As the first rays of springtime sunshine filter though the seemingly unceasing grey cloud, summer hopefuls are turning their attentions to the warmer season, anticipating barbecues, shorts and – of course – a refreshing al fresco beverage.

UK cider brand is capitalizing on this glimmer of optimism with a new campaign promoting two new flavours: Bulmers Bold Black Cherry and Bulmers Pressed Red Grape.

In addition to a ‘Try it first’ Facebook app, which gives the brand’s 126,000 fans the chance to be among the first to try the new drinks, Bulmers is reaching out to influential tweeters that have expressed an interest in the product, asking them if they’d like to try the flavours for free.

This works really well for the company, which has nurtured a strong Twitter voice based on the kind of informality and conversation you would likely find in a pub garden, at the heart of which is a good blend of marketing and servicing – an important mix that we discussed last week. Even the social service aspect of the brand is friendly and personal:

Successfully promoting ‘controversial’ flavours to a nation of cider drinkers is no mean feat, but Bulmers has done away with the traditional marketing dialogue of ‘Buy our new product’ and instead has adopted the intimate tone of a friend at the bar – ‘Give this a try, it’s pretty cool’. The positive feedback the brand is seeing shows it’s a move that’s working well for them.