Hendrick’s Gin is a beloved brand, but as legacy gin brands are jostling for attention amongst hundreds of hipsters and with more micro-brewery start-ups appearing every year, competition has become increasingly fierce.  

As a GenZ and young millennial matures, they begin to replace cheaper options and seek premium spirits. As attention shifts, finding innovative and cost-effective methods of standing out has never been more essential.  

So, as we ventured out into the new world, Hendrick’s Gin devised a tactic for reaching consumers on a sensory level. They were keen to re-assert their creative personality by brightening up the mundanity of everyday life – the parts that perhaps we weren’t as excited to return to.  

Like, the boredom of waiting for a bus.  

The brief was to land their brand world through a series of curious OOH takeovers across the UK. The question was posed: how do we transform one of the most mundane parts of our day and make it unforgettable? 

Hendrick’s needed to find an insightful way of reflecting these discombobulating times positively, without getting too serious about it. To reach people on a sensory level, but do so simply, in a way that was relevant. 

So, we selected sites across 5 major UK cities - London, Manchester, Brighton, Cardiff and Liverpool – to reintroduce a slice of peculiar back into people’s commutes. The idea was to turn a collection of shelters on their heads, all whilst welcoming people deeper into the Hendrick’s Gin universe. 

The Creative Detail 

Our “Upside Down” idea did this simply: flipping Hendrick’s brand world on its head to defy gravity and create something familiar yet unexpected.  

Each takeover was built to be as immersive as possible and had to be designed around the specifics of the individual site. They featured upside-down ‘living roofs’, intricately woven from roses and cucumbers. To reach commuters on a deeper, sensory level, a unique scent was dispensed throughout each shelter to bring to life Hendrick’s peculiar infusion.  

A doorbell aptly engraved with ‘Press for the Peculiar’ trigger old-fashioned music and a Victorian monologue. To further reward the curious, intricate secret messages are hidden within the artwork. Both messages consist of informative descriptions surroundings the oddities of Hendrick’s gin, told in the brand’s unmistakable tone of voice.  

The centrepiece of each takeover - a full 3D Hendrick’s bottle recreation of the Hendrick’s Gin bottle encased within a 6-sheet panel. The bottle continuously pours real liquid, without ever overflowing, into a glass of Hendrick’s Gin Cucumber Lemonade, the brand’s hero summer serve. 

Floor vinyl's adorned with clouds immerse consumers further into the world, offering an escape from the mundanity of waiting for a bus. Within the creative, both on the floor and back panels of the shelters, is a QR code, encouraging commuters to visit the brand’s Summer-themed landing page providing inspiration, tips and recipes to make the perfect Hendrick’s Gin Cucumber Lemonade. 

Production

Execution across multiple cities and translating the creative onto bespoke shelters.  

The spec for each bus shelter was different and with so many different elements to consider (vinyl, audio, doorbells, showcase, roof gardens) it becomes quite a production operation making sure each element is correct for each bus shelter. 

Ensuring the creative detail wasn’t affected by location took a massive effort of collaboration. Working alongside the OOH media agency, our creative and client services team had to get into the extreme detail to pull each shelter off. However, when you look at some of the in-situ shots of the Brighton site, you can see the effort was entirely worth it. 

The Goal 

Hendrick’s Gin wants to be at the heart of premium culture as we regain our curiosity, we’ve sought to achieve this by highlighting their hero summer serve in a unique way, positioning them as an experience brand again, and reappearing with something unconventional and fun that appeals to the imagination and raises a smile. 

The shelters will be live across various London, Manchester, Brighton, Cardiff and Liverpool sites from 11th July to 5th September 2021.