Gaymers brings quirky acts to music festivals

Gaymers cider will be using a ukulele-playing band, choir and Kate Bush cover artist as part of its increased marketing activity at UK music festivals during 2010.

The quirky acts will form part of the brand’s £5 million marketing spend for this year, up from £4m in 2009.
 
Music marketing agency FRUKT has been appointed to handle a programme of performances to raise awareness of the cider brand, which was sold by Constellation Europe to C&C Group in January this year.
 
Central to the activity is an installation at key live music events called Lost in the Orchard.
 
This will be a “magical place,” according to Georgina Lavender from FRUKT, who has recruited The Rinky Dinks ukulele supergroup, Fake Bush, a cider choir and quiz master to entertain festival goers.
 
“We want to offer the consumers something after the main stage has closed so they will say, did you check out the Gaymers Lost in the Orchard experience,” she added.
 
Explaining the motivation for the increased marketing activity, Rhodri Williams, brand manager for Gaymers, said, “We were third to market in terms of the serve over ice and we needed to raise awareness of Gaymers; music has enabled us to reach a really wide audience.”
 
The Lost in the Orchard brand experience will be at Glastonbury, The Big Chill, Bestival, Lovebox, Leeds and Latitude festivals.
 
Jeremy Paterson, managing director of FRUKT, said that the increased sponsorship spend makes Gaymers the most active brand in the live music arena alongside Tuborg lager.

Patrick Schmitt, 12.05.2010