Strongbow launches summer marketing campaign

Hard cider brand encourages consumers to drink over ice

Strongbow Hard Apple Cider, a brand of White Plains, N.Y.-based Heineken USA, is gearing up to hit the refresh button on summer from May through August with a fully integrated 360-degree program that invites shoppers to experience Strongbow at its “bestest” when it is served over ice. The Hit Refresh on Summer program includes targeted national online videos, strategic digital partnerships, social media engagements, plus retail and on-premise activation designed to drive purchase of Strongbow’s four flavors among legal drinking age consumers, the brand says.

“With a growth rate of 72 percent, cider is the fastest-growing segment in alcoholic beverages, and one of its peak selling seasons is summer,” said Alejandra de Obeso, brand director for Strongbow with Heineken USA, in a statement. “After a long, chilly winter for much of the country, consumers are excited to get out and enjoy the weather, and we feel there’s no better way to Hit Refresh on Summer than with a Strongbow hard cider over ice.”

To drive awareness of Strongbow’s Hit Refresh on Summer initiative, the brand is partnering with dynamic weather-informed platforms to place targeted ads that will trigger purchase for consumption over ice during the sunset “golden hour,” Strongbow's key consumption occasion, which typically hits the after-work crowd. Digital partners including Maxpoint and iBotta will deliver targeted content, product locators and cashback rebates, driving consumers in store to purchase Strongbow. Also at retail, eye-catching point-of-sale elements promoting the refreshing taste of Strongbow over ice, as well as channel-specific cross-merchandising offers and sampling events (where legal), will help increase conversion and drive higher basket rings for retailers, the brand says

On-premise, Strongbow’s Hit Refresh on Summer program will come to life through themed table tents, posters, coasters and banners along with Strongbow over ice sampling (where legal) to invite legal drinking age consumers to experience their summer afternoons with their friends, enjoying hard cider at its “bestest.”

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