Blizzard of apple blossoms for Strongbow’s 2011 push
Cider brand Strongbow will kick off 2011 with an ad featuring what appears to be snow falling on a summer barbecue.
“Summer Blossom”, by Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, features apple blossoms blowing through the air. It debuts on TV on Sunday January 2.
Around 15m pieces of paper blossom were cut out of tissue paper, separated by a specially constructed high pressure air vacuum and shipped in from LA for the 60 second ad.
Clive Coleman, Carlton & United Breweries’ group marketing manager for cider, said: “This new TVC really captures the fun-loving summer holiday spirit Strongbow is all about.
“It was truly an international production, sourcing everything from the director to the location to the paper blossom from Australia and beyond. We’re thrilled with the final result.”
The ad was filmed in New Zealand and directed by Mark Molloy.
Josh Robbins, creative director at Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, said: “This is a big moment for Strongbow that’s all about the brand blossoming into a summer icon. It takes you on a journey with friends that doesn’t end up where you think it will.”
The idea was created by Paul Reardon and Simon Bagnasco at Clemenger BBDO .
Director of Photography Greig Fraser used a 30 year old set of anamorphic lenses to shoot a wide, cinematic look for the ad.
One of the reasons for the heavy investment in the ad is that while the beer category has become increasingly hard to deliver growth in, cider is the fastest growing alcohol category in Australia.
Credits:
Brand
- CUB – Strongbow
- Clive Coleman – Group Marketing Manager, Cider
- Carlie Galloway – Brand Manager, Strongbow
Agency
- Clemenger BBDO Melbourne
- James McGrath – Creative Chairman
- Ant Keogh – Executive Creative Director
- Emma Hill & Josh Robbins – Creative Directors
- Simon Bagnasco – Senior Creative
- Paul Reardon – Senior Creative
- Glenn Maddocks – Group Account Director
- Brett Williams – Senior Account Director
- Robert Coleman – Account Manager
- Sonia von Bibra – Executive Producer
- Mike Derepas – Planner Director
Production
- Production Company: Exit Films
- Line Production Company: Automatic Films
- Mark Molloy – Director
- Wilf Sweetland – producer
- Greig Fraser – Cinematographer
- Mick Coote – Production Designer
- Offline edit: The Butchery
- Rohan Zerna – Offline editor
- Post Production: Cutting Edge, Brisbane
- VFX Supervisor: Colin Renshaw
- VFX Producer: Flavia Dias Riley
- Compositors: Urs Furrer, Matt Chance, Colin Renshaw
- Digital Matte Painter: Richard Deavin
Music:
- Karl Richter – Music Supervisor (Level Two Music)
- John Lee – Additional Mixing & Production (Electric Dreams)
- Cornel Wilczek – Producer (Electric Dreams)
Sound:
- Final Sound
- Craig Conway – Sound Engineer
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
Linkedin
Looks great, good job
User ID not verified.
I do love me some Strongbow… but this ad, as pretty and clever as it is, sets off my OCD a bit… Apple trees don’t blossom in the summer, they blossom in the spring, and that’s all I can think about when watching it 😉
User ID not verified.
nb typo: in the last par I think the word “hard” is missing, as in “increasingly HARD to deliver growth in”
User ID not verified.
Thanks, Piers – sorted.
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
They should have spent the money on making Strongbow taste good. It’s the worst of all ciders on the market.
User ID not verified.
It’s a terrible TVC – using the blossoms to look like snow takes away from all the great things of the Aussie summer. Blossoms don’t have a strong enough connection to apples for the average consumer. Doesn’t work at all. Get an agency interested in selling the brand not one interested in winning awards for visual design.
User ID not verified.
Props to my mate Cornel from Electric Dreams – continuing to do awesome work
User ID not verified.
Hey Chris, I think the blossom as snow in summer is called an idea. Maybe you should get one.
Perfect for Strongbow. Apples. Apple Blossom. Summer. Great work guys.
User ID not verified.
It might be ‘an idea’ texas arranger, but is it a good one?
Apple blossom to look like snow flakes which is winter, but it’s really summer
and the snow is really apple blossom and ….. all a bit too hard for me.
In fact, what exactly is the idea texas arranger?
User ID not verified.
I’m with Chris and Dunno on this one. Nice special FX but what’s the message?
Snow = apples = Summer.
Fail!
User ID not verified.
I thought the message is that it doesn’t matter what season it is, it is always strongbow season. Seems pretty simple to me. I think its rad
User ID not verified.
