BrewDog dropped dozens of dead ‘fat cats’ from a helicopter to celebrate £5m crowdfunding record

By on Tuesday, May 12, 2015

To celebrate crowdfunding more than £5m in 20 days – beating its own record of £4.25m, set in 2013 – craft beer brand BrewDog dropped actual dead ‘fat cats’ carrying the Equity for Punks fund prospectus from a helicopter over the City, London:

Dozens of dead cats were dressed in waistcoats, monocles and handmade velvet top hats in a reference to the ‘fat cat’ banker caricature. BrewDog founders James Watt and Martin Dickie were the ones wielding the moggies.

BrewDog cats

I am usually a big fan of BrewDog’s style – regular readers will know I love a good controversial stunt, and point to its End of the World stunt as one of my favourites ever (page 10) – and I’m sure this was an awesome way to spend a day at work – but I’m unsure who this campaign is having a go at, and feel it’s being contrary just because.

I like Equity for Punks – crowdfunding as much as BrewDog has through a clearly passionate and vocal community is impressive – but given ‘fat cats’ are generally considered to be people that earn more in salaries and bonuses than they deserve (so says Investopedia too, I checked to make sure I wasn’t being a div, which is almost always the case), it misses the mark for me in terms of messaging.

(God, I’ve become one of THOSE people, haven’t I? Just ignore me and gawp at the cool helicopter and dead cats being chucked out of it. It’s getting late, I’m going home).

From the release, for completeness:

526,316 shares in the brewery have been made available, for a minimum investment of just £95 for two shares. The money raised will be used to fund an expansion of the BrewDog brewery and its international bar division, as well as launching new projects like a craft beer hotel, custom sour beer facility and a distillation plant.

Involved agency: Manifest London

Read more: press release

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