Magners switches focus to promote ‘good times’ around social occasions
Magners is returning to its original brand positioning as a drink that brings people together in its latest advertising campaign, after activity to promote its taste and provenance failed to spur sales last year.
The Irish brewer is launching its ‘Now Is A Good Time’ year-long campaign this weekend (20 April) to appeal to younger drinkers new to the cider category.
A series of TV adverts, outdoor advertising, PR and social activity will promote the brand’s refreshed strategy, which it claims “will bring to life the sociability and spontaneity at the heart of Magners”. It sees the brand move away from promoting its taste and Irish heritage in its marketing following the launch of its high-profile ‘Made in the Dark campaign last year.
The Red Brick Road-created campaign brings the cider more inline with the advertising for fellow C&C Group-owned cider Bulmers, which launched its first major marketing push earlier this year to position itself as a drink for the weekend.
It is a return to the positioning the brand adopted in 2005 when it first launched as it looks to stimulate dwindling volume sales. Volume sales for Magners owner C&C Group tumbled 6.6 per cent in the first half of 2012, only to slightly recover by 0.9 per cent in the third quarter.
Competition in the cider market is intensifying as yearly sales of the category threaten to overtake lager in the UK. Carlsberg has just launched a £10m marketing campaign to promote its Somersby cider, while Molson Coors is developing a £5m marketing push to promote its recently launched Carling British Cider brand.
