Bristol craft brewer Butcombe has credited a media campaign built around the city’s legendary crocodile – said to be lurking in the River Avon at Hotwells – for nearly doubling the sales of one of its beers.
Aptly named Tall Tales, the pale ale was promoted earlier this year through a series of stunts – including warning signs around the harbour – and online activity centred on the mythical reptile. 
The campaign came to a head on April Fool’s Day with the ‘big reveal’ that Wrington-based Butcombe and its London-based ad agency The Black Arts Co had been behind the spoof.
According to the brewery, following the month-long campaign, sales of Tall Tales grew across all channels by 93.9% or 58,176 pints compared to the same period last year.
Free trade listings and sales across Butcombe Pubs & Inns’ managed estate were the strongest performer, increasing by 126.2%.
Butcombe launched Tall Tales two years ago, drawing on the crocodile story for its packaging. 
While the legend of the shy croc – said to be living close to the Clifton Suspension Bridge – has surfaced every now and then over the years it gained worldwide attention in 2014 when Avon & Somerset Police said they had launched a hunt for it following a sighting by a bus driver.
Photos claiming to show the crocodile swimming in the muddy waters of the Avon have often been posted on social media, but it has so far evaded any official confirmation.
The Black Arts Co came up with the idea of placing spoof warning signs saying ‘Caution, sighting of Bristol crocodile in this area’ close to the river.
A ‘swimming croc’ CGI video was also produced by dragging planks of wood through the harbour to create a ripple effect.
While these were garnering national press attention, hoax ‘have you seen the croc?’ interviews were seeded online, backed up by online and digital out-of-home adverts for Tall Tales.
These were then cleverly altered on 1 April to reveal that Butcombe Brewing Co was behind the stunt.
Butcombe Brewing Co brand manager Simon Dehany said: “We wanted to really have fun with this marketing campaign and go back to basics with a more traditional stunt-based approach, that resonated in reality, as well as digitally.
“Lots of work went into creating the signage, convincing videos and interviews, as well as our giant croc that helped us with our post reveal sampling activation in Bristol.
Ian Cassie, The Black Arts Co added: “The staggering number of social media posts from products and brands across the globe has created blizzard conditions, where it has become virtually impossible to see anything at all.
“But, combine them with social and conventional media and a good old fashioned ‘activation’ and somehow things seem to resonate a little better.
“A few ‘official’ Bristol Crocodile warning signs started things off but the story was soon picked up by national media including Mail Online and the Daily Mirror and TikTok managed to collect over 2m views…a crocodile in a snowstorm if ever there was!”
