An audience of cosmopolitan city dwellers were showered with 8000 origami butterflies on Saturday, 17 September 2016 at the official South African launch of Strongbow Apple Ciders at the popular Neighbourhoods Market in Braamfontein.
Like a cloudburst on a sunny day, the butterflies were unexpectedly released from a skyscraper above the crowd in what can best be described as a signature Strongbow stunt. With the belief that nature is the ultimate refreshment, Strongbow has embarked on a journey to stage innovative ways to use the refreshing beauty of nature to rejuvenate cities around the globe and refresh the people who live in them.
“It was incredible! It was like being transported into the middle of a butterfly migration!” said one of the market-goers. “First there were just one or two, then we were standing in the middle of a swirling, fluttering cloud!”
“Strongbow is a natural apple cider made from real orchard apples.” says Marcel Swain, Strongbow’s Marketing Manager “We’ve always believed nature is the ultimate refreshment, so to launch our brand in SA, we identified some of the most dramatic, inspiring, refreshing moments in nature and we remixed them to rejuvenate cities across the country. This is just the first”.
Strongbow collaborated on the paper butterfly experience with South African origami artist Ross Symons, better known on Instagram as @white-onrice. Each butterfly that fell from the sky was made from organic, bio-degradable paper embedded with seeds that will in turn bring more natural beauty to the city. This insured that any stray butterfly that fell into the city would bring new life, rather than create waste.
Symons says, “I’ve always found inspiration for my origami in nature.” says Symons. “In essence, origami is drawing on natural inspiration and remixing it to create something new and beautiful so Strongbow’s rallying cry of ‘Nature Remix’ really spoke to me.”
The stunt, called the Butterfly Effect, is not just a reference to the paper butterflies, according to Swain. “Strongbow’s Butterfly Effect reflects the scientific theory that a single occurrence, no matter how small, can change the course of the universe forever. Because we don’t doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the way we see the world,” adds Swain. “We think the launch of Strongbow is really going to change the cider landscape in South Africa,” says Swain “We don’t just have a delicious range of sparkling apple ciders, we’ve got a fresh perspective. We’re passionate about the beauty of nature and we think South Africans share that passion.”
Strongbow is quickly gaining traction with SA millennials and they’re sure to gain even more momentum after this, but as Marcel Swain says, “Watch this space. There’s still a lot more to come.”
For more information on Strongbow’s range of real orchard apple ciders, please go to www.strongbow.com, like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/StrongbowSA/, or follow us on Twitter @StrongbowSA. To join the conversation about Strongbow, simply search for the hashtag #NatureRemix.
