Thatchers Cider has tapped into the tense climax of the Premier League season for its latest ad, which sees cider makers trying their hand at football and cricket.
The adverts, which will go live on UK sports channels from 18 May, will be showing during the key sporting weekend itself.
The stop animation spots, created by Thatchers’ agency of record Bray Leino, use puppets based on the Thatchers family, with the upturned collar of head cider maker Richard Thatcher offering a nod to footballing legend Eric Cantona.
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The commercial is part of a multi-media campaign which includes linear TV, VOD, cinema and YouTube, and will also be enhanced by outdoor advertising and a consumer-focused social media campaign.
More than 300 hand-painted apples were specially made for the shoot, with three different sizes needed to match the scale. The ad builds on the firm’s previous Wallace and Gromit-inspired advert from last year.
“We’re really excited about this series of ads. It’s a beautiful continuation of the Thatchers-Aardman partnership which extends the story from last year’s master brand ad,” said Bray Leino CEO Kate Cox.
“As well as aligning Thatchers with sporting events, we really wanted to further immerse audiences in the Thatchers brand, with touching nods to the family nature of the business.”
It comes after the cider firm recently lost a trademark battle with over names.
