Hunter's is putting its full weight behind a R15m drive to position the cider as a contender in the premium RTD. The repositioning includes a TV campaign, radio, print and outdoor advertising, a new interactive website and countrywide promotions.
"This is the biggest campaign in the history of the brand," said brand spokesperson Owen Kley. "The 'Refreshes like nothing on earth' campaign, conceived by Berry Bush BBDO, focuses on audiences throughout the country, as well as in Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland and Botswana. With an extensive distribution network and an already embedded support for Hunter's amongst urban consumers in all the major centres, we are aiming to capitalise on the recently revamped packaging that underscores the authenticity of the product as a genuine apple cider."
The campaign to reinstate Hunter's in its cider category, firmly separated from the FAB segment, will include co-sponsorship of Metro FM's five-city Heatwave summer tour over December/January, when large-scale concerts and other open-air activities will have a specially constructed bar area. "The idea is to offer Hunter's in an on-consumption environment that encourages responsible consumption and where IDs of consumers can be checked," said Kley.
The brand's alignment with outdoor adventure will continue with a sequence of six regional radio promotions during April and May, linked to a competition in which winners get "action adventure options like tree-top hiking, night golf, quad biking and bungee jumping".
The interactive website will list promotional activities and also offer special features like customised ring tones. Hunter's, launched in 1988, was the first South African cider on the local market.
"Our campaign distinguishes Hunter's from the FAB segment, which has assumed a very young and predominantly female following, and is too narrow to accommodate the widespread support our brand enjoys. Hunter's is not a fashion drink but a genuine apple cider and an anytime thirst quencher, directed at a predominantly but by no means exclusively male audience. Our current strategy is to use wit, humour, action and fun to appeal to our existing consumers while attracting new supporters."
