Crack a cold one and enjoy Glenn Kitson’s noisy love letter to British colloquialisms for Strongbow

Director Glenn Kitson has quite the knack for capturing British culture in a raw, honest (and often humorous) way. Having steered campaigns for the likes of Nike, Levi’s, Reebok and Stone Island, the director recently turned his creative mind to the UK’s number one cider brand in an ad that focuses on the things we say after that glorious first sip. Whether you shout out: ‘belter’, ‘lush’, ‘proper’, ‘cracking’ or ‘stun’ when putting your print down, the ad visually represents a bunch of these classic colloquialisms, no matter where you are in the country, to celebrate the brilliantly diverse range of people who love a drink across the nation.

To reposition Strongbow not just as an iconic household name but a cultural mainstay, one of the key elements to the ad was its casting. With authenticity being the key focus, the production team gathered people from around the country with genuine local accents from a range of spots in the UK that they wanted to nod to. “We worked hard to make sure we researched the language and the accents of our people – digging into how people actually speak that sort of thing,” Glenn says. “I’ve always been fascinated by the local dialect,” he continues, “so being given the chance to celebrate the full range properly is something you don’t get to do that often. The delivery of the words had to make them proud and feel genuine.” In the ad, they’re all woven together with lighting and styling that has a touch of the late-great Martin Parr about it.

To soundtrack it all? The Streets. “What a dream,” Glenn says. “Mike Skinner is part of the Strongbow generation so we were pleased when he said yes to it. It’s an anthem to the people and that’s exactly what we wanted this film to feel like.” Shining a light on the community of Strongbow lovers across the UK, the campaign spans TV, digital and out-of-home, with a series of posters that will be plastering these Britishisms all over the UK – from a street corner in Glasgow to a high street in Cardiff. The streetside posters are hyper-local marketing with a dose of a broader national pride.

Jono Holt, founder and chief executive officer at Otherway says: “Strongbow is a British icon because it has always celebrated real people and those hard-earned moments of refreshment. This campaign is about rediscovering and celebrating the richness of real Britain today, putting everyday moments and genuine character back at the heart of the story in a way we haven’t seen for a long time.” Less of a rebrand and more of a homecoming the ad stands in opposition to divisive political rhetoric in the UK, as “a celebration of Britain when we need it most”, says Max Wainwright, head of brand at Heineken.