ABOUT

SUMMARY
Asahi UK asked us to increase awareness of Meantime in its home city: drive trial, rebuild fame, and, crucially, win listings across London pubs. With low awareness and a modest budget, we needed a bold, London-first idea that gave people a clear time, place and reason to choose Meantime, while giving the trade a reason to stock it.

We created the Meantime London Bunk Holiday: an “unofficial” Thursday 3–5pm break where Londoners could shut the laptop, silence the phone and "bunk off" early for a well-earned pint. It played on the truth that Londoners work longer hours than the rest of the country.

We launched with a corporate-jargon satire film starring comedian Jake Lambert, backed by simple, punchy “FREE BEER” OOH and ad vans, suits-with-shorts sampling squads, and calendar-invite emails styled as meetings. We then capped it with a surprise live comedy takeover to fuel content and PR. The campaign got the city talking and helped deliver eight brand-new Meantime pub listings.

EXECUTION:
We brought the London Bunk Holiday to life as a fully formed “corporate” movement that felt native to the City, but rebellious enough to get talked about.

Launch film: A punchy hero video fronted by comedian Jake Lambert, speaking fluent corporate jargon to satirise office life and announce the new Thursday 3–5pm "bunking" window, complete with instructions on how to claim a free pint.

Distinctive visual world: Everything was built around a corporate calendar system, with the Bunk Holiday presented like a diary invite. The 3–5pm slot became a pint-shaped meeting block, making the idea instantly legible at a glance.

OOH and ad vans: Simple, unmissable creative anchored on the fastest route to action: FREE BEER, placed around business districts and supported by roaming ad vans to chase footfall.

Sampling and CRM: “Hit squads” in half business, half leisure outfits handed out lanyards and drove sign-ups. Subscribers received weekly reminders and calendar invites styled as meetings (including “Liquid Asset Stakeholder Alignment”) to help people bunk off without friction.

Live comedy + content: We staged a surprise pub comedy takeover to reward attendees, generate shareable content, and keep the campaign feeling like a real London event, not just advertising.

PR: The provocative premise and the “London works harder” angle were designed for earned media, extending reach well beyond paid spend.

RESULTS
Did it work? Yes. The campaign was built to drive distribution first and the results show it delivered against every objective.

1) Primary objective: increase London pub listings
The London Bunk Holiday converted talk into tangible on-trade presence. 15 pubs participated, and crucially 8 of these were brand-new Meantime listings, directly expanding availability in London pubs.

2) Drive trial and prompt repeat behaviour
The mechanic was designed to remove friction and get pints poured in a defined weekly window. Participating pubs gave away an average of 60 free pints per pub, putting Meantime into the hands of people who were unlikely to have chosen it otherwise and creating a clear, repeatable occasion.

3) Rebuild relevance and earn attention on a limited budget
Social content delivered 7.4m impressions at a £2.88 CPM, proving the idea travelled efficiently beyond the pub. PR coverage landed in 16 titles with an estimated 86m reach, driven by the provocative “bunking” premise and the London-hardest-working angle.

4) Improve brand momentum
Brand tracking showed “positive buzz” hit its highest level in three years, signalling that Meantime wasn’t just seen again, but talked about more favourably.