Thatchers Cider has brought in Father Ted director Declan Lowney for the latest TV and cinema advertising campaign for its flagship brand Thatchers Gold.
Designed to convey the Thatcher Family’s utterly uncompromising commitment to the quality of their cider, the humorous campaign is the second phase of Thatchers’ What Cider’s Supposed to Taste Like platform. It is targeting sports fans and devotees of Game of Thrones among others with a central joke of a hot-air balloon that can’t quite fly.
It was created by London-based Joint with media buying handled by Bristol and Devon-based Bray Leino. The lead film was directed by Declan Lowney of London-based Another Film Company. Declan has shot commercials for some of the world’s biggest brands as well as being known for his TV and feature film work as a comedy director, with Father Ted, Little Britain, Moone Boy and Alpha Papa.
The ad was shot on location in the Somerset villages of Chelvey, near Nailsea, and Axbridge, which is close to the Thatcher family’s Myrtle Farm – home to its production site and which also features in the commercials.
Fourth generation family member and managing director Martin Thatcher along with chief cidermaker Richard Johnson also take part in the ads – a first for the firm.
The ads were launched last weekend during coverage of the first British Lions Test v New Zealand and are expected to be seen by adults over 200m times over the summer during live sport including The British F1 Grand Prix, The Confederations Cup, The Tour De France, Royal Ascot, the Lions test matches and Premiership football and rugby.
As well as running on linear TV, they will also have a significant Video on Demand (VoD) presence, appearing on ITV Player, All 4, Demand Five, YouTube premium content and Sky Go, and will appear in a number of Sky’s programmes on demand, including the new series of Game of Thrones. 
The commercial will also run in cinemas across the UK, including films such as The Mummy, My Cousin Rachel and Dunkirk – expected to be one of the summer’s biggest blockbusters.
Thatchers marketing director Yvonne Flannery said: “This is a commercial that is affectionate, humorous and warm-hearted, but is clear in its message that Thatchers Cider tastes as good as it should – you wouldn’t settle for a hot air balloon that could almost fly, so why would you buy a cider that’s almost perfect?
“It has a very clear comedic intent – the tone is knowing, with a gentle surreal comic edge, so the viewer knows we’re all having some fun.
“Working with Declan Lowney has been an honour, he is himself a master of his craft. He has directed a commercial for us that will make people smile while representing the strong values of quality and perfection we hold dear here at Thatchers.”
Declan Lowney added: “There’s something about this script and the Somerset setting that really appeals to my Irishness and tickles my Father Ted-ness. The notion of comparing a perfect pint of Thatchers cider to a low-flying hot-air balloon is clearly ridiculous, but I love that.”
Alongside TV, the campaign includes outdoor advertising, PR, sampling events, social media and digital campaigns, as well as national events and festivals including Glastonbury Festival, GoldCoast Oceanfest and Cambridge Folk Festival.
Click here to watch the TV ad.
