Celebrating the sweary, unconventional love language of British men, Foster’s has launched ‘Love You Cans’ that feature rude nicknames. 

The campaign aims to connect mates and encourage men to reach out to one another by gifting the personalised cans to their friends. 

Born from research which found that as they get older, British men are increasingly losing touch with their friends, the cans aim to break the ice with laughter and meet men in their own unique language of love. 

The research found that while 61% of men surveyed admit that reaching out to reconnect can feel awkward or uncomfortable, many men find it less awkward to express affection through light-hearted mock insults. 59% of British millennial men say calling their mates a crude nickname is how they show that they care.

Created with the help of Publicis London, the work is the first from the creative agency for the Heineken owned brand.

Cans have been created emboldened with the words “b*llend, d**khead, kn*bhead, t*sser or w*nker”, as a gesture of light-hearted love. People are encouraged to gift one of the cans to a friend or can create their own branded can with a chosen nickname by visiting www.loveyoucans.com. 

“We know that when men lose touch with their mates, they can feel awkward to reach out again. With Foster’s ‘Love You Cans’ we want to champion and celebrate the authentic language of mateship and turn it into something meaningful, memorable and unmistakably Foster’s. By reframing the way men tease each other as an act of care, we’re giving a fresh twist to ‘Good Call’ by making reconnecting feel effortless, genuine and brilliantly Aussie, preferably with a Foster’s in hand,” says Veronica Sica, Beer Marketing Director, Heineken.

Alongside the tongue-in-cheek product redesign, digital out of home and out of home fly-posters spotlight the playful nicknames of the campaign, across key locations in Cardiff, London, Manchester and Newcastle. While social films by creators including Ryan Sullivan and Big John further encourage people to reach out to their mates by sending a ‘Love You Can’. Media planning and buying was handled by Dentsu.

Consumer PR from Cow supports the campaign’s focus on connection. Born from the insight that 69% of men say mates’ holidays are an important way to maintain friendships, Foster’s will run a national competition to offer friends looking to reconnect the chance to win a reunion trip across Australia, with a visit to an outpost called ‘Knob’.

Noël Bunting, Chief Creative Officer, Publicis London, added: “When you combine such a gift of an insight with the brand personality of Foster’s, you know you have the chance to capture men’s attention like never before and have a meaningful impact on friendships nationwide.”