Great Northern Brewing has sensationally abandoned a campaign aimed at supporting national parks after outraged customers boycotted the beer.
The brand’s ‘Outdoors for a Cause’ campaign vowed to match donations of any amount up to $200,000 when customers gave to the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife.
The campaign was supposed to run from January 15 to March 31, but the brewing company brought it to a stop last night after thousands of complaints.
Outdoor enthusiasts were upset the campaign was supporting the creation of national parks, which have stricter policies than state parks and make it more difficult to camp, bring a family dog on a trip or drive a 4WD.
Great Northern marketing head Zac Gelman told Daily Mail Australia it had taken its customers advice on board and dropped the campaign.
‘Great Northern’s Outdoors for a Cause campaign was yesterday paused following feedback from our passionate drinkers,’ Mr Gelman said.
‘Our donation to the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife will now not be used to buy land to add to national parks.
‘Our donation will instead be used for the preservation of endangered species.’
Great Northern drinkers were abandoning the beer after a controversial campaign
In a sudden U-turn, Great Northern said it was now backing those who want to preserve the less restrictive state forests.
‘Whether it’s hiking, fishing, 4-wheel driving or just relaxing, Great Northern drinkers use and preserve their precious spots in the great outdoors and we support them,’ Mr Gelman said.
Great Northern underestimated the amount of its drinkers who supported the protection of state forests.
Jake Seddon shared footage on TikTok showing him pouring out his Great Northern in anger over the beer brand’s campaign.
‘Great Northern supporting locking us out of our parks,’ the caption read.
Sean McLachlan took to Facebook to post a video of him puncturing his Great Northern can and letting it spill out.
‘G’day Australia, this used to be my favourite beet before you went woke,’ he said.
Four-wheel driving Facebook group 4WD TV was infuriated by the campaign.
‘In an absolutely disgraceful move Great Northern Brewing has gone woke with a campaign to help get us locked out of forests,’ they wrote.
Sean McLachlan punctured his Great Northern can and let it spill out
Leonie Blackwell, who runs the Facebook page ‘Victorians against the Great Forest National Park’, told Daily Mail Australia that Great Northern Brewing would be regretting their decision.
‘It’s really disappointing that major companies like that are blindly buying into supporting issues without really understanding the full context of the impact they will have,’ she said.
‘They’re trying to look good but they need to have a much bigger vision than just trying to look cool and trendy.
‘I would hope they’re regretting their decision to do this. A lot of people who drink Great Northern also go camping.’
Only $2,286 was raised for the cause before it was abandoned.
A national park is an area of land that has been reserved for the protection and conservation of biodiversity, native plants and animals, ecosystems, places of cultural significance and natural or geological features.
State forests offer a lower level of environmental protection and the list of permitted activities is generally broader and includes things like trail biking, authorised hunting, horse riding and dog walking.
In 2010 the Japanese company Asahi, through its wholly owned Victorian subsidiary Carlton United Breweries, announced the launch of Great Northern Brewing.
Great Northern is styled on ‘Cairns Draught’, a product first brewed in 1924.
In 2022 it was the best selling beer in Australia.
