Tui’s Yeah Right campaign is back - but is now the right time?

Tui's "Yeah right" campaign is back - but is it the right time? Photo / Composite / Tui / File

Tui is bringing back its controversial “Yeah right” campaign after nearly a decade of dormancy.

The New Zealand brewery is reintroducing its billboards alongside a new 24/7 feedback line, allowing members of the public to voice their thoughts, feelings and concerns about the revamped campaign and its messaging - which DB Breweries believes will still provoke a strong response from Kiwis.

The brand is still promising to generate discourse with its return and is preparing for the “inevitable onslaught” of commentary, said marketing director Fraser Shrimpton. He added that Tui is “welcoming any and all feedback”.

Radio Hauraki host and actor Mike Minogue, the face of the revitalised campaign, said he “looks forward to hearing the Karens and Daves of New Zealand tear up the feedback line”.

Introduced in 1997, the billboards were a mainstay of New Zealand roadside advertising from the late 1990s to the mid-2010s. With a simple black, white and orange design, the boards were emblazoned with a topical one-liner (“Let’s go to Hamilton for New Year. Yeah right”) that ranged from provocative to playful. On the right was the “Yeah right” response that became the brand’s catchphrase.

“Tui had the magic formula: simple, cheeky, and bang on with what Kiwis found funny,” AUT communication studies lecturer Daniel Fastnedge told the Herald.

“While there were complaints, most Kiwis loved it - those billboards became part of our cultural fabric.”

By 2016, however, “Yeah right” was officially a “yeah na” (despite Tui’s assertions two years prior that the billboards were here to stay), with a DB Breweries’ spokesperson telling media last year the billboards had been phased out to meet the evolving “taste preferences” of consumers.

Fastnedge said although a comeback is “risky”, a revamped campaign could be “potentially rewarding if they can navigate the landscape correctly” - including the new generation’s emphasis on political correctness.

“Today’s audience is more socially conscious, especially around global issues, and they’re not afraid to hold brands accountable. But here’s the thing - people still love humour, and they appreciate brands that aren’t afraid to be a little daring. Tui just needs to ensure that their ‘edginess’ feels relevant and doesn’t cross into tone-deaf territory,” Fastnedge said.

“Being edgy isn’t off the table - brands just need to be aware of where the line is these days.”

This billboard was 2008's most complained about ad of the year, according to the ASA.

The generational shift should be considered if the revitalised “Yeah right” ads are to truly hit the mark, he said, adding that New Zealanders are open to provocative advertising as long as it doesn’t cross lines like racism, violence, or overt sexual content.

“For a lot of people, there’s no nostalgia - this might be their first encounter with ‘Yeah right’. Tui’s humour has to evolve with the times - what was cheeky before could now be seen as cringy if they’re not careful,” he explained.

“For younger audiences, humour can be more complicated now. It often stems from irony, cultural awareness, and even self-deprecation, so Tui will need to be mindful of how they pitch their humour. What worked in the early 2000s might come across differently today, especially if the campaign comes off as outdated or out of touch.”

Gemma Ross, co-founder and managing director of the independent communications firm Hustle and Bustle, told the Herald she wasn’t surprised that DB Breweries and Tui were breathing new life into the campaign, despite its chequered history.

“Tui is synonymous with being bold so I’m not surprised they are reinvigorating the campaign,” she said. “Picking the topics of conversation to weigh in on will be the key to Tui’s success this time round.”

The advancement of social media since the “Yeah right” heyday should also be considered, Ross said, noting many consumers today will likely bypass the Tui hotline and take their feedback directly to online communities.

“The original billboard campaign relied on being extremely reactive; this is no longer such a competitive advantage with the digital media landscape,” she said. “The challenge will be maintaining their irreverent edge whilst creating a conversation worth being part of.”

In a report to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in the mid-2000s, DB Breweries insisted its messages were generally intelligent and irreverent, drawing on topical issues in the public eye. Tui’s former brand manager, Nick Rogers, told the Herald in 2004 that the billboards were “cynical in a humorous way”, attributing the campaign’s success to its simplicity. “It puts a smile on people’s faces,” he said at the time. “I wouldn’t say they were negative.”

However, many Kiwis didn’t agree.

In 2004, the ASA upheld complaints against a billboard that read, “There’s nothing wrong with Miriam. Yeah right.” The advertisement referenced the reality TV show There’s Something About Miriam, in which six bachelors competed for the affections of Mexican-born TV personality Miriam Rivera - but weren’t told she was transgender.

The Advertising Standards Complaints Board ruled the billboard was seriously offensive, ridiculed transgender people and contradicted basic human rights.

In 2008, Tui’s “Let’s take a moment this Christmas to think about Christ. Yeah right” billboard was the most complained about advertisement that year, according to an ASA report at the time. The billboard amassed 86 complaints, many of which claimed the tagline was offensive to Christians, as was the link between alcohol and religion. The ad was withdrawn by DB Breweries following the backlash.

Tui also brewed dissent with its “Sure, I’ve got 10 minutes to talk about Jehovah” incarnation, which was the ninth most-complained-about advertisement of 2008.

In 2012, a placard erected in Clive, Hawke’s Bay stated, “There’s a second wave of hotties at 2am. Yeah right” - a one-liner former Herald columnist Shelley Bridgeman labelled “misogynistic” and “denigrating”.

Also in 2012, Feminist Action launched a campaign calling for Tui’s controversial TV ads - which showed men outwitting scantily clad female brewers in order to steal beer - to be banned.

Spokeswoman Leonie Morris told Newstalk ZB at the time that the overwhelming message was women were only valued as sexual objects. She told the Herald: “They are also saying that women are stupid.”

Another controversy was sparked by a billboard erected in Wellington in 2013, which featured the tagline: “Dad’s new husband seems nice - Yeah right.” The one-liner, which Tui’s parent company DB Breweries said was a nod to “the recent passing of the Marriage Amendment Bill”, was branded “homophobic” - prompting several people to declare a Tui boycott online.

In 2016, the year “Yeah right” was officially phased out, Tui announced it was scaling back its brewery operation at Mangatainoka, with much of production shifting to Auckland and Timaru.

Tui made headlines earlier this year when it confirmed it was no longer producing beer at Mangatainoka after more than 130 years of operating.

The return of the “Yeah right” campaign, however, suggests not everything will be resigned to history.

AUT communication studies lecturer Matt Halliday told the Herald it “will be interesting to see which side of the fence Tui come up on in 2024″.

“Are they still catering to the laddish beer-drinking culture, or have they evolved to speak to the Gen Z?”

The new Tui Feedback Line can be reached on 0800-TUI-YEAH-RIGHT (0800 884 932).