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Brand-building, rather than price-cutting, will be the hallmark of

the cider industry’s marketing this year, with Bulmers planning brand

revamps and heavy advertising campaigns to pitch its cider brands

against the leading lagers.

Bulmers’ flagship cider brand, Strongbow, is to get a multi-million

pound facelift in a bid to make it trendier.

It will be redesigned and relaunched in May in a 33cl

’brand-in-the-hand’ bottle size, making it an option for younger

drinkers who currently go for alcopops or premium lagers.

The relaunch will be supported by a new advertising campaign through J

Walter Thompson.

The cider giant plans to up last year’s pounds 30m marketing spend and

refused to disclose budgets, but says it will out-spend the pounds 50m

marketing investment planned by Matthew Clark.

Advertising for Strongbow and Woodpecker brands will be approximately

double the 1994 levels and will top pounds 4.2m.

The ads will launch in May rather than June, when they usually

start.

Major mailing, sampling and promotional campaigns are also in the

pipeline for Woodpecker, Scrumpy Jack and Strongbow.

Bulmers said Strongbow, which accounts for around a third of the 112.6

million-gallon cider market, is soon to move from its position as the

14th largest drinks brand to the top ten.

Scrumpy Jack will be advertised heavily in the press and its White

Lightning brand will be redesigned in May.

This heavy marketing investment shows a distinct shift in strategy in

the cider market, from the price wars which have dominated the market in

the past two years to the long-term brand-building exercises which

already characterise the lager market.

Matthew Clark last month appointed former Guinness marketing chief Rob

MacNevin to turn around its marketing from pricing to branding.

Mark Doorbar, consumer marketing director for Bulmers, said this market

shift would be vital in cider’s fight against the new alcopops and cream

ales.

’The competition is not ciders, it is other long drinks, and the

emphasis on price cutting has given ciders less of a share of voice over

the past couple of years,’ said Doorbar.