Claytons

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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 death toll. The jingle was written by Australian social satirist John McKellar.^[1]

The product has not been advertised on television since the 1980s, yet the name has entered into Australian and New Zealand vernacular, often referring to an ersatz. For example, a knowledgeable but unqualified handyman could be referred to as a "Claytons carpenter". The term can also be used as an insult. An insurance policy or clause in an insurance policy that must be taken out or complied with despite there being no need for the policy, ability for the policyholder to either comply with the terms of the endorsement or ability to lodge a claim under the policy may be referred to as "Claytons cover" or a "Claytons clause".^[2][3]