BRANDS NEWS
MORGENROT ADDS KAISERDOM BEER
Morgenrot Group has added the
four-strong Kaiserdom range of
ales to its portfolio of so-called
‘world beers’. The company now
offers a range of iconic global
products such as Spain’s Alhambra
and Argentina’s Quilmes, which
join Cruzcampo and Krombacher
The new additions are from Bamberg in Germany ‘s brewing heartland.
Kaiserdom, founded in 1718, is one of eight remaining breweries from 60 which were in operation in 1818. It’s in the Franconia region of Germany, which boasts the highest density of breweries in the world.
Kaiserdom beers adhere rigorously to the Bamberg purity law of 1489, which predates the muchcited ‘Reinheitsgebot’ of 1516, stating that a beer must contain nothing but hops, malt and water.
The brewery has been run by the Worner family since 1910 and produces a diverse range of beer styles, using age old techniques and the finest ingredients.
The range includes a classic pilsener (4.3% abv draught, 4.8% bottle); a malty, blonde, Munich style ‘Helles’ beer (4.7% abv); a naturally cloudy wheat beer (4.7% abv) and a rich, dark ‘Dunkel’ lager (4.7%).
The packaging emphasises the brand’s German brewing heritage, and features Kaiserdom’s trademark logo of the emblematic ‘Bamberg Rider’, Bamberg cathedral’s famous medieval statue.
For further information, call the Morgenrot Group on 0845 070 4310.
REVAMP FOR CAPTAIN MORGAN
Captain Morgan rum, inspired by the legendary buccaneer, Captain Henry Morgan, has a new global pack design that emphasises the brand’s heritage and gives greater prominence to the personality of the Captain himself: he now looks more rugged and authentic looking, according to Russell Jones, global brand director for the leading black rum brand.
Gold coins, crossed swords and Henry Morgan’s signature plus a hand-painted illustration of a period ship, surround the Captain on the brand’s label across all product variants. There is also information on the number of servings per bottle and a recipe for the Captain and Cola cocktail.
There is also a revamped pointof- sale presence that is more visually compelling and representative of the brand - emphatic typography, strong visual imagery, more vibrant colours - and the whole thing retains the lovable rogue image of the Captain while dramatising the Captain and Cola cocktail.
The new look for the brand will run across all channels including the on and off trade, advertising and digital. It is estimated that within 18 months the revamped image of Captain Morgan will be active in over 50 countries where the brand is sold.
Captain Morgan is the number six ranked spirit in the world (IWSR 2009) and has been named the fastest growing top 20 spirit brand in the world (Impact 2009).
For further information, log on to www.captainmorgan.com
BREW OR BUST FOR WKD IRON BREW
An interactive on-trade promotion offering consumers a real chance to pocket £100, with trade stockists benefiting through increased rates-of-sale, has been launched.
WKD Iron Brew’s ‘Brew or Bust’ campaign will engage over 40,000 pub-goers who will use their skill to select winning sequences of playing card symbols in the style of television’s ‘Play Your Cards Right’. The idea is to correctly predict a winning pattern without going ‘bust’.
Scratchcards given away with bottles of WKD Iron Brew will provoke friendly debate among groups of friends as they attempt to reveal the successful combinations. In addition to cash prizes, a wide selection of branded merchandise will also be offered as rewards and the campaign will encourage trial of the new Iron Brew variant.
According to brand owner Beverage Brands, WKD Iron Brew is currently showing the fastest rate of distribution growth among the top 10 RTD SKUs in the on-trade. Its strong performance is underlined by its continued increase in volume and value share growth, claims the company.
“Brew or Bust is going to make consumers and trade customers very happy indeed, said Debs Carter, marketing director of Beverage Brands.
WKD CORE SPONSORS THE DARTS
WKD Core cider from Beverage Brands sponsored the 2010 World Matchplay darts championship, a nine-day event that finished on 25 July and has been screened on Sky Sports.
