Young's beer brands relaunched

Wells & Young's is to relaunch its Young's Bitter and Young's Special cask beer brands with new pump clips and above the line advertising focusing on ingredients and provenance.

The new pump clip features the slogan "Natural Brewing Excellence" at the top and a plaque bearing the logo of Red Tractor, an accreditation scheme signifying products made using only British raw ingredients.

The clips, along with supporting point of sale material, will be rolled out to trade in mid-December.

The above the line campaign will comprise billboards and print media advertising in the South East, and is expected to run between February and May at a cost of £500,000.

There will be three adverts - one based around the barley used in the beer, a second based around the water supply, a third on the brewing process.

The relaunch is part of a drive that the Bedford brewer has been focusing on since the merger of Charles Wells' and Young's brewing operations in October 2006 to differentiate its brands from each other. It is also intended to quell any controversy that lingers over the closure of Young's Ram Brewery in Wandsworth, London, and the relocation of brewing to Bedford.

Wells & Young's marketing manager Paul Smith said: "We have been looking since the merger to make it very clear what each of our brands stands for and the specific reasons to help trade customers decide between them.

"Young's has stood for a lot in London, but had negative feedback about the brewery moving to Bedford. However, we are now at a point where we and drinkers are confident in the brand's quality.

"The marketing campaign is how we communicate that going forward."