About the Design

Testing the packaging versions showed us that there are some customary elements worth holding onto to aid the identifiability of the radler segment (which made our job easier and more difficult at the same time), and we also had to take into consideration the recognisability of the brand.

The next step was to fine-tune the selected packaging. Here our most important guideline was to ensure the identifiability of the brand and the segment, and to strongly differentiate the alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions. We created some designs with stylized illustrations of fruits, but in the end we agreed on a more photorealistic depiction with the client.

Evolution of a logo

There was also the question of the Friss logotype: to ensure the identifiability of the brand, we chose the version that most resembles the original, but has a more modern look with updated colours.  

By the way, the colour of the Friss logo was also used to differentiate the alcoholic version. The base colour of the cans also serve this purpose: the non-alcoholic version’s base colour is white, while the alcoholic version’s colour is lent by the aluminium can’s chrome surface. 

All in all, we feel that we managed to achieve all of our pre-defined goals and designed a truly up-to-date, modern packaging for the Friss portfolio. 

What’s up with the visual world of the TVC?

The first script of the TVC development (created together with the director) was based on a live-action story, which at a certain point would have switched to scenes supplemented with colourful, drawn animations. 

And just when this script was completed and approved, the coronavirus struck. At that time, during the spring lockdown, pulling off a live-action, multi-location shoot was out of the question, so we had to rethink our possibilities. One of the options that presented itself was to move our film over into the world of animation in full. Needless to say, this is a typical love project for an art director, not to mention that it’s rare to come across a visually exciting, fully animated ad spot in Hungary.   

Moreover, the platform envisioned for the Friss portfolio was a great fit for a colourful, dynamic story taking place in a drawn world, so gradually our client also started to warm up to the idea. So much so, that not long after we were already picking between several beautiful treatments, submitted by various foreign and Hungarian animation studios. 

Here are a few examples of the different visual routes we explored:

Our key challenge was not to catch the attention of children with the ad’s vividness and animation style – which was a huge struggle for the team. Luckily in the meantime outside factors allowed it to go back to the live-action shoot with a limited crew. So we dusted off the first version of our script, and while we left out most of the drawn scenes to be safe, we still ended up with a beautiful spot after all the adversities of this difficult period.

About the creative concept

Let’s have a few words about the creative concept. When developing the communication strategy, we were looking for a subject that could convey our message in a colourful way in a variety of areas. A concept that inherently entails what we want our brand to achieve: to make people stay open to the colourfulness of life. This is how the Stay curious message was born. 

About the execution

When it came to executing the concept, we felt that we could convey it best through interesting and exciting fun facts. The task was simple. Or at least it seemed simple at first: we had to find fun facts that had the potential to be both verbally and visually attention-catching. Thanks to the various criteria, we ended up with a list of more than 50 facts.  

And why this many? Because while developing the campaign, we had numerous factors to take into consideration, based on the input from researches and regulations. For example, that the facts should be connected to the taste experience but should not be about the beer itself. Or we had to find a fun fact that is true for two kinds of fruit at once. While also making sure that the eventual visualisation won’t be appealing to children at all. Because even though we are advertising a non-alcoholic radler, it still counts as beer.  

An unexpected challenge

And then the coronavirus showed up in our lives. So we had to stow away the already approved live-action treatment we selected into the bottom drawer of our desk. Only to learn later, after repeatedly consulting with the ÖRT (Self-Regulating Advertising Body), that we can’t turn it into an animation either, because it’s difficult to create a visual world that definitely won’t appeal to children.

But thankfully we still had our original film in that drawer. And then, in a feat of production and creativity, we were finally able to bring to life the film we had been planning for close to six months at that point. Though it turned out to be a bit different than what we first envisioned, we were still very satisfied with the end result. And no, not only because we knew how many challenges we had had to face while developing it, but because in the end, we managed to create a film and a campaign that we can be pretty proud of.  

And here are a few images that illustrate the paths we took when planning the Friss campaign. And a TVC we made.

About the Strategy

Flavored beers on the rise – about the category

The beer-mix or Radler category is one of the most exciting categories within the beer market. International data show that the category is on the rise, driven by the non-alcoholic versions and innovations. This is a direct result of the wellbeing and indulgence trends within the millennial generation – the primary audience of this category. The beer-mix product range is quite diverse across the globe. The category once dominated by citrusy flavors and clear liquids now offers exotic flavours, floral or botanical additions. Recently, nutritional ingredients and mood regulators, and even fusions with spirits and cocktails have been added to the mix.

The Hungarian flavoured beer market is dynamically growing as well. The popularity of the non-alcoholic versions has led to new marketing and portfolio strategies. In many cases, beer-mixes are shifting towards the carbonated soft drink category. Some going so far as to omit their brand name – which in a certain case later had to be reinstated.

Borsodi Friss brand audit

Responding to the exciting growth opportunities within the category, our client Molson Coors Hungary assigned Mito to develop the brand strategy for Borsodi Friss, which is a sub-brand of Hungary’s leading mainstream beer brand, Borsodi. 

Our task was to support the business goal of carving out a larger share of the expanding market by rethinking the well-known Borsodi Friss brand, and to develop its brand and communication strategy. 

As a first step, we always dig deep to clearly understand our starting point. Here we made a comprehensive brand audit, gathering and analyzing information from the market, product and consumer aspects. 

By the end of our audit, we identified 4 key jobs to be done:

• Attract new, younger consumer segments
• Develop new package design 
• Launch new liquids/innovations
• Create a consistent communication platform based on the new brand strategy 

Disrupt or not to disrupt?

Disrupting the category conventions can be low-hanging fruit when defining the growth strategy, especially in a category full of clichés. We concluded that it is not the role of Borsodi Friss to shake up the market entirely. Instead, we decided to be differentiating in our communication and navigate away from the strongly functional benefit-driven approach  towards a more emotional one. (Almost every competitor focused on the ingredients and the rational benefit of the refreshment.)

Portfolio strategy

Friss is a sub-brand of the Borsodi mother brand which is Hungary’s leading beer brand with  strong brand equity. Reviewing the audit results it was clear that both the Borsodi and the Borsodi Friss brands benefit from the current brand architecture. The Borsodi name immediately links Friss to the beer category, ensures high brand awareness and also provides credibility and trust. From the master brand perspective, Friss has an energizing role in the life of the core Borsodi brand with its fresh, innovative character. One aspect we needed to handle was that Borsodi is perceived as a rather masculine brand. In order to be able to be more attractive to women, we proposed strengthening the visibility of the Friss name and decreasing the proportion of the Borsodi logo on the packaging to make Friss more dominant.

What can we offer to our target audience? 

At this stage of the strategy development, we defined the most relevant consumption moment in the context of the competition, the consumers and the entire Molson Coors product portfolio. Then we gathered and prioritized the product attributes, the rational and the emotional benefits of the Friss brand.

Who is our new consumer segment? 

Basically millennials, the much-debated, most frequently analyzed and most-targeted generation.

A large and diverse group with some common general attitude traits, which are already over-used and abused by so many brands.

Finding an exciting insight

• Now can we transcend beyond the generic millennial traits?
• What are the most relevant tensions in their lives our brand can ease?

One of the most exciting parts of strategic planning is discovering the consumer insights, exploring human truths and tensions our brand can shed new light on. 

Turning the millennial paradox into a relevant consumer insight and defining the brand purpose

While exploring tons of millennial research, an interesting phenomenon grabbed our attention. The millennial world is one of numerous paradoxes. And one in particular seemed interesting to us.

Though their life seems to be overwhelmed with information, millennials are the most curious generation, and actively seek joyous exploration and positive inspiration.