Sales of Fernet-Branca exploded with bitterness and cunning
The challenge
The Italian bitters Fernet-Branca struggled with stagnant awareness and loyalty among younger consumers. On-trade activation – especially in the bar environment – didn’t strengthen the brand or sales, and digital communication only managed to engage already loyal customers.
Insight and solution
With a limited budget, we couldn’t match the media pressure of our competitors. That’s why we activated the brand in new and eye-catching ways to get the target audience talking about Fernet-Branca. They needed to feel that the brand understood their lives – and was able to bring it to the forefront in a humorous way. Through brand actions and activations around purchase situations and a digital always-on strategy, we managed to turn Fernet-Branca into a brand that consumers could encounter and connect with on a continuous basis.
The creative strategy focused on creating a buzz and relevance for men aged between 18 and 40. The starting point was that Fernet-Branca is used as a ‘manhood test’ among young men – where the Italian bitters must be drunk without making a face. And just like Fernet-Branca, life isn’t always easy to swallow. Consequently: Life is bitter
SoMe
With four content pillars, we made Fernet-Branca one of the most discussed, entertaining and shared brands on social media in Denmark.
Widespread use of “Life is Bitter” – The content articulated life’s bitternesses in a way that a wide range of Danes could relate to.
Humorous newsjacking – A flexible concept and close collaboration allowed us to “newsjack” events with dry, bitter commentary – much to the delight of the Danes.
Fernetics – With extensive community management, promoting of fans and their content and glorifying the life of a “fernetic”, we created a fan identity that more Danes felt a part of.
Fernet in new ways – Suggestions for new ways to use bitters in drinks or food, including a number of “spoof” ideas that really brought people to their keyboards.
On-trade activations
Activities for bars were at the centre of the strategy. We developed a range of them, all of which needed to drive purchases, provide an entertaining experience at the bar and be easy for bar staff to manage. These activities included a bitter fortune cookie with pessimistic predictions and a card game where participants have to choose which of their friends best exemplifies various bitter truths.
Results
Our efforts have not only resolved the key challenges; Fernet-Branca has also become a cult favourite among young people – across geographical areas and social classes. This has ensured remarkable results on many fronts:
Explosive growth in sales
Fernet-Branca’s popularity among Danes has skyrocketed. Sales increased 30 per cent between 2018 and 2020, and Fernet-Branca has gone from being the fourth best-selling bitters to number two (and even number one in terms of on-trade value). In November 2020, a record was broken with over 100,000 bottles sold – despite the coronavirus.
Organic spread and buzz
The social media efforts increased Fernet-Branca’s reach and interactions – without an increased investment. In 2019, the average number of interactions per original post was 4,246 – 197 per cent more than in 2017. In 2020, the content achieved an organic reach of 1,200,000. And on top of this, several media outlets – including The Danish Broadcasting Corporation and The Atlantic in the US – have reported on our newsjacking.
