Starting Thursday, the campaign will run until 6 September, representing the UK’s first above the line campaign from Sol, and will capitalise on the paper’s influence throughout the city to boost brand awareness. The campaign was brokered by Starcom MediaVest.
The deal will see print and digital content on the Standard, created by We are Social and BBH, that celebrates London’s Local Heroes – the ‘independent spirits’ that have followed their passions to create their own enterprises in arts and crafts, food, drink and design, says the Evening Standard.
The activity will also include a reader event in the summer, hosted by the Evening Standard, to give its audience the opportunity to socialise and network with London’s Local Heroes, sharing their inspirations and experiences.
Local Heroes forms part of a wider campaign by Sol, Independent Spirit. It sets out to champion creative independent retailers around the world, with ‘heroes’ selected for their free spirit. Each hero has been paired with a notable street artist from their local community who has been tasked with creating original, large-scale pieces of art to represent the individuality of the business.
Dan Locke, Group Partnership Director, ESI Media, said: “Sol’s messaging of living free is one that will resonate with our readers. The Standard’s solid ABC1 audience and our growth in younger readers (our median readership age is now 35) mean we can offer an even stronger proposition to brands like Sol than ever before. We’re proud to be working with them on their first major marketing campaign not just in London, but in the UK.”
Chris Henbrey, Brand manager, Sol Beer, said: “The Evening Standard was an obvious choice for promoting the Local Heroes initiative in London. With it’s engaged, driven and aspirational readership it delivers the perfect audience for our campaign, offering the ideal platform to build interest in, and celebrate, the city’s individuality and creativity.”
