Video: Kopparberg targets influencers to bolster ‘cider of Shoreditch’ status
Kopparberg is gearing up to recruit influencers capable of creating what it claims is “sustainable buzz” around the brand’s offbeat positioning in an attempt to offset the mainstream appeal it has built through recent TV campaigns.
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The recruitment drive aims to tighten Kopparberg’s grip around a group it describes as the “Shoreditch drinker” who first put it on the map when it launched eight years ago. It sees the cider maker tap influencers such as bloggers, creatives and vocal advocates to spark online and offline conversations at a more targeted level than its “Happenings” advertising campaign.
It is turning the forest surrounding the Swedish town of Kopparberg into a brand platform that influencers will use to help create experiential events and digital campaigns pushing the provenance of the brand. Kopparberg says the creative concept will focus on the forest being “where the magic lies” for the cider, similar to Cabury’s now defunct Joyville strategy.
The move is a return to the low-key, quirky marketing the brand employed in the early noughties when it claims to have created the fruit cider category. Kopparberg has switched to a more product-focused strategy in the years since to try and appeal to more people and stave off the advances of Stella Artois Cidre and Heineken’s Strongbow. The cider maker hails the move for its growth in recent years – posting a 24 per cent jump in sales in 2013 – but says it now has the budget to appeal simultaneously to both discerning and casual cider drinkers.
The brand’s increased presence will also be felt through the upcoming sequel to its 2013 TV advert promoting the ingredients and refreshment of Kopparberg cider. It is backed by increased sampling and experiential activity alongside more evenly spread media spend throughout the year to give the cider more seasonal appeal.
Kopparberg’s marketing shift is born from a switch in advertising agency from Saint@RKCR&R to 18 Feet & Rising.
Separately, Kopparberg is sharing more category insight with its on and off-trade partners to try and secure more distribution deals. It comes after the brand expanded its insights offering last year to push it as a premium cider and avoid having to compete solely on volume with other brands.