Who: Moosehead Breweries’ Angry Orchard brand, with Arrivals + Departures and Media Experts.

What: “Not so sweet,” the first campaign for the company’s hard cider brand.

When & Where: The social-led campaign broke earlier this month with a series of six-second animated videos running across Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube.

Why: It’s about gaining awareness for Angry Orchard among “conscious drinkers” who prefer craft ciders to the high-sugar big brands. The brand is also looking to drive trial of the product with a $1 off offer on all six-packs.

How: The messaging leans into both the brand’s name and its key selling point (it’s not as sweet as other ciders) by introducing a grumpy animated tree that delivers caustic truth bombs like “Wow. Your turkey actually turned out well this time,” and “Half your outfit looks fantastic.” All of the ads end by pointing out that Angry Orchard contains 31% less sugar than standard cider brands.

“We knew we needed to demonstrate its purity, so we leaned into the playful attitude and sass from the brand’s iconic apple tree label to get that message across,” said A+D chief creative officer Jeff MacEachern.”

And we quote: “Similar to beer, cider drinkers are actively moving away from the mass-produced ciders and into smaller batