Sometimes a promotion inspired by the children’s classic Willy Wonka can get away from a business leader, and BrewDog CEO and co-founder James Watt is the latest that can attest to this fact.
In late 2020, Watts channeled his inner Wonka with a promotion where the embattled Scottish-based brewery hid the cans, purportedly made out of solid gold, in random cases of beer. However, when some excited fans found an aureate IPA can in their order, disappointment quickly set in as the prize turned out to be hollow, brass-plated gold.
Unsurprisingly, several prize “winners” filed complaints with the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority, which ultimately concluded that the “solid gold” claims were indeed misleading. Now, in the latest chapter of Watt’s Wonka mishap, the BrewDog CEO has taken to his LinkedIn to say he’s compensated disappointed winners himself, chalking up the mistake to enthusiasm.
