Jagermeister vies to break from party perception

Jagermeister is readying its biggest marketing campaign in the UK to date as it looks to convince consumers it is a drink to be savoured and not to get drunk with on nights out.

The German herbal liqueur plans to push the benefits of drinking Jagermeister as an ice-cold shot. It will target a slightly older demographic of 25 to 35 year-old males compared to the brand’s traditional 18 to 25 group as it looks to position itself as a more premium alternative to other spirits such as Sourz.

The £4m campaign, which launches on 26 November, includes nationwide outdoor activity, print adverts and a Facebook push ahead of its first TV ads in the new year.

The brand hopes to educate consumers on how to serve the beverage before switching to a more emotional message in its TV push. Jagermeister is introducing the strapline: ‘Jagermeister. It runs deep’, while advertising creative will use call to actions ‘Give it a shot’ and ‘Deep freeze’.

Speaking to Marketing Week, Nicole Goodwin, group marketing manager for Jagermeister UK, says: “One of the challenges for the brand here in the UK has been having that emotional connection with consumers outside the activity we do around music. We’re addressing this by targeting a slightly older consumer who is looking for something other than a Jager Bomb.

Since it launched in the UK in 2005, Jagermeister has shown substantial growth in the spirits category and is now worth £139m. A key factor to its success during this period has been the popularity of the Jager Bomb – a shot cocktail of Jagermeister and Red Bull – in pubs and clubs. Despite its contribution to the rise of the brand, Goodwin says the Jager Bomb association now “waters down the brand.”

“We’re also aware that the Jager Bomb trend could stop becoming popular so want to protect our brand’s equity through our new strategy”, she adds. “We want to take the brand out of high-intensity social environments and talk to consumers about other places they can enjoy drinking it with their close friends. Changing the party-loving perceptions people have won’t happen overnight but we’ve got a two to three year plan outlined to educate people and build that deep connection with them.”

Additionally, the brand is expanding its Jager Music sponsorship programme to support upcoming funk, dance and urban music acts after focusing most of its grassroots activity in recent years around rock music. It is hoped the move will broaden the drink’s consumer base and allow the brand to still appeal to younger drinkers.

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