Lake District Cheese takes Cow and Bunny to big screen with Frame and Chomet
The country’s fastest growing Cheddar brand, The Lake District Cheese Co, is taking to the big screen for its latest marketing campaign, created by Glasgow-based Frame.
The characters of Cow and Bunny – the brand ambassadors from The Lake District Cheese Co logo – have been brought to life in the 30-second animated commercial, which has been directed by twice Oscar-nominated animator Sylvian Chomet.
Oscar-nominated actress Julie Walters provides the gentle tones of Cow while young comedian Will Andrews is the voice behind the excitable Bunny.
Cinema advertising has never been done by a cheese brand before but marketing director Paul Murray believes the £1million-plus campaign will take the brand to an even wider consumer audience.
“The cinema advert is about connecting with families in an engaging and memorable way and the analysis proves that cinema audiences have a higher level of advertising recall than their TV equivalent,” explained Murray.
“The level of detail in the animation is outstanding and the relationship between Cow and Bunny conveys a sense of fun, while communicating the values which sit at the heart of our brand. We are confident that families will connect with the characters and engage with the brand.”
The commercial launches on Friday (10 June) with the blockbuster movie, Kung Fu Panda 2. Over the next four months, cinema-goers across the UK will see the advert prior to the screening of the summer’s big family films, including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Pixar’s Cars 2 and Smurfs 3d.
Animator Chomet and his team spent more than 2000 hours crafting the commercial, paying particular attention to the landscape.
“Our cheese stays true to our origins and the commercial absolutely reflects the importance of those origins. With the origin and values of the Lake District at the heart of our brand, we have something that no-one else has and this campaign will absolutely resonate with consumers and push the brand on.”
In the three years since its launch, The Lake District Cheese Co has evolved from a regional to a national brand. Its first marketing campaign last autumn helped to increase the brand’s distribution across the UK and this latest phase is the next step in making the brand a household name.
In support of the cinema campaign, the commercial will also be seen on catch up TV, including ITV.com and 4OD – a favourite media channel for the brand’s target audience of mums – as well as on key food websites, including BBC Good Food, Delia Online and Jamie Oliver. From July, there will also be an on-pack promotion to win 5000 Cow & Bunny branded play tents.
The Lake District Cheese Co is owned by First Milk, the country’s largest farmer-owned business.