It’s ‘Sweet-ish not Swedish’ in new campaign for Somersby Super Crisp Cider via Clemenger BBDO
What do a couple of Vikings and a semi-sweet apple cider have in common? More than they should in a new campaign for Somersby Super Crisp via Clemenger BBDO.
A case of mistaken identity sits at the (apple) core of the lighthearted ‘Sweet-ish not Swedish’ campaign for Super Crisp, which has 25% less sugar than the flagship Somersby Apple Cider.
The humour is driven by a simple error – mishearing ‘Sweet-ish’ as ‘Swedish’ in a campaign set to run across cinema, online video, social and outdoor.
The hero film establishes the joke, delivering on the campaign idea that is reinforced and extended across a series of social content, audio and OOH executions.
The spot opens on an idyllic Swedish scene. Cue Vikings enjoying ciders, Swedish dancers in traditional dress wrapping yellow and blue ribbons (Sweden’s national colours) around a tree to a soundtrack of Swedish music and accents. It all comes to an awkward halt when someone off screen asks why everything is in Swedish?
The scene abruptly ends to reveal we are on a film set. The director informs a Somersby client that the reason everything is Swedish is because it’s a Swedish Cider. It’s here that she corrects his mishearing- It’s Sweet- ish, not Swedish. The awkwardness builds as the director realises the weight of his mistake. But it’s too late, the Viking Ship has arrived.
As a Viking helmet is removed from a blue and yellow topped picnic table, the campaign slogan is revealed, accompanied by a Swedish-accented voice over. Somersby is owned by Danish brewer Carlsberg Group and made and sold in Australia by Carlton & United Breweries, with both businesses working closely on this campaign.
Says Liam Hale, brand manager, CUB: “We wanted to create a fun, local campaign to launch Somersby Super Crisp. The sweet-ish wordplay was a great way to bring our product benefit to life, inject humour into the Category and remind Aussies that Somersby is still our largest and most-loved Cider.”
Says Brodie King, creative director, Clemenger BBDO:” Sweet-ish’ 1ater lite som ’svensk’. En enkel observation som hjälpte oss att landa vad Somersby Super Crisp är – genom att prata om vad de inte är. Tack till våra fantastiska kunder på CUB & Carlsberg för förtroendet och det duktiga gänget på The SweetShop för deras hantverk.
Translated: “‘Sweet-ish’ sounds a bit like ‘Swedish’. A simple observation that helped us land what Somersby Super Crisp is – by talking about what it’s not. Thanks to our great clients at CUB & Carlsberg for the trust and the talented gang at The SweetShop for their craft.”
The campaign goes live in time for summer on 19 November.
Client – CUB
General Manager of Marketing: Nicole McMillan
Head of Marketing, CUB Premium Beverages: Hayden Turner
Marketing Manager: Amy Pollock-Hall
Brand Manager: Liam Hale
Carlsberg
VP Marketing: Max Lazarenko
Brand Director: Ana Milicevic
Marketing Manager: Sidsel Marie Lyhne
Creative Agency: Clemenger BBDO
Chief Creative Officer: Jim Curtis
Executive Creative Director: Richard Williams
Creative Director: Brodie King
Senior Copywriter: Tom Vizard
Art Director: Esther Parsons
Art Director: Ben Bryan
Managing Partner: Scott Balalas
Senior Business Director: Ava Hawes
Senior Business Manager: Elyse Paone
Account Executive: Golda Sanchez
Chief Brand Officer: Paul Rees Jones
Strategy Partner: Brigitte Bayard
Senior Producer: Lisa Moro
Senior Print Producer: Matt Gauci
National Traffic Manager: Karen Kushinsky
Production Company: The Sweetshop
Co. Managing Director: Greg Fyson / Edward Pontifex
Director: Max Barden
Production Co. Producer: Allison Lockwood
DOP: Stefan Duscio
Casting Director: Megan D’Arcy (Nick Hamon Casting)
Production Designer: Patrick Bennet
Costumes: Emma Lamp
Post Production House: The Editors
Post Production Producer: Charlotte Griffiths
Offline Editor: Joe Morris
Colourist: Trish Cahill
Online Artist: Eugene Richards
Sound House: Squeak E Clean Studios
Sound Engineer: Rob Stephens
Media Agency: PHD & 1House
32 Comments
Love this
As one of the many people in society that thinks things are Swedish when they are not, this idea really resonates with me.
This is funny! Classic Max.
Where is my credit?
Get em Maxy
And this is why we now have 8 PPMs on every job
I love it
This is good
haha
Great headlines!
Love an ad when the client towels up us idiots creatives.
And a miss. Not even Kevin Hart could make this script funny
The scene abruptly ends to reveal we are on a film set. The director informs a Somersby client that the reason everything is Swedish is because it’s a Swedish Cider. It’s here that she corrects his mishearing- It’s Sweet- ish, not Swedish. The awkwardness builds as the director realises the weight of his mistake
Honestly. This looks cheap. The acting is ordinary and the direction is lazy. Sorry. A swing and a miss.
It’s Danish
“Sweet-ish’ sounds a bit like ‘Swedish’.” Cannes is calling!
Hinging the whole campaign on ‘sweetish swedish” is so genuinely dumb that it’s perhaps brilliant? OOH lines are cracker and Barden just doesn’t seem to miss.
Lacking a little je ne sais quoi. A little attention to mise-en-scène. Tres messy.
Its funny
Would like to have seen more versions,
poo
Same shop no? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ERl9TIgzZQ
Both are daft. Both aren’t creatively brilliant but they both make you smile and feel kind of glad you watched them. Especially the Finish one.
I like it.
This is so sweet and simple. Not everything needs to save the world
I prefer this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGxBuAjx6Eg
no one cares about seeing behind the veil of making ads… except for ad people. it’s up there with writers writing about writers in the big book of uninspired tropes
also i dont think i’ve ever seen a director cast and direct a director character well
The OOH doesn’t make any sense if you haven’t seen the lame joke in the TV. The director did well at polishing this turd.
Lame
Garbage. This is poor writing and even poorer direction. Stop pushing this crap on everyone and proclaiming it’s brilliant. You’re literally killing the industry.
You’d e fun at a party
My dad is In this ad don’t be mean
The current TV advertisement is really poor and actually throws the ‘stupid’ right back into your own laps.
The director/creative is blamed for the wrong interpretation of the word ‘sweetish’ however the Somersby representative, over how many briefings and meetings, didn’t pick up the creative mistake and is the inept in this advert.
I think if anyone gives this campaign a moment of thought they would get what a howler it is. The corollary is that whoever was overseeing this actual adverting campaign is at fault for a negative brand message.
Smart humour is tricky when advertising.
The creative/director in this campaign is the fashionable ‘dumb blonde’ and the executive is the ‘too clever’ client. 👎🏼