Scotland’s first cider has launched its first ever OOH campaign, supported by paid social and on trade POS.
It’s also the first work out of the gate for Fantasticate, the creative start-up launched by Andy Tucker and Kirsty North earlier this year. Fantasticate were appointed to help define and scale the brand, which was Scotland’s original cidermaker at its inception in 2008. The agency has worked with Thistly Cross from defining the overall strategy via quantitative and qualitative research, through to concept development, media planning and final execution.
With ciders fans raving about, and well-established distribution through supermarkets and pubs, but relatively low awareness, Thistly Cross is perfectly poised to supercharge growth with brand advertising. The “THIStly is our cider” platform pushes against entrenched clichés in the cider category, celebrating Thistly Cross’ distinctive products and approach in a truly ownable, decidedly Scottish, style.
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Large format OOH ads hero the brand’s star product, Whisky Cask cider, with headlines including “Welcome to cider country. Yes, really.” and “Scottish cider. With subtle notes of whisky, oak and mild disbelief”, while 6-sheets also incorporate the draft Traditional cider, perfect “For summer days. Both of them.”
Running throughout June and July, OOH will be supported by on-trade POS materials, as well as a paid social campaign including a short film and cutdowns showing the fans’ side of “our cider”.
Based on a roadtrip format, the hero film follows founder, Peter Stuart, around the dramatic Highlands and urban central belt of Scotland, visiting iconic pub locations and an unexpected range of Thistly Cross cider converts. While celebratory, the film subverts the sun-dappled-orchard and tanned-young-people-in-beer-gardens norms of the category, embracing the quirkiness of the founder, products and fans.
Shot by Danny Bonnar over a three-day actual roadtrip, it features a cast of entirely non-actors, and genuine fans from new drinkers to established stockists and team members.
“Scotland isn’t known for its cider. People tend to be genuinely gobsmacked to discover it’s something we actually make here. But those who do know Thistly, seriously love it. So we wanted to tap into that passion and pride – this is our cider, made right here – and also do something different to all the clichéd cider ads out there. Something very Scottish and irreverent. It’s a fantastic range of products and we can’t wait to help more people discover Thistly,” said Andy Tucker, co-founder of Fantasticate.
“This is a really big deal for us as a business – we’ve never done anything on this scale before. But after gaining such strong distribution across the country, it’s time to make the most of that and make Thistly famous. Thistly Cross is so much about place and people, and we’re really excited about this new platform which really captures that in a way that’s distinctive, and flexible enough to run with well into the future,” added Emily Clarke, head of marketing at Thistly Cross Cider.
The “THIStly is our cider” launch campaign will run across supersize, 48-sheet and 6-sheet formats, plus paid and organic social on Meta (@thistlycrossofficial), throughout June and July.
