Christmas Jumper Day raises the big bucks

Watch out Christmas Day, you’re facing a threat who is rapidly stealing all your thunder. Christmas Jumper Day is gaining so much hype every year that its importance in the calendar could soon take over Christmas!  The nation has really gone nuts with Christmas jumpers – with the new rule being the-more-revolting-the-better.

Naturally we all got on board, and donned our favourite festive number while fundraising over £700 for Save the Children.

In the spirit of fundraising for a good cause, we got sweaty in our Christmas Jumpers and got festively plump from the annual bake sale.  

A Blind Cider tasting served a dual purpose of aiding and abetting the brownie gluttons whilst also ensuring all St Luker’s really can identify the Bittersweet taste of Strongbow and the sweet joy of Old Mout – luckily the results were mostly positive!

Lastly, our first Silent Auction was held where lots of (ahem) premium prizes were up for grabs… including having our lovely CEO Neil as your Tea slave, a week of gourmet lunch, an extra half day of holiday, and a personal agenda-setting-idea with the mystic Dan and Rose.  Sadly people also donated far too much to keep me silent for a day! Congratulations to Save the Children on another record breaking year! #Xmasjumperday

ST LUKE’S BRINGS YOU CREDENTIALS, THE STRONGBOW WAY

One Facebook user recently commented, “what has this got to do with Strongbow?” after seeing a picture of an apple on the Strongbow fan page.   Well, Gareth Jones* from Dorset, there are, in fact, over a billion British apples used in the production of Strongbow every year. It’s this insight which is at the core of Strongbow’s latest ad, Bittersweet. This 40” spot works to remind consumers about all of the hard work which the farmers of Herefordshire put into growing their apples. 

 It is the unique bittersweet flavor of these apples which gives Strongbow it’s crisp, sharp and refreshing taste. This divided palette has given inspiration to the art direction of the ad, as through-out the majority of the advert we see both the bitter and sweet side of the British apple farming process. We see the hard working farmer fight through the cold, wet and snow one side of the screen, while on the other side the same farmer is seen striding around his sun bathed farm as we follow the apple’s journey from the tree into the glass.

This was a particularly exciting project for St Luke’s as it allowed us to get to the roots of Strongbow’s business and heritage  as well as utilise ground breaking cinematography. It is the use of the never seen before 3D technique along with soundtrack which makes this ad so distinctive and memorable. Watch the ad here.

*not his real name

Brit boys take on Brazilian girls in The Strongbow Rio Challenge

In every football match, be it a World Cup final or a Sunday league wooden spoon playoff there is a form sheet of some sort. Something that helps the fans pick a favorite based on recent form, the history of the club or star players.

So this summer, we’re asking Strongbow fans to pick between teams of a different kind: amateur Brit boys vs pro Brazilian girls – who has what it takes to win.

We know the boys team HMNB Portsmouth are good at their game, as they came out top in our Strongbow Rio Challenge trial day but how would they fare taking on one of the best female Brazilian teams: Vasco, in their home country?  With players who previously competed in World Cup and Olympic games, the girls certainly had the skill and footballing finesse but would the power and strength of the boys overrule?

The boys team, made up of the five players from HMNB Portsmouth and three subs as voted for by social media, all flew out to Rio in May to face a grueling training schedule ahead of the final challenge. To give these enthusiastic amateurs a chance against some of Brazil’s finest, they where put through their paces on the girl’s home sand by their coaching team, Chris Kamara and Janio Cruz. Their training covered all areas of the game including a tour of the favelas to understand how some of the world’s greatest players built up the physiological strength needed to reach the peak of their game.

Once training was complete, the final challenge showdown took place when the boys took on the ladies team against the backdrop of Rio’s iconic skyline. Could the boys live up to their talk? Did these amateurs have what it takes to beat a pro women’s team? Watch their full story on: youtube.com/strongbow where you can watch all the content in this St Luke’s led campaign.

Kammy makes his final selection for Rio

As the Premier League closes its doors for another season the footballing world’s attention is now turning to Rio.  For the next few months the epicentre of World Football is going to be firmly planted in Brazil. It's clear that this was on the minds of the 20 teams of keen 5-a-side players who turned up bright and early for the Strongbow Rio trial day, which was held at the London Soccer Dome.

After already getting through several stages of selection, each team invited to the day went up against each other during a series of challenges designed to test personality, teamwork, and football skills. Under the watchful eye of our celebrity coaching staff: Chris Kamara, Mark Wright and Janio Cruz, only one team prevailed, winning the trip of a lifetime to Rio to take on one of the best female football teams in the world. 

The content which launches today shows what happened during the trial day and reveals the winning team – do you think they have what it takes to beat the girls?

The winning team will be joined by 3 subs who were selected via social voting. You can see the full team all meet and fly to Rio for the match of a lifetime on the 2nd June, when the final content will be released.