Why Are These Two Aussies Among The Most Famous In The UK?

If Anthony Toohey and Tom Oakley were walking down the street, odds are you wouldn't be able to pick them from a bar of soap.

You might — might — recognise Toohey as one half of Melbourne/Sydney's Ant & Becks radio team, or if you are an avid fan of All Saints, Out Of The Blue or Home And Away, then maybe you are indeed already familiar with Oakley — but the fact remains that the general populace probably wouldn't have a clue who they are.

That's what makes their ascension to being among the most easily recognisable Australians in the UK so unexpected, a quality further entrenched by the reasons therein — they've made Fosters the most popular brand of beer in the country.

We'll give you a second.

Yes, as the stars of the locally maligned brewing giant's recent UK-based Good Call ad campaign, in which Toohey and Oakley play agony uncles Brad and Dan and dispense (questionable) advice to confused Britons, the pair of relatively little-known Aussies have helped Fosters leapfrog from third-most-preferred beer in supermarkets and off-licenses to top the list as first choice.

The ads have been recognised as the most effective for Fosters since records began in 1980, netting Fosters an extra £32 (about $58, or 36 cans) in sales for every £1 spent on advertising. They all follow the same formula — worried Brit calls ultra-casual, affable Aussies Brad and Dan in their surf hut/advice centre with a variety of problems, for which Brad and Dan would prescribe their special brand of ocker tips before sending them on their merry way with an oh-so-Aussie farewell. Cue the masterstroke tagline: "Fosters. Good call."

Regardless of how you personally feel about the depiction (didn't people lose their shit when The Simpsons did it?), there's no denying the results. Categorically, Brad and Dan have helped a "once-struggling" brand that still can't be given away at home to become the first beer that British people ask for at the bottlo.

Legends.