MillerCoors said this week it has hired the creative agency Energy BBDO to help strategically overhaul the Redd’s portfolio in an attempt to restore the brand to a leadership position in the flavored beverage category.
Energy BBDO, which was selected in October to lead creative efforts on the forthcoming MillerCoors brand Cape Line, will begin handling creative for Redd’s and Redd’s Wicked effective immediately.
“We are eager to hit the ground running with Energy BBDO to bring excitement back to Redd’s and build upon the momentum and unique world created by Redd’s Wicked,” Bryan Ferschinger, MillerCoors vice president of above premium brands, said in a note sent today to employees and distributors.
The goal is to reinvigorate a brand that has struggled in recent years after blazing success out of the gates. Six-year-old Redd’s Apple Ale made a splash upon debuting in late 2012 that included regional Super Bowl ads in 2013. It grew into a formidable national brand that at one point ranked as one of the top growth brands in the beer industry, in part because it offered something unique: a light and crisp apple flavored alternative in a surging flavored market, Ferschinger said in an interview.
But the brand has slipped in recent years; the Redd’s Apple franchise is down 25.3 percent in sales dollars and 26.7 percent in volume year-to-date through Nov. 24, according to Nielsen cross-channel and convenience data.
“It’s imperative to get this sizable brand back on track,” Ferschinger said. “The whole idea here — and why we chose Energy BBDO for this project — is that they’re a partner that can bring some strategic thinking, passion and a new energy to Redd’s and Redd’s Wicked.”