Beefeater has revealed a subtle brand relaunch to position itself as a gin ‘with a distinctly straight talking urban feeling’, communicating this shift to the UK audience with its first national out-of-home campaign in 12 years.
The creative features flat, graphic designs filled with the traditional bright red Beefeater palette. Imagery includes sunglass-touting young fashionistas and Beefeater’s new signature serve: the B&T (Beefeater & Tonic), which comes with a slice of both orange and lemon.
The nationwide campaign – the brand’s first large-scale execution – includes mural spots in London’s Brick Lane and Manchester’s Northern Quarter, as well as traditional OOH buys in five cities across the UK. Beefeater hopes to target a new generation of urban gin drinkers by taking the brand ‘back to its London roots’.
Adam Boita, head of marketing at Pernod Ricard UK, said: “This new direction embodies everything that is Beefeater, while injecting a fresh urban modernity … All our outdoor placements reflect the modern urban feel of the campaign.”
Lead creative agency Impero won the competitive pitch to rethink Beefeater’s brand direction, having won its global social and digital accounts two years ago.
Michael Scantlebury, creative director at the agency, added: “What we've done with Beefeater is reset the brand for the new generation of urban gin drinkers, those that want the big taste of a gin that is made to a real London Dry recipe – a real brand for a real generation.
“We are starting to see this happen more and more: digital-first creative agencies, like Impero, are taking the reins on brands where advertising agencies used to sit. Something that certainly makes a lot of sense.”
