“Golden beer can” promo cost BrewDog nearly GBP 500,000

United Kingdom | All that glitters is not gold. James Watt, CEO of Scottish craft brewer and pub operator BrewDog, has paid out more than USD 580,000 from his own pocket to winners of a bungled “solid gold” beer can promotion. The treasure hunters were peeved when they found out that the golden cans were not made of solid gold as they had been led to believe.

Mr Watt admitted on 9 January 2023 that the promo, which took place in June 2021, and made punters rush for cases of BrewDog’s beer in the hope of finding one of the 50 precious cans, made the brewer look “dishonest and disingenuous”.

Mr Watt himself had mistakenly believed the cans were made of solid gold. In fact, they were made of brass and only gold-plated.

A number of the winners contacted the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which regulates advertising and marketing in the UK, complaining that the “solid gold” claim was misleading. The ASA subsequently upheld the complaints.

BrewDog’s CEO said he had contacted all 50 winners to offer them the “full cash amount” and GBP 15,000 in BrewDog shares, if they were unhappy with the original prize.

In the end, Mr Watt paid around GBP 470,000 (USD 582,000) – “well over two and a half years’ salary” he said – to repurchase 40 of the golden cans.