mike's HARDER has introduced its newest seasonal flavor, mike's HARDER Apple Firebomb.
On shelves now, it is exclusively available in a series of limited-edition, consumer-designed and -voted collectible cans, including one that inspired the soon-to-be insanely popular celebri-cat "selfie" that hit the Internet today at ClickHole.com.
Combining the refreshment of a crisp apple ale with red hot cinnamon and 8% ABV, the Apple Firebomb flavor has been brought to life in four contest-winning designs conceived, named and chosen by HARDER fans: Apple Spitfire, Mad Kitty Cocktail, Hot Apple Pi-Ro and Red Hot Apple. While one individual design will roll out in stores each month through January, all four collectibles can be seen now at mikesharder.com.
To add an even HARDER edge to this first series of consumer-designed collectible cans and launch this month's Mad Kitty Cocktail edition, mike's orchestrated a celebri-cat "selfie," bringing together many of the Internet's most famous personalities in an attempt to create a viral sensation that "breaks the Internet." Featuring Lil Bub, Venus, Princess Monster Truck, and Oskar & Klaus, as well as can creator and blogger GloGirly's own feline-influencer Waffles, the celebri-cat selfie was developed in partnership with ClickHole, a newly developed division of The Onion.
Meme and cat lovers alike can see - and, of course, share - the selfie and its accompanying "behind-the-scenes" video of the photo shoot via the various cats' social media channels, as well as ClickHole and facebook.com/harderlemonade.
"Our consumers are sharp-witted, unconventional and surprising - and don't appreciate sitting on the sidelines. They are looking for brands that reflect their values and passion for the 'harder' and 'bolder,' and co-creating is very much a part of that," said Sanjiv Gajiwala, senior director, marketing activation, Mike's Hard Lemonade Co. "With mike's HARDER, we're able to reach them on both fronts and are inviting them to take an active role in the brand and 'choose HARDER,' from the can designs to the flavors."
The Apple Firebomb cans are the latest installment in the HARDER Collectibles program, which launched in January via a partnership with Onion Labs, the branded content division of The Onion, who developed designs for seasonal HARDER Blood Orange and Mango Lemonade flavors. Hosted by Zooppa, a global social network for creative talent, the design contest for Apple Firebomb was the first of an ongoing consumer initiative. A second series of cans has already been chosen to launch mike's new HARDER DragonFruit flavor in February 2015; more than 500 consumer designs have been submitted to date. Design submissions for a new Jamaican Lemonade flavor are now being accepted at Zooppa.com, with cans hitting shelves in June 2015.
The "choose HARDER" program expanded even further this year when Jamaican Lemonade was crowdsourced as a new flavor from mike's HARDER Facebook fans - who can visit the page now to influence the brand by voting on the flavor that they'd like to see debut in Fall 2015.
