Carlsberg extends social content drive to Somersby cider brand

Somersby: Refreshingly Real Reviews

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pkfO0poy5k

The company says the cider is its “number one” focus in the UK this year, after its flagship Carlsberg brand. It is running a content drive, created by DigitasLBi, to carve into Strongbow’s dominance of the category following its launch in 2012.

Somersby will release one film a week over the next five weeks featuring British comedian Jake Yapp, poking fun at what the brewer claims its target audience of 35-to-45 year old males are talking about online; wearable technology, personality quizzes, selfies and beards. The themes have been pulled from social listening tools the cider maker has been trialing in a bid to offer a different take on topics currently trending.

Each video will be supported by additional social content with Somersby using a mix of paid media across YouTube and Facebook. A second burst of films will launch in July, when the company expects to see a “2 to 3 per cent” increase in sales compared to the rest of the year.

Matt Peach, senior brand manager at Carlsberg UK, says the activity will take up the bulk of the brand’s media investment in 2014. Globally, Carlsberg is redirecting its media spend to social networks and away from traditional channels such as TV after developing best practice guidelines for content marketing.

Peach adds: “We plan on using the social listening tools to support future initiatives because it’s a way for us to grow the mainstream cider category. In Somersby we have a genuine rival to the dominance Strongbow has had for the last three years.

“We know we have a strong point of differentiation in that our cider is made from more apples compared to our rivals. It’s why we use the strapline of ‘Real Refreshment’. The videos along with the marketing strategy really push this theme by offering a real view of life that feels more modern in comparison to other campaigns.”

Carlsberg will re-run last year’s Apple spoof TV ad campaign alongside the comedy films, claiming the adverts are “nowhere near worn out” in terms of viewer engagement. The campaign helped generate a 1216 per cent year-on-year increase in value sales to £8.2m, according to IRI.

Cider makers have fired the starting gun early on marketing campaigns this year in anticipation of limited exposure this summer when beer brands will activate around the World Cup. Strongbow has already kicked off its marketing campaign for the year, while Kopparberg is putting the finishing touches to a new strategy.