A series of advertisements featuring the
Bundaberg Rum
Bundaberg Rum, colloquially known as Bundy, is a dark rum owned by Diageo. It is produced in Bundaberg East, Queensland, Australia, by the Bundaberg Distilling Company. In 2010, the Bundaberg Distilling Company was inducted into the Queensland ...
bear, a
polar bear
The polar bear (''Ursus maritimus'') is a large bear native to the Arctic and nearby areas. It is closely related to the brown bear, and the two species can Hybrid (biology), interbreed. The polar bear is the largest extant species of bear ...
known as Bundy R. Bear, was produced by advertising agency
Leo Burnett
Leo Burnett (October 21, 1891 – June 7, 1971) was an American advertising executive and the founder of Leo Burnett Company, Inc. He was responsible for creating some of advertising's most well-known characters and campaigns of the 20th cen ...
to align the product 'with a larrikin approach to Australian mateship'. The Bundaberg Rum bear first appeared in 1961 and was created by Sam McMahon the brother of former Australian Prime Minister
William McMahon
Sir William McMahon (23 February 190831 March 1988), also known as Billy McMahon, was an Australian politician who served as the 20th prime minister of Australia from 1971 to 1972. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia ...
. It was designed to soften rum's aggressive image and broaden its appeal from the traditional older male drinker to a more sociable audience.
The advertisements have been cited as a favourite among Australia's youth.
Bundaberg Rum has also been criticised for targeting its advertising towards young people and boys, through television commercials during
NRL
The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...
broadcasts, and other promotions.
See also
*
List of Australian and New Zealand advertising characters
Many advertising characters used as mascots and characters by companies in Australia and New Zealand are similar to those used in the List of American advertising characters, United States and the List of European and British advertising charact ...
References
External links
*{{Facebook User, BundyR.Bear
Australian mascots
Advertising characters
Fictional polar bears
Anthropomorphic bears
Corporate mascots
Drink advertising characters
Male characters in advertising
Bear mascots
Mascots introduced in 1961
Bundaberg