Ableforth's launches campaign and label update

Ableforth’s brand Bathtub Gin has launched its first major integrated campaign, showcasing its process utilising cold compounding to craft the gin.

Our Gin Starts Where Others Finish spans an on-trade education programme delivered globally via its team of brand ambassadors; consumer activations delivered at events across the UK and Europe; trade and partner advertising and educational features in print and digital formats; and a consumer-facing social media campaign and competition to run this summer.

The campaign builds on the existing programme of trade ambassadorial and consumer events which have communicated the cold compounding process at the heart of Bathtub Gin.

Bathtub Gin starts as copper pot-distilled gin which is infused with even more botanicals which give the gin its flavour and subtle hue: juniper, orange peel, cassia, coriander, cardamom and clove. This hand-crafted tincture is then blended with more pot-distilled gin, resulting in the Bathtub Gin.

In addition to explaining precisely why Bathtub Gin tastes and looks the way it does, Our Gin Starts Where Others Finish also provides clarity to gin consumers seeking to learn more about this increasingly populated and diverse category.

Adam Wyartt, global brand manager says: “We have been using the term ‘Our gin starts where others finish’ at tastings and events as an easy-to-understand starting point for explaining the cold compounding process which makes Bathtub what it is.”

“The bottle has a unique look and feel and we are really proud of the impact and appeal of that, however our overarching ambition is to make the most delicious gin we can, so explaining the process which allows us to do that is vital. Bringing the real-world communication success of ‘Our Gin Starts Where Others Finish’ to our first fully-integrated campaign was a logical step.

“Clear consumer-facing messaging is critical, as an understanding of how different brands are made gives compelling reasons to explore the gin category further, while reinforcing brand credibility.”

Bathtub Gin sales climbed over 70% in 2017, with continued strong performance in the UK and growth in Australia and Western Europe driving global sales in excess of 14,000 x 9L (not including Bathtub Gin variants and other Ableforth’s products).

An expression from the Bathtub Gin range has been named World’s Best Compound Gin at the World Gin Awards five times in a row between 2014 and 2018. The wider collection includes Bathtub Gin – Navy-Strength, Bathtub Gin – Cask-Aged, Bathtub Gin – Cask-Aged Navy-Strength, Bathtub Gin – Old Tom, and Bathtub Gin – Sloe Gin.

New Label
At the same time as launching the Our Gin Starts Where Others Finish campaign, Ableforth’s has unveiled a significant brand refresh for Bathtub Gin.

Bathtub Gin boasts a unique look and feel, with each bottle wrapped, strung and waxed by hand, creating a visual style which is a nod to the period of history which inspired the brand’s creation.

These core characteristics remain, with a “Cornucopian Bathtub” motif on the label replacing the Carboy and botanicals.

The Cornucopian Bathtub depicts oversized botanicals in a stylish, roll-top bath, reflecting the abundant flavour delivery of juniper, orange peel, cassia, coriander, cardamom and clove in Bathtub Gin. It is intended as a highly stylised image to ensure it is not seen as directly representative of the process (no bathtubs are used!).

The new label has been designed entirely by the brand’s in-house NPD team, who understood the brand brief in terms of both its historical references and its relevance looking to the future.

Adam Wyartt says: “Bathtub Gin is a brand which offers enormous value with the unique look and feel of the bottle. The hand wrapped paper cover, twine and wax seal is something we are very proud of and always get great feedback on at events and from buyers.”

“After six years we wanted to make a change; one which would give Bathtub Gin greater visual direction for the future and meet the need for the increasing variety of point-of-sale executions required to support such a rapidly growing global brand.

“We are thrilled with the result, and the hard work by our excellent NPD team in delivering the Cornucopian Bathtub – the perfect iconography for Bathtub Gin.”

6 March 2018 - Sam Coyne The Drinks Report, news editor