The event took place at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, and involved 32 players hoping to win the £100,000 top prize. Throughout the tournament - which finished on 25 July - those attending the event were able to sample WKD Core and get involved in special promotions surrounding the brand.
Players in the tournament will wear tee shirts carrying the WKD logo and, as Beverage Brands marketing director Debs Carter put it, “It’ll be great to see WKD Core line up on the oche alongside the leading names from the world of darts.”
For more information on WKD Core, visit www.beveragebrands.co.uk
METEOR HITS THE SPOT
Essex-based speciality international food and drink importer, Casa Julia, has recently taken on the on-trade distribution of Alsace beer brand Meteor.
The company is looking to expand its world beer portfolio and the hope is that French restaurants in the UK will regard Meteor as the iconic French beer the sector has been lacking for so long. Casa Julia believes the heritage and tradition behind the Meteor brand can provide restaurateurs with an exciting offering.
Meteor was founded in 1640 and is the largest independent and family-run brewery in France. It produces a wide range of beers including lagers, wheat and abbey style products.
Meteor beer is crafted with pure water from the Vosges Mountains and locally sourced Alsace hops and barley. It joins Casa Julia’s catalogue of prestigious world beer brands.
The brand is already listed at French restaurant chain Côte, French fine dining restaurant Le Pont de La Tour and Conran’s rooftop Boundary restaurant and it will be supporting customers with bespoke point-of-sale packages.
For further information, call 01376 320269.
TV AD SUCCESS PROMPTS SEQUEL
Foster’s is launching a new execution of its ‘Good Call’ television advertising campaign, following the success of the original advertisement.
The idea behind the second advertisement is to further reinforce Foster’s famous Aussie No Worries attitude.
The new execution - ‘Leaner’- was created by Adam & Eve and sees the characters from the original ad, Brad and Dan, back in their beach-side den, providing their uniquely bright and optimistic view of the world to callers from the UK.
In the ad, Tom from High Wycombe calls on the advice of the Aussie duo to ask how he can handle a mate who stands too close to him when he talks. He is advised to “become a shouter and shout at his friend like he is in the next state.” The new ad forms part of a multi-media campaign for the brand and embraces digital, social media and outdoor ambient activity.
BOW TIME HITS THE RADIO
Leading UK cider brand Strongbow has launched a new national radio advertising campaign to reinforce the Strongbow Rewards Hard Graft message.
The new ads will continue the theme from the recent television ads, which position the brand as the ultimate refreshing reward after a hard day at work.
Each of the ads feature a tongue-in-cheek speech from a leader, applauding their fellow workers for their hard graft including Dave the Scaffolder who thanks the building control officer for giving him extra work to make him even thirstier for his refreshing pint of Strongbow, and Lee the Builder who thanks his mate ‘Bonkers Dave’ for pretending to drive off without him after a hard day’s work, ensuring - after chasing after the van, he was suitably parched for his crisp pint of Strongbow.
The ads end with the strapline, ‘Bowtime Hard Earned’ and the sound of the trademark arrows thudding into the bar. The executions will be aired nationally on Wednesdays and Thursdays, to coincide with the time people are driving home after a long working day.
According to Lucy Henderson, brand manager for Strongbow at Heineken UK, “We know that radio is a cost-effective way of reaching our core target market, and we feel that with the new radio executions we have found a creative route that develops and amplifies the Strongbow message even further.”
NEW PACKAGING FOR SMIRNOFF
New packaging has been introduced for SMIRNOFF No. 21 vodka and the brand’s Flavours range.
The new design is already on 70cl and 1.5 litre bottle sizes, and by late August, 50cl size will also be updated.
The new design blends contemporary iconography with authentic heritage cues and offers a more refined typography and detailed glass embossing to reflect the brand’s high quality standards, claims supplier Diageo.
A “Regal Eagle” has replaced the old “Spike” graphic as a tribute to the brand’s stature and authenticity, according to Diageo, and, as Amy Mooney, senior brand manager for Smirnoff pointed out, the idea was to encapsulate the premium, heritage and purity cues consumers associate with the brand.
