In a bold move to show solidarity with the country, Castle Lager, one of South Africa’s best-selling beers, announced it would be selling label-free beer on Monday evening.
The beer brand tweeted it had decided to “lose our label in solidarity with all those who are unfairly and callously labelled on a daily basis. This small act is a pledge that Castle Lager will work towards eradicating the labels that divide us. #SmashTheLabel #AshwinWillemse.”
The #AshwinWillemse refers to an incident where retired rugby player Willemse, walked off a SuperSport set after feeling patronised by Naas Botha and Nick Mallett. Castle Lager has also said that although they had made use of the hashtag trending from the incident, this did not mean that they were choosing Willemse’s side – it simply meant that they were worried about South Africa’s race debate.
The brand had noticed that labeling is a prevalent issue in South Africa. Speaking to Business Insider SA, Vaughan Croeser, brand director of Castle Lager, said the label-free beer will be on sale at the rugby Test Match between South Africa and England on June 9.
He added that Castle does not plan to sell all beer without labels, as this may cause confusion. “It will be done in a controlled way,” he said. Castle’s label-free bottles are similar to a Coke campaign two years, where the company removed labels from its can in the Middle East. This was done to encourage people not to judge one another.
In light of recent events, we’ve decided to lose our label* in solidarity with all those who are unfairly and callously labeled on a daily basis. This small act is a pledge that Castle Lager will work towards eradicating the labels that divide us. #SmashTheLabel #AshwinWillemse pic.twitter.com/k3y17cUxdQ
— Castle Lager SA (@CastleLagerSA) May 21, 2018
The label-free initiative follows in the footsteps of its latest television commercial, which was launched two weeks ago. It features gay relationships, albinism and traditional healing. Only a small number of beers will be sold label-free.
Picture: Twitter/Castle Lager