Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar Campaign Capitalises on Its Inherent ‘Weirdness'

Boulder-based brand marketing accelerator Fortnight Collective is out with a refreshingly assertive nationwide campaign for Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar products. The work highlights Bragg's new brand ethos: "It's not weird if it works." This bold phrase challenges the all-too-common perception that apple cider vinegar is weird and off-putting and aims to embrace and own it.

The campaign's primary goal is to leverage the brand’s inherent quirkiness and the insight that Bragg’s consumers have no problem with raw, unfiltered solutions that help them stay healthy, even if the solution is a little intense and “weird” to some people.   The campaign is comprised of two marketing initiatives, one for their original Apple Cider Vinegar product and the other promoting and introducing their ACV Blends and ACV Supplements products, all aimed at fostering consideration through a comprehensive integrated campaign. One facet of this initiative is to serve as a multi-year, overarching brand point of view that can be applied to both current and forthcoming brand product offerings.

“From its inception over a hundred years ago, Bragg has been ‘all-in’ when it comes to proactive, food-based ways to stay healthy, regardless of whether they were trendy or mainstream. That obsession is most exemplified by Apple Cider Vinegar, not just as a product but as an experience and as an idea. We, as a brand team, knew that millions of consumers share the same obsession. We just needed a dynamic, provocative and efficient creative partner to help us tell that story in a breakthrough way that still honored our heritage – and we found that in Fortnight Collective,” said Ryan Pintado-Vertner, Fractional CMO of Bragg Live Foods. 

The campaign will run on TTD, Meta, YouTube, and Spotify nationally and DOOH regionally in Bentonville, Cincinnati, New York, Chicago and Boston. The executions include three video spots, three audio spots and podcast placements, social posts, and DOOH billboards.

In the 15-second video, 112 years, Bragg taps into the brand's longevity and anti-trend trendsetter ways by highlighting their pride that in 112 years their original apple cider vinegar recipe has never changed. The video shows a woman taking a sip of the product as a voiceover says, "Bragg has been around for over 112 years. And our apple cider vinegar recipe has never changed. Ever." 

The campaign extends to additional Bragg ACV product offerings promoting ACV Blends and ACV Supplements with the aim to bolster awareness, consideration, and trial. 

Social and DOOH headlines further champion the brand’s raw and unfiltered ways by stating, “Some people are strong enough to handle our regular ACV, for everyone else we made this.” and “A kick of cayenne pepper, as if Apple Cider Vinegar wasn’t enough.”

“The challenge of this work was to take a century-old iconic brand that everybody owns but nobody thinks about and make it absolutely unignorable,” said Becca Schepps, creative director for Fortnight Collective. “And the way to do this was to show up in advertising with the most legendary parts of this brand front and center: The bright yellow label, the wordiness, the fact that this stuff is actually raw, real, unfiltered and to many people, would never win a taste competition.”

In the supplements 15-second video, a man takes a sip of water mixed with Bragg ACV and expresses an overwhelming shocking reaction to ACV. The voiceover "applauds" people who can handle the power of Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar but adds that for others who may find the taste a little too much, there are capsules available. Providing the same Bragg benefits just in a different way to do it. 

In "Blends", a woman takes a sip of water mixed with Bragg ACV and displays an intense reaction to the concoction. The voice over praises her, "Some people can handle the power of Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar," says a voiceover. "And to those people, we applaud you.” And then offers another solution for those less daring, “And now you can also try it like this." The camera cuts to the product that also comes with added Honey, Cranberry, Honey Cayenne and Citrus Ginger flavours.

Fortnight has been working with Bragg Live Foods since March 2023. The agency positions Bragg as the real deal, tried and true original "wellness" brand that even continues to deliver amazing results.