Brown bottles get the green light: Brown is beautiful for Hansa Pilsener

The campaign kicked off this past weekend, 15 May 2010, with a 30-second television commercial. Under the tag line "Brown is Beautiful," the advert explains that the beer is packed in brown bottles because brown glass provides superior protection from the rays of light that are harmful to beer.

Beer exposed to sunlight will become sun-struck, which affects the taste and quality of the beer. Tests conducted by an international research agency indicate that brown glass gives the highest protection of all glass colours and blocks 95% of the light, that damages beer, while green glass blocks only 45%.

Despite those facts, consumer research shows that many beer drinkers in South Africa mistakenly perceive that bottles made of brown glass are inferior to those made from green glass.

Mosidi Seretlo, GM for Hansa Pilsener, said: "We hope that the advert will be an important start to dispelling the misconception within the consumer market. Hansa Pilsener will continue to be packaged in this format offering a fresher and better quality beer."

Hansa will unveil further aspects of the campaign in the coming months.