Kopparberg

Kopparberg is a 130-year-old, independent brewery owned and run by Peter Bronsman and his family. It is tucked away in a forest, four hours from Stockholm in the small town of Kopparberg. By 2006, Magners, with its over ice serve, had reinvented cider as a premium alternative to premium beer (with a pricing strategy at +20% vs. premium beer).

However, due to a lack of innovation, the premium cider market began to decline in 2009. Peter spotted this opportunity as the perfect time to introduce his premium fruit cider, with a host of new and intriguing flavours, to the world. We have helped Peter scale Kopparberg in the UK and globally, taking it from a niche challenger to the mainstream to become the number 1 premium packaged cider brand. Our task in 2018, was how to re-position this now mainstream, mature brand to continue to grow the business.

We did this by taking the emotional heart of the occasion - outdoor socialising - and establishing a strong link to the brand through communication. We started with the audience. Their most memorable and distinctive fruit cider moment was always outside, sun shining, with friends. We then delved deeper into outside socialising. The outside relaxed rigid social rules to make socialising freer, more connecting and inclusive, more spontaneous and playful, creating a shared energy that turned everyday moments into lasting memories.

In short, people came to life outside. Kopparberg’s Swedish values also added credibility to claiming the core drinking occasion. A strong connection with nature, freedom and connecting with friends and family outdoors. As the creator and leader of the category, Outside is Ours confidently claimed ownership of the emotional centre of the occasion. The challenge was how to execute this in a way that ignored category conventions, creating a visceral, unique idea that differentiated the brand and connected emotionally. The answer was kites as a metaphor for people coming to life when they socialise outside.

Following the launch of Outside is Ours in 2018, Kopparberg has regained 1st place for consideration that it had lost to Strongbow Dark Fruits. Over the key summer period, sales were up by a huge 75%, outselling Heineken for the first time in Kopparberg’s history.

Drop us a line if you would like to find out more about how we helped Kopparberg become the No. 1 drink in a world noisier than ever.