Cider brand teams up with Aardman again in new ad
MAJOR cider brand Thatchers Cider is back on TV screens again in time for the incoming summer of sport with multi-Academy Award winning film studio Aardman.
The new ad, which went on the air from 18 May, uses the film studio’s iconic stop motion technology to bring viewers through the barn doors of Thatchers’ Myrtle Farm.
Richard Johnson, Thatchers’ head cider maker, uses his football skills on a falling apple in the short clip before it is caught – or more aptly saved – by fourth generation cider maker Martin Thatcher, who has turned to goalkeeping in the new ad.
Thatcher said: “Working with Aardman is a dream come true. We’re two south west businesses, filled with slightly obsessed perfectionists, that have used their attention to detail to become world leaders in their crafts.”
Already seen across sports channels over the FA Cup Final weekend, the new ad is also set to air during the UEFA Euros 2024 Tournament this summer as well as the women’s Euro 2025 qualifiers.
There will also be a second cricket themed advert from the brand as well, which again sees the team at Thatchers put their skills to the test. This ad will air from the end of May to roll into the international cricket season over the summer.
Best known for its Wallace & Gromit short films as well as feature films including Chicken Run, Aardman said it it took a team of 34 people to bring the world to life using puppets of the Thatchers team and making clothes from real fabrics people working on the farm wear.
Magdelena Osinska, director at Aardman Studios, said: “What makes Thatchers and Aardman such a perfect match is not just our shared west country heritage, but how we marry traditional techniques with modern technology to achieve perfection.
“To bring our characters to life we blend traditional stop motion animation with state-of-the-art visual effects. At Thatchers, the team use their 120 years of expertise, coupled with state-of-the-art technology to create the perfect pint.”
Martin Thatcher said: “Down on the family farm we’ve been making cider with nothing but love for four generations and 120 years. It’s our dedicated attention to detail that delivers the perfect pint.
“It could only be Aardman, a company that shares the total commitment to painstaking perfection and is renowned for bringing joy to people’s lives, that could bring Thatchers to life in such an entertaining and heart-warming way.”
