TV debut for Old Speckled Hen

By Sonya Hook

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Old speckled hen Dave

Old Speckled Hen: TV tie-up
Old Speckled Hen: TV tie-up
Old Speckled Hen makes its TV debut as it replaces Cobra as the beer sponsor of TV channel Dave. Greene King's flagship ale brand will be on TV for...

Old Speckled Hen makes its TV debut as it replaces Cobra as the beer sponsor of TV channel Dave.

Greene King's flagship ale brand will be on TV for the first time under the deal, kicking off on 18 May within Dave's "prime time" post-9pm slot and running for at least eight months.

The 10-second ads will run eight times per hour around TV shows such as Top Gear, Red Dwarf, Have I Got News for You and QI, giving Greene King plenty of opportunities to advertise the brand to its target audience of 25 to 44-year-old males.

"It's big news for Hen, but it's really big news for the premium ale category," said marketing director Fiona Hope. "Premium ale is still outperforming the overall on-trade beer market, but this is the first time a major brand is putting its money where its mouth is."

The creative, which uses the strapline "seek out something different", features the fox icon, which hasn't been used for the brand for a long time. Unlike the original fox illustration the latest adverts will feature a live fox character, shown in pursuit of a hen throughout the series of adverts. Before the fox reaches the ultimate reward of a hen, on his journey he encounters various peculiar but very British events.

"We decided TV was the best medium for Hen in order to build greater awareness and to speak to potential Hen drinkers," said Hope.

The sponsorship constitutes a large chunk of Green King's £3.6m investment in Old Speckled Hen this year, a significant increase on last year's spend. The brewer will also be launching Dave-branded merchandise and kits for pubs.

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