Sipsmith marks 10 years with animated advert

London distiller Sipsmith is celebrating 10 years in the business with its first advert, which aims to bring the brand’s story to life through a stop motion animation film.

Sipsmith is celebrating 10 years with a new campaign, called Mr Swan

Titled Mr Swan, the video was created by global advertising and marketing agency Ogilvy UK and follows the production process behind Sipsmith London Dry Gin through the animated character of Mr Swan.

Childhood friends Sam Galsworthy and Fairfax Hall founded Sipsmith in 2009 after battling to overturn a law to enable them to create the first small batch gin distillery in London in almost 200 years.

Kate Moorcroft, global marketing director, Sipsmith, said: “Stop motion animation felt like the perfect way to tell the Sipsmith story as the skilled craftsmanship behind the creation of the film (with no detail overlooked, however small) resonated with our commitment to handcrafting Sipsmith gin, making sure no corners are cut and no compromises are made.”

The campaign is set to go live in April and will cover cinema, TVC and social media channels.

The 60-second animation replicates the copper pot stills at the distillery, and also features hand-dipping miniature bottles in wax.

Jules Chalkley, ECD (executive creative director) at Ogilvy UK, said: “The more we delved into the rich story of Sipsmith gin, the more we understood they don’t do what’s easy; they do what produces the best gin they can make.

“We played with a number of ideas on how to bring the brand to life – but nothing felt quite right until the ideation of Mr Swan and the stop motion concept came about with director Jeff Lowe.

“There are so many quirks and intricacies to the work, which came together in a way which showcases the best of craft.”

Click the video below to watch Mr Swan.