Mountain Culture Beer Co. has defied the odds to become Australia’s third-largest independent brewery by volume, just five years after opening its first brewpub in the Blue Mountains. Despite the disruptions of bushfires and a global pandemic, the brand has built its reputation almost entirely through organic growth and minimal paid media.
But when Dry July, traditionally the slowest month for beer sales, collided with broader retail headwinds, Mountain Culture recognised the need to go beyond its tried-and-true tactics to maintain momentum.
Brad Firth, CMO, Mountain Culture Beer Co. said: “We knew there was a ceiling to our existing approach of organic growth, that’s why we decided to test the full value of a connected Out of Home strategy, one that could drive awareness and build preference at scale.”
To isolate the impact, Mountain Culture switched off all other paid media channels. For four weeks, the brand appeared exclusively across oOh!media’s street furniture, rail, office and retail formats in a high-visibility campaign.
Nationally month on month, brand awareness lifted by 9%, consideration rose 15%, usage increased 20% and preference jumped 33%. In Victoria and New South Wales, where the campaign was live, sales surged by up to 33%, while Queensland which received no paid media remained flat.
Firth added: “What stood out was the consistency across the funnel. Every layer, from awareness through to conversion and loyalty, lifted in alignment. We weren’t just generating interest; we were driving action.
“What surprised me the most was how many people noticed our ads in oOh! Office environments. We’re in a category that doesn’t normally think to advertise in that space, but the ability to hit key days and times of day, with drinkers in the city has now become a no brainer.”
The uplift extended beyond physical retail. Online, Mountain Culture saw a 15% increase in first-time customers, with over 21% of July sales coming from new buyers. For a brand built on repeat purchase and limited weekly releases, this shift was a clear signal that the campaign was working across the entire customer journey.
While sales were a secondary objective, the commercial impact was undeniable. Keg volume surged, resulting in Mountain Culture’s biggest month on record. Major retailers also benefited, with month-on-month sales at Dan Murphy’s rising 20%, BWS by 18%, and Coles Liquor Group by 9%, with larger basket sizes across the board. Year-on-year growth more than doubled, defying seasonal norms and internal forecasts.
As Mountain Culture heads into its peak summer season, early indicators suggest the momentum is holding.
Firth said: “What started as a tactical test has become a scalable framework for future growth. In a category where trial leads to loyalty, our campaign proved that Out of Home, executed with precision across oOh!’s network, can deliver full-funnel impact.”
Bel Harper, Chief Product & Marketing Officer, oOh! added: “Mountain Culture’s results show just how powerful Out of Home can be when it’s planned as the hero channel. By removing noise from other media, they were able to clearly measure the impact across awareness, preference and sales. This campaign demonstrates the unique strength of oOh!’s end-to-end network to deliver both scale and measurable outcomes, even in challenging trading conditions.”
Source for all data: Tracksuit
