Carlsberg introduces the Lord of Ciders

Carlsberg Malaysia has introduced to Malaysia the fully imported premium cider from Sweden, Somersby Apple Cider, made from red apples.The alcoholic beverage is targeted at men and women who are open-minded, sociable, young at heart, experimental and adventurous with food and beverages - traits that Carlsberg believes will reflect the modern persona and unisex appeal of the beverage."Cider is rather new to the Malaysian market. As consumers become more sophisticated in their choices, we feel that Somersby offers a refreshing alternative to beer. Malaysia is the third country in the region, after Singapore and Hong Kong, to launch Somersby Apple cider, a flagship cider brand owned by the Carlsberg Group," said Soren Ravn, managing director of Carlsberg Malaysia.At the launch last Friday, media and guests were entertained by Somersby Apple Cider's iconic host and "creator" Lord Somersby, a character that epitomises the beverage.Prior to the launch, viral videos of Lord Somersby was spread on the internet to create curiosity and build hype leading up to the launch."The strategy behind the entire campaign is to create some noise and make it the talk of the town while making it a bit secretive and quirky. We want to take some time to let it grow and start to get word of mouth around it and boost the efforts with bloggers and media today,"Ravn said, adding that the key message is to feature the apple prominently and drive the natural aspect of the beverage.Following the launch last week, Carlsberg also launched the ‘Grow an Apple Tree' project on Facebook where fans are able to help grow and nurture a virtual apple tree into fruition by watering the tree, cutting the grass, pollinating the flowers and singing the tree a song via the Facebook app.A vast digital installation featuring the live-feed of the ‘Grow an Apple Tree' project has also been set-up on Pavillion grounds where passers-by are able to see the tree grow as more and more people engage with it online.The campaign will run till July and will see participants win Apple products and VIP tickets to the exclusive Somersby Garden party on 17 July at Pavillion Kuala Lumpur.Apart from Facebook presence, video commercials featuring Lord Somersby will be release in cinemas nationwide and spread online.Somersby is set to hit bars, restaurants, hypermarkets and supermarkets in July.Carlsberg had engaged Alpha245 for the overall execution of the campaign.