Magners set to shake-up apple cider category
Magners is set to introduce a new campaign to shake up the apple cider category.
From May 2016, the brand will unveil striking new packaging backed by a multi-million pound media campaign across TV, outdoor and radio, further supported by heavyweight experiential activity, PR and social media.
The iconic Magners bottle will be relaunched, along with new packaging across all cans and draught formats, designed to ensure maximum shelf stand-out. To further drive excitement, Magners will also be the first major cider brand to use an innovative rip top closure, negating the need for a bottle opener and therefore helping support impulse purchases across the growing convenience channel.
The new creative campaign has been developed on the back of extensive consumer research and sees the brand focusing on its position as an original true cider since 1935. The tagline 'Hold True' will encourage people to stay true to themselves in a world full of fads and gimmicks - just like the Magners brand. A heavy-weight TV campaign will also launch in June, reaching 97% of UK adults.*
Andy Cross, Brand Director at Magners, said: "Research is showing consumers are suffering from flavour fatigue in the cider market. With so much choice, but little resemblance to cider, consumers appear to be tiring of flavoured ciders in the same way they did with alcopops. Apple still accounts for 76 per cent of the cider category - but research has shown young adults find the category boring. We want to make apple cider exciting again by bringing a new attitude and tone of voice that will invigorate the category once more.
"We know that Magners is still loved by consumers but we also know they have been enticed into new brands and flavours in recent years. This campaign is about reminding them Magners is still the original through our new campaign, 'Hold True'. We're investing heavily in the Magners brand with our new creative and innovative packaging and we can't wait to see what consumers think."
To support the renewed focus on the apple segment, Magners will be focusing primarily on its Original apple variant. This will mean replacing Magners Golden Draught across the On Trade with Magners Original draught to bring synergy across the family. This move follows on from independent blind taste tests, which saw 62 per cent of participants preferring Magners Original against the market leading apple cider brand. ***
In the Off Trade, Magners Original is the only top 5 apple cider brand performing ahead of the market in both volume (+18 per cent) and value (+8 per cent)****, giving the brand a positive platform for the launch of the new packaging and media campaign.
Sources:
*Nielsen AdDynamix 2015
*** Cardinal Independent Taste Research
**** Nielsen Off Trade 270216
