It’s never easy for new brands to find their niche on limited budgets, but Australia’s Four’N Twenty Beef Pies found a window and delivered in of all places, Philadelphia, with the 76ers last month. Haven’t yet heard of the brand? Here’s a little primer.
The Four’N Twenty legend began in 1947, in a country town in Australia, when a crafty café owner named LT McClure hung out a sign encouraging customers to peer through a window and watch “the most delicious meat pies being made.”
It didn’t take long for these pies to become a national phenomenon. By 1956, thousands of these warm, flaky treats were being churned out by the hour and delivered to hungry, happy mates. Aussies became hooked on this new taste sensation as Four’N Twenty showed up in towns and cities across the nation. But there was one destination that really stood out, a place that kept the orders coming, season after season: Football. Four’N Twenty pies became synonymous with the “footy.” and the ritual of the game. In stadiums all across the country, you’d find tens of thousands of fans with a beer in one hand and a Four’N Twenty in the other. Today, Four’N Twenty is a part of Australian culture and a national icon.
With both the Sixers Ben Simmons in market and now the Eagles Jordan Mailita, former Aussie rugby star turned American footballer there as well, the brand chose to work with the Sixers and expand their Australian Heritage Night event. The pictures and story went viral, and the beef pies sold out at the Wells Fargo Center.
We caught up with Anand Surujpal, CMO of Four’N Twenty to ask him about the storytelling strategy behind their Sixers promo night.
The Sixers promotion was a great intro but how will you leverage that to other US audiences?
Four’N Twenty chose Philadelphia for this launch as a gift to the City of Brotherly love. We have had such a warm and genuine welcome here, so we wanted the fans here to have the first taste of our new Four’N Twenty Traveller to show our appreciation of the support we’ve received. Philadelphia is a city synonymous with great sports, teams and fans so it was a great fit for the new Four’N Twenty Traveller as it is real food for real fans. It’s authentic, no-frills and made for people who truly enjoy the love of the game – which describes the Philly fans perfectly.
We are planning to expand but want to do it the right way and find the right markets for the product. We know that we have a product here that is a great fit with the “ritual of the game” so we want to roll-out and into markets where we can align with the great sports and great fans.
We have seen “heritage nights” come and go as players leave teams. Can an “Australian night” go on with an NBA team without a player like Ben Simmons?
Sure, while we feel like Ben is a great friend of the brand, we are also putting down roots here and think we are a good fit in this market. The brand has a lot of similarities to the ethos of Philly – we are real, authentic and are all about the love of the game. And until I got here and learned for myself, I didn’t realize how real the “brotherly love” is here – we really love our adopted home town. That all being said, we will be expanding to other markets in the US in the future and will always try to have a tie-in to the great Australian athletes that are here.
Jordan Mailita is not just an Eagle, he is tied to the growing sport of rugby. Any plans on expanding with that community or with the Eagles for 2019?
We are very much a part of the Rugby, or as we call it the “Footy” community in Australia – as a matter of fact, Four’N Twenty are synonymous with “footy” and the ritual of the game. We are served in stadiums all across the country, where tens of thousands of fans are often seen with a beer in one hand and a Four’N Twenty in the other. And Jordan, well, he’s a perfect match (with our brand). We signed the first ever International partnership for the Philadelphia 76ers last year, and now we have Jordan who is the first and only Australian player to be drafted into the NFL, without any American football experience, and is also in Philadelphia.
What was the biggest surprise with the program?
The meaning of Pie in the US! In Australia, we naturally think of a pie as a savory item. In the US it’s either a sweet or pizza! We also learned a lot about how people like to eat. After our 1st year with the 76ers (2018), we consumer tested the Four’N Twenty Traveller with Philadelphia fans and they were really receptive. We had received feedback that the traditional round pies were a bit tricky to eat – so we went back to Australia and brought back a delicious snack that fits right in your hand. The initial response from fans to the launch of the Four’N Twenty Traveller has been overwhelmingly positive.
Was the resonance with the partnership felt back in Australia as well? If so, what was the bounce there for you?
Yes, it sure was and is. Especially after the 2nd year of Heritage Night. We had a tremendous amount of press in both the US and back home in Australia. Australians are very proud of their heritage and Four’N Twenty is a real icon brand there – so they are finding it really cool that their favorite fan food, the Great Australian Taste – is becoming well-known in America. They get a great kick out of that!
How do you measure ROI for the Sixers program?
Well, if Heritage Night was any indication – we sold out of product by halftime. Which was a first for the brand since we entered the US market. So, I think we are really on to something!
What other markets are key to brand growth in the next year?
For now, the Wells Fargo Center is the exclusive location for Four’N Twenty Travellers in the US. In the coming months (2019), Four’N Twenty Travellers will be available in select c-stores, retail locations and stadiums across Pennsylvania.
What’s the key message you are trying to get out to the US consumer?
We just launched a new campaign titled, “Your Ice-Cold Beer’s New Best Friend”. It is supported with the tagline, “Aussie Beef. Pastry. Yum.” That’s just it – we are hoping to communicate that we have a great product – that’s real food, for real fans. The Four’N Twenty Traveller is an oblong-shaped pastry made with 100% Australian Beef, served hot, right out of the oven. Four’N Twenty products have been the Australian go-to snack for over 70 years and are synonymous with sports there. The Four’N Twenty Traveller savory snack is deliciously crafted to perfection and made to fit right in your hand.
