko, his dog Marlin and their mates” but in ensuring the brand evolves, decided it was time to retire the boys on a high note.

“We credit Jacko and the boys for helping Lion Nathan forge a buoyant mid-strength category, as well as turning XXXX GOLD from a Queensland brew into one of Australia’s most popular beers nationally, and we are confident this new campaign will continue that success, says Grebert.

XXXX GOLD was launched in 1991 and is now Australia’s second largest brand and retains almost 60 percent share and market leadership of the mid-strength category.

According to Warren Brown, executive creative director, BMF and also a founding agency partner to the XXXX brand, the Jacko campaign resonated well with the target market and endured great staying power.

“Jacko and the boys starred in more than 30 TVCs since launching in 2000, making the campaign one of the longest running and most successful of the past two decades. People related to Jacko and his mates and they became celebrities in their own right, which rarely happens with a TV campaign.”