Reimagines Somersby for the UK market leading brewer and drinks supplier, Carlsberg UK, has planted a stake in the apple orchard ground with the national launch of a new mainstream cider brand ‘Somersby’ with design and strategy from multi-award-winning UK brand agency Taxi Studio. Taxi was appointed to the project in October 2011 and commenced work immediately with brand strategy headed by Taxi MD Brian Mansfield to firm up the brand positioning and tone of voice. Spencer Buck, Creative Director at Taxi Studio said: “A winning design concept quickly emerged from the very first round of research, we then had to work with speed to get the pack designs and visual identity system fine-tuned and ready for launch.”Jonathan Turner-Rogers, Design Director at Taxi Studio said: “Our design centers around a witty, ambiguous apple identity. It combines a hilltop scene complete with an apple tree – which not only underpins the brand’s point of difference (contains no artificial flavors or sweeteners and actually tastes of apples!) – there’s no mistaking that it’s a cider… essential for this newcomer to the category.” Taxi’s engagement covered: • Brand strategy, positioning, naming & tone of voice • Primary and secondary packaging design • Visual identity system • Copywriting • Key Visual & Point of Sale elementsNick Howells, Head of Innovation at Carlsberg UK said: “Taxi Studio has been a great partner for us on this journey. The quality of their creative and service delivery has been second to none… and they understand our business and the way we work.” Darran Britton, Marketing and Strategy Director for Carlsberg UK said: “This is a major initiative for Carlsberg and demonstrates our increased focus on innovation, coming just two months after the launch of San Miguel Fresca. It demonstrates our ability to target a new category and our understanding of consumer behavior in the drinks market.” Somersby Cider will benefit from a multi-million-pound marketing campaign to be revealed early next year with extensive sampling and in-store promotions happening over the coming months.