Claytons
Encyclopedia
Claytons is the brand name of a non-alcoholic, non-carbonated beverage coloured and packaged to resemble bottled whisky
. It was the subject of a major marketing campaign in Australia
and New Zealand
in the 1970s and 1980s, promoting it as "the drink you have when you're not having a drink
" at a time when alcohol was being targeted as a major factor in the road toll
.
Although the product is no longer being actively marketed, the name has entered into Australian and New Zealand vernacular where it represents a "poor substitute" or "an ineffective solution to a problem". It can also be used to describe something that is effectively in existence but does not take the appropriate name, e.g. a common-law couple might be described as having a "Clayton's marriage".
s and citrus
essences". The product, bottled by Beecham, was taken off the market in New Zealand but continued to be distributed in Australia through Orlando Wines and later Cadbury-Schweppes.
As of 2007 the Claytons brand is still being used by Armstrong Agencies Ltd in Barbados
, though the product is called Claytons Kola Tonic. This particular brand is also available in Australia from vendors such as GreenGrocer.com.au
, a humorous outtake
of the Claytons commercial was shown. It featured a slurring Jack Thompson
saying the line "Claytons.....for the drink I have....when they won't let me drink anymore....know what I mean", followed by a roar of laughter by his co-stars.
The term is primarily used by people old enough to remember the original advertising campaign, but it is still widely used throughout both countries, especially in political debate.
The commercial also generated another catch-phrase which became common in New Zealand and Australia. Before turning to camera at the start of the ad, our Claytons-drinking hero (played by Jack Thompson
) tells the punch-line of a joke to the barman: "... And then this guy says 'Now we can all get some sleep!' " After completing a particularly irksome task - perhaps changing a tyre in the rain, or dropping 12 children off to their respective houses after a noisy birthday party - one can say "Now we can all get some sleep" to put a humorous full stop on the event.
In the original advertisement, set in a bar, this "punchline" was greeted with uproarious laughter, followed by the barman saying "What'll you have?"
Jack: Claytons, thanks, Brian.
Bloke in Bar: On the wagon, Jack?
Jack. No. When I don't feel like alcohol, I have Claytons.
Voice-over: Claytons. The drink you have when you're not having a drink.
Whisky
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and corn...
. It was the subject of a major marketing campaign in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in the 1970s and 1980s, promoting it as "the drink you have when you're not having a drink
Alcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
" at a time when alcohol was being targeted as a major factor in the road toll
Road toll
Road toll is the term used in some countries for the number of deaths caused annually by road accidents.The term is in common and official use in Australia and New Zealand.-Australia:In Australia the road toll is reported at a state level...
.
Although the product is no longer being actively marketed, the name has entered into Australian and New Zealand vernacular where it represents a "poor substitute" or "an ineffective solution to a problem". It can also be used to describe something that is effectively in existence but does not take the appropriate name, e.g. a common-law couple might be described as having a "Clayton's marriage".
Product history
According to the product label, Claytons was "originally blended and bottled by the Clayton Brothers for the Pure Water Company, Battersea, London, in the 1880s. According to 1980s labelling it was "made from African kola nutKola nut
Kola Nut is the nut of the kola tree, a genus of trees native to the tropical rainforests of Africa, classified in the family Malvaceae, subfamily Sterculioideae . It is related to the South American genus Theobroma, or cocoa...
s and citrus
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
essences". The product, bottled by Beecham, was taken off the market in New Zealand but continued to be distributed in Australia through Orlando Wines and later Cadbury-Schweppes.
As of 2007 the Claytons brand is still being used by Armstrong Agencies Ltd in Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
, though the product is called Claytons Kola Tonic. This particular brand is also available in Australia from vendors such as GreenGrocer.com.au
Commercial outtake
On ParkinsonParkinson (TV series)
Parkinson is a British television talk show that was presented by Sir Michael Parkinson. It was first shown on the BBC from 1971 to 2004, and on ITV from 2004 to 2007.-Background:...
, a humorous outtake
Outtake
An outtake is a portion of a work that is removed in the editing process and not included in the work's final, publicly released version. In the digital era, significant outtakes have been appended to CD and DVD reissues of many albums and films as bonus tracks or features, in film often, but not...
of the Claytons commercial was shown. It featured a slurring Jack Thompson
Jack Thompson (actor)
Jack Thompson, AM is an Australian actor and one of the major figures of Australian cinema. He was educated at University of Queensland, before embarking on his acting career. In 2002, he was made an honorary member of the Australian Cinematographers Society...
saying the line "Claytons.....for the drink I have....when they won't let me drink anymore....know what I mean", followed by a roar of laughter by his co-stars.
Appearance in Popular Culture
Though the product is largely forgotten, the phrase "Claytons" has entered the Australian and New Zealand vernacular with two different, but related, meanings:- Same word, different thing - Many regarded Claytons as a poor taste substitute, and the promotional campaign was ridiculed at the time. Subsequently, the term "Claytons" entered the vocabulary of both countries, used as an adjective to signify a compromise which satisfies no-one, or any form of inferior substitute or low-quality imitation, largely synonymous with the word "ersatzErsatzErsatz means 'substituting for, and typically inferior in quality to', e.g. 'chicory is ersatz coffee'. It is a German word literally meaning substitute or replacement...
". For example, a hasty or temporary repair may be only a "Claytons solution" to a problem.
- Different word, same thing - Claytons may also refer to something essentially the same but going by a different name. So for instance before an election is officially called there is the "Claytons election campaign": the election campaign you're having when you're not having an election campaign.
The term is primarily used by people old enough to remember the original advertising campaign, but it is still widely used throughout both countries, especially in political debate.
The commercial also generated another catch-phrase which became common in New Zealand and Australia. Before turning to camera at the start of the ad, our Claytons-drinking hero (played by Jack Thompson
Jack Thompson (actor)
Jack Thompson, AM is an Australian actor and one of the major figures of Australian cinema. He was educated at University of Queensland, before embarking on his acting career. In 2002, he was made an honorary member of the Australian Cinematographers Society...
) tells the punch-line of a joke to the barman: "... And then this guy says 'Now we can all get some sleep!' " After completing a particularly irksome task - perhaps changing a tyre in the rain, or dropping 12 children off to their respective houses after a noisy birthday party - one can say "Now we can all get some sleep" to put a humorous full stop on the event.
In the original advertisement, set in a bar, this "punchline" was greeted with uproarious laughter, followed by the barman saying "What'll you have?"
Jack: Claytons, thanks, Brian.
Bloke in Bar: On the wagon, Jack?
Jack. No. When I don't feel like alcohol, I have Claytons.
Voice-over: Claytons. The drink you have when you're not having a drink.
External links
- Armstrong Agencies Ltd, the current distributor in Barbados
- Examples of the term's use in New Zealand:
- Examples of the term's use in Australia:
- http://www.dcita.gov.au/Article/0,,0_4-2_4008-4_13163,00.htmlhttp://www.assa.org.au/articles/claytons/http://www.wilderness.org.au/regions/sa/mpa_claytons_park_05/http://web.archive.org/web/20060908014948/http://www.choice.com.au/viewPressRelease.aspx?id=102659&catId=100497&tid=100010&p=1http://web.archive.org/web/20050615083517/http://oysterfarmers.asn.au/news/newsletter/articles/000251.htm