Dave Nichol’s Premium Selection private label beer is getting the big brand treatment in a relaunch campaign from Molson Breweries and its agency, MacLaren McCann, of Toronto.

In May, Molson signed an agreement with Dave brewer Lakeport Brewing, of Hamilton, which is 70% owned by Cott, awarding Molson sales and marketing responsibilities for the discount beer brand.

Last week, MacLaren McCann unveiled a collection of humorous new tv and print advertising based on the tagline, ‘Easy to Drink. Tough to make.’

Dave Perkins, Molson’s senior vice-president of marketing, calls the partnership between the two brewers ‘a good complimentary relationship.

‘The skills that Molson brings to it is marketing- and selling-related, and Lakeport has good brewing skills,’ Perkins says.

He says depending on how well Dave does over the next couple of months in Ontario, distribution could be expanded to other parts of the country.

Dave was launched initially by Lakeport last November, with Cott President Dave Nichol appearing on the label and in the ads.

Nichol is well-known to consumers from his days as president of Loblaw Brands, where he was advertising pitchman for Loblaws’ President’s Choice private label products.

The original Dave packaging and labelling have been retained in the relaunch, although a new Dave’s Original Recipe logo has been introduced.

Perkins says ‘the brand needed to be separated and given a clear identity to make sure there’s no confusion with pc beer.

‘That’s really the intent of the advertising and other activities we’re undertaking,’ he says.

Ironically, pc beer, brewed by Labatt under licence from Loblaw, was also developed by Nichol during his tenure at Loblaw.