When the man reaches for the hammer

Alcoholic beverages For the first time since
decades, Hürlimann launches a specialty beer. Its name: Hammer.
The Inhalt & Form campaign reinforces the positioning in an edgy way
As a men's brand, after the visual relaunch in the
Last fall, the traditional Zurich-based brand launched its first
the launch of Sternbräu in the 1930s, a new sub-brand: the
Hürlimann Hammer in the longneck bottle. The palatable, slightly
fruity beer with five percent by volume is only produced in the
and is intended to establish itself among consumers as a men's beer.
or position it as "the right tool for men only".

The in-house agency Inhalt & Form was entrusted with this clear task,
which had already been presented at the rival presentation for the umbrella brand a
year a concept proposal for a possible beer launch
had to present. At that time, only the decision was made that
Hürlimann expanded its small product range (lager and Sternbräu) with a
specialty beer in order to support the reconstruction of the brand.
and expand the target group.

An elixir of virility
"Three words are enough to characterize the Hürlimann Hammer and make it
from the rest of the beer market," says Serge Riedener, CD at the
Zurich agency: for men only. But that was not enough.
His team does not just accompany the market launch in the final stages
of the promotion campaign. The agency was already responsible for the naming
and the rustic label design. "For the 170-year-old
brand required a design that combined tradition and trend awareness.
connects. In other words, something between the current fancy-trendy and
a down-to-earth style that is characterized by its origins," explains senior consultant
Jürg Meyer.

For the advertising campaign targeting restaurants and consumers
The agency's last year's image campaign for the
traditional Hürlimann beer has already laid the foundations. One
A pithy, earthy campaign that, according to its creators, is none of women's business.
Or is it? "We are also working on the Hammer with a proper
Portion of humor," explains Riedener. The positioning of men is
free of any chauvinism, of course. After all, Hammer is also for all Hammer women who can keep up.

But keeping up is not that easy, even for real guys. Because
Hammer will appeal to the general public with a strong poster and
print campaign in the greater Zurich area. And with the
restaurateurs with a nail contest in which the "Hammer Team 2006"
is being sought. For six weeks, landlords and guests will be able to
practicing hammering nails before the best of the best compete in the big
Final event in mid-May for the title and a valuable main prize
measure. A tough exercise even for the agency, which has around 200
Restaurants with heavy animation kits (hammer, nails and tree stump)
and has the parties editorially maintained.    
   

Luca Aloisi