It hardly need be said that 2011 was a big year for rugby in NZ. And for Lion it represented a significant sales volume opportunity and the chance to solidify Steinlager’s place in the hearts of New Zealanders.

And while there were challenges, the idea was to give New Zealanders an icon of belief. This came by way of bringing back the iconic Steinlager white can, which was there when New Zealand won the cup 24 years earlier.

Bringing the can back was a stroke of brilliance and the campaign outperformed expectations with Steinlager Classic sales-to-trade, including the white can, up more than 19 percent over the same period a year earlier. The white can helped to grow Steinlager Classic volume by 5.1 percent and lift the Steinlager trademark’s share of premium beer by 0.7 percent.