I bet it started as a Christmas ad, maybe with a traditional Christmas track. Then it makes more sense. Once the client decided that the message should be “summer”, or asked for a “more contemporary, aspirational track”, or the agency missed the deadline and gave itself only a week until Christmas, the idea had to shift a few degrees. And suddenly it doesn’t work quite as well.
User ID not verified.
Yeah. What a crock.
I felt the same way about the Carlton Draught Big Ad.
I mean, seriously…. where did all those guys come from? And why are they wearing the some coloured smocks? And if they’ve been running around in the plains for so long, why are most of them still fat?
Derp de derpily derpy dum.
User ID not verified.
nice, very nice
User ID not verified.
In typical industry fashion everyone jumps all over a big client and big agency. Just focusing on the ad, I think it’s a great execution.
Communicates summer, friends and a nice cold cider. That’s what I get from it. Great track too. I now have a renewed perception of Strongbow.
The typical consumer doesn’t analyse an ad as much as the industry does either.
User ID not verified.
Whatever happened to sweet, dry or draft?
User ID not verified.
I agree with Johno.
Great ad!
User ID not verified.
the haters are twits (from competitors no doubt). It’s a great whimisical ad with a nice soundtrack and a novel idea of blossoms as summer’s snow. it’s cool.
User ID not verified.
Nice idea. Hope they pick up all of the paper when they finished
User ID not verified.
I’m more with the haters than the lovers.
If the brief was we want people to know that Strongbow comes from apple trees, is nice in summer and is quite a cool brand then it just about delivers.
But can’t help thinking it would’ve been so much better if it had a better track and was done the other way around – i.e. started with a regular summers day and then it started to ‘snow’.
User ID not verified.
People aren’t knocking it becuae they don’t like it. It is an opinion that is well expressed. I thought it had a confusing message. the apple blossom message is lost. It looks like snow.
It looks good, but so what. Will it make people want a Strongbow? That’s what counts. I’m not convinced- but I like the pool shot. and being in my shorts when it snows. sorry… it’s not snow……
User ID not verified.
dammmit…. i reckon that was excruitiatingly close to being a great ad. It just didnt seem to “kick in” for me. It felt like it was building up to something really exciting and then it just finished too quickly. (cue “that’s what she said”) All in all it looked and sounded really good but i was just left a tad disappointed at the end.
User ID not verified.
What is everyone talking about? Seems clear to me: At first I thought it was snow, then I was wondering why everyone is acting like it’s warm/summer, then the reveal: it is summer. It’s not snow, it’s apple blossom. ta da! Pretty simple but still clever. Great track, great pool scene, I love this ad.
User ID not verified.
I’m with the lovers, not the haters on this one. I think it was a pretty excellent ad.
User ID not verified.
Nice one Clive!
User ID not verified.
I’m with Chris and Dunno..all a bit too confusing for the average punter..summer messaging is lost and I prefer a pint of ale in colder weather
User ID not verified.
It’s okay in terms of production but I feel the bigger picture has been lost because it lacks a trigger to make people talk about it. Beer/cider ads are increasingly competitive in the social space but this ad lacks a clever angle i.e. it’s not; funny, sexy, shocking, spectacular, moving, illuminating or original.
User ID not verified.
What song is used in the ad?
User ID not verified.
earth to steele haigh – the vast majority of people don’t waste their time talking about ads, and cleverness is but one element that makes an ad notable and memorable. This one has cuteness and whimsy in spades.
User ID not verified.
Sven I’m arguing that viral ads are important for these types of advertisers and people do share good content digitally. I’m of the opinion this ad won’t get much organic distribution online. The song is actually the most viral element – the agency should seed it seperately 🙂
User ID not verified.
Pity the cider tastes like crap. Much better ciders on the market ie. Monteiths
User ID not verified.
@BadBoy – Young blood by Naked and Famous
User ID not verified.
song title?
User ID not verified.
Shockingly bad cider…Sydney, Perth and Canberra-siders should get on Westons and Stowford Press! Absolutely amazing REAL cider!
User ID not verified.
watch strongbow go through the roof in the alpine regions in 2011
made me feel kinda homesick and want to go for a snowboard
will work a treat in the right areas
User ID not verified.
i think this is a great Ad,im from the UK and have been here for 5 years, Cider is huge in the UK and a very refreshing drink, this ad puts that across and gives that summer feeling
love the soudtrack also, great work
User ID not verified.
The song is by ” the naked and the famous” and is called “young blood “
User ID not verified.
Never seem to remeber what its for … good creative/production but misses the mark
User ID not verified.