REPOSITIONING THE WORLD’S SECOND LARGEST CIDER BRAND
Client: Distell
Role: Head of Strategy
Agency: BBDO
ARCHITECTURE - CULTURAL INSIGHT - AGENCY MANAGEMENT
THE BRIEF
Reposition South Africa’s leading cider brand without losing existing equity, and re-engage an audience drifting toward more 'aspirational' competitors.
MY ROLE
Led strategy across a multi-agency team to craft a culturally resonant brand repositioning. Conducted ethnographic research and cultural insight work to uncover a powerful tension: South African youth admired action more than ambition. The strategy: turn Hunter’s into a brand that helps people start something real.
Deliverables included brand architecture, a new proposition, communications and campaign strategy, and creative development.
THE WORK
The resulting “Start Something” campaign inspired consumers to pursue side hustles and passion projects. Hunter’s partnered with local artists, launched songwriting contests, and ran 28 live events across South Africa. The campaign shifted the brand from a passive beverage to an active cultural enabler.
IMPACT
Reversed a stagnating sales trend: volumes grew in the second half of 2017
Maintained Hunter’s as Africa’s #1 cider despite growing competition
High engagement via social media, radio, and on-the-ground activations
Helped reposition the brand for long-term relevance
Cited internally as a turning point in Hunter’s growth strategy
WHAT IT SHOWS
I bring deep cultural insight and strategic clarity to complex, high-stakes brand challenges. This project showcases my ability to translate audience tension into brand energy — and drive action across research, positioning, and integrated campaign delivery.
focus on artists
collaborations: flexboogie x emtee
Emerging artist FlexBoogie was identified for his fresh sound and unique style making him the perfect fit for the #StartSomething Radio Collaboration project which gave him the chance to step up and boost his career.
FlexBoogie is a wordsmith of note – a formidable spoken word artist who draws influence from jazz and hip-hop, while EMTee, whose role was to mentor FlexBoogie in the campaign, is an award-winning artist with a heavy trap sound. The two diverse styles complement each other on the new track.
Rooftop events to showcase new artists
The first Hunter's #StartSomething rooftop event was hosted in Woodstock, Cape Town, on Saturday the 19th of November. It was one of 28 events taking place over the next 8 months building up to a larger campaign launch planned for June 2017.
““I’m absolutely loving this campaign, it’s an amazing opportunity for artists to get into the music industry, and to get guidance and support from people who really want to help. Hunters isn’t just creating a platform for these young artists, but are facilitating them with proper insights and exposure to make a career from music””