Sydney, Australia – After a couple of years of lockdown due to the pandemic, Aussies are now on the homestretch, and to celebrate the countdown to freedom, the Australian retail chain of liquor stores, BWS, launches a new campaign, giving away a free six-pack brew to share with mates in the lead-up to summer.

Titled ‘Can’t wait mate’, the campaign, which is in collaboration with marketing agency M&C Saatchi Sydney, focuses on bringing people together to share a long-awaited drink. It includes a paid campaign on Facebook and Instagram.

In addition, BWS has also partnered with Carat, the media arm by dentsu India, to leverage micro and macro-influencers. Carat will be sharing diverse content across all Instagram formats to drive mass awareness, encourage engagement, and shareability. It will also be handling all media strategy and buying for the campaign, bringing the ‘Share a Drink’ platform to life by using influencers and editorial coverage across youth publications.

BWS said that they are encouraging shoppers to share on social media who they are looking forward to sharing a drink with, using the hashtag #cantwaitmate.

Brendan Donnelly, the creative director at M&C Saatchi Sydney, shared that there’s a ton of things they’ve looked forward to as people all step out of various restrictions across the country, and once haircuts are out of the way, most of them can’t wait to celebrate their freedom by catching up with family and friends.

“What better way to do that than sharing free beers together! #cantwaitmate is a simple social campaign that lets your mates know there’s a beer waiting for them when you catch up,” said Donnelly.

Meanwhile, Vanessa Rowed, BWS’ head of marketing, said, “Lockdowns and restrictions have made us long for those much-needed social interactions. But there is light at the end of the tunnel, and we are celebrating by encouraging Aussies to get together and share drinks with their mates.”

To redeem the free brew, Aussies over the age of 18 can simply head to BWS.com.au or the BWS app and create an account, and when buying two six-packs of XXXX DRY or James Squire Zero, they will receive their second one for free at checkout.