BULMERS
Experimenters Wanted
Bulmers approached us to create an exciting cross-platform campaign spanning TV, outdoor, interactive and social media channels. The idea centered on launching Bulmers No17 cider as a permanent member of the Bulmers family, and to create the ‘ultimate cider drinking experience’ to go hand-in-hand with summertime festivals and live experiential events taking place along South Bank in London.
BEHIND THE SCENES
Using our in-house design and CGI team we developed the concept and it was our job to fully flesh out and realize the idea. Using the tag line ‘Experimenters wanted’ we anchored the idea to a Victorian science lab experiment cementing both contemporary and traditional methods of cider brewing together. We developed the plan for a ‘toolkit’ so that each design was flexible in both its functionality and also how it would fit in a modular web structure. The individual stories and elements could then be run in different configurations to best suit the medium and to be updated alongside the live events held around the UK.
The character design process was integral to the look and feel of the overall aesthetic. Coupled with the organic natural elements such as grass, vines and leaves alongside the bright blue skies and fluffy white clouds give off a nostalgic feeling that also, again, ties in with the Victorian theme. The Bulmers ‘sociologists’ had to be styled to their real life counter parts hosting the events over summer. All of which really helped build a connection with Bulmers core audience and injected more fun into the campaign.
During the design process, we created a diverse set of parts that allowed the website to change and grow organically and easily. The parts consisted of various connectors; pipes and stands that allowed the experiments to adapt and build as required.
Post Production
The entire campaign was created in CGI and followed our advanced and meticulous pipeline allowing us to be both thorough and cost effective at the same time. This pipeline allowed the creative team to simultaneously share common assets and run multiple deliveries in parallel to each other so that we could meet tight press schedules.
This allowed each Experiment to change and evolve after the lighting and look had been signed off. We created a rigorous pre-lighting set-up that freed us up to place the Experiment in our pipeline and keep them feeling as if they were lit and considered at the same time.
The finished results were a beautifully crafted, eccentric campaign drawing inspiration from Victorian science and laboratories with intricate and diverse character design. The digital platforms were adorned in intertwining brass and copper pipes and steel cogs referencing the rich and diverse history of cider brewing but still managing to keep it firmly modern and contemporary. Taylor James worked closely with the creative team at Exposure to fully maximize its potential, which resulted in Facebook fans growing from 5,000 to over 61,000 during and after the campaign. Other 3.75 million bottles of No17 were sold in the first 3 months alone. This had an incremental value of £12min the same period of time.
Finally, The Experiments generated over 165,000 scans of the QR codes and the Bulmers Cider Garden generated PR worth over £600,000.
