BBH brings back nostalgia for Hofmeister's brand refresh

'George The Bear' makes a return in the beer brand's first ad campaign for years

By Creative Salon

03 April 2023

Iconic beer brand Hofmeister has partnered with Bartle Bogle Hegarty to reposition the brand, with a campaign putting quality, taste and sophistication at the centre of the brand.

The beer brand’s campaign, the first to launch for several years, builds on nostalgia for the brand, featuring the iconic George The Bear who appeared in previous Hofmeister campaigns from the 1980s and 1990s. This time, however, The Bear, like the refreshed brand and product, has grown up and is more sophisticated and knowledgeable; emulating a modern day and effortlessly cool persona.

The work, which launches on 3rd April, spans high-profile OOH, Press, and partnership content which is underpinned by a refreshed social media strategy across paid and organic comms. It will feature the classier and more sophisticated George The Bear wearing cool, stylish clothes, posing for a fashion-style portrait with the message ‘I’m Back. For Classier Beer, Follow the Bear.’

Bartle Bogle Hegarty will leverage the quality of the brand’s new product range, including the ‘IWSC World's Best Lager’, alongside its iconic ‘George The Bear’. Electric Glue has worked hand in hand with BBH on the launch, planning and deploying the media strategy to bring George The Bear back with a bang.

Spencer Chambers, CEO & Co-Founder at Hofmeister, said: “'We always knew at some point we just had to bring back George. A challenge that was going to require incredible creativity, courage, humour and a deft touch, fortunately, we are working with BBH who have all of this in spades.”

Karen Martin, CEO BBH, said: “We're delighted to be working with the team at Hofmeister in their epic pursuit of bringing back George The Bear. It has been pure joy. Classier beer, classier bear.”