Brand design and innovation agency Seymourpowell have recently released the results of their collaboration with the Carlsberg Group; a bottle and a fresh brand identity for the worldwide launch of their new drink; 'Seth & Riley's Garage Hard Lemon'. According to a press release issued by Seymourpowell, the concept behind the bitter-sweet, 4.6% ABV alcoholic beverage is to tap into the “Proud heritage of old fashioned, traditional American 'home-made' craftsmanship, evoking the spirit of small-scale workshop innovation and drinks which have “Brewed in the garage.” The bottle (which includes a ring pull and has been fashioned to resemble a premium bottled beverage from the early 20th century) and brand, as well as the flavours and product line-up perfectly evoke this ideal and simple history.
The concept behind the bitter-sweet, 4.6% ABV alcoholic beverage is to tap into the “Proud heritage of old fashioned, traditional American 'home-made' craftsmanship
The Carlsberg Group has decided to launch the drink after a successful regional initiative in Finland, which showed that younger drinkers are being drawn to sweeter tasting alcoholic beverages. The initiative was so successful that they decided to transform it into a globally recognised brand, with the help of Seymourpowell. Olga Lee, the senior innovation manager at Carlsberg Breweries, says that the target audience for the drink are “Relaxed people aged 25 and over who enjoy life.” She adds that they are looking to entice confident people who “Want to make their mark on the world in their own unique way, have a strong sense of their own identity and are simply happy-go-lucky.”
According to Kevin Johnson, the creative director of brand innovation at Seymourpowell, the task which was put before his team was to “Create a credible and timeless core for the brand,” and to build a “Strong set of brand values, which inform everything the brand does.” Johnson plans on using this platform as a board from which to approach everything from “New product lines, to sponsored events and local community initiatives.” He feels that whilst Carlsberg want the beverage to establish a global brand, “It also really sets out to behave in a small and localised way.”
The campaign implies that ideas brewed up in your garage can end up working a little too well
Advertising for the brand is being handled by Belgian agency Duval Guillaume, who have produced a quirky campaign, which see a group of young men play around in their garage with ideas which they deem are (as the brand tagline goes) “Kind of Genius.” The campaign works on the theory that little ideas brewed up in your garage can sometimes end up working a little too well, and include an accidentally created time machine, a flying contraption (which sends its creator to Antarctica) and character dressed as a lemon and a bottle (respectively) colliding in slow-motion. Geoffrey Hantson, ECD for Duval Guillaume, says that “The best way to achieve the state of 'hey, I'm open to genius' is by being laid back, and that's what the Seth & Riley's brand (and the campaign) is all about. “Kind of genius” indeed.
Official Seymourpowell Website
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and musician from the UK, who has always preferred Carlsberg to the other non premium lagers (Carling especially). He's almost completely lacking a sweet tooth, however, so might be steering clear of the Hard Lemon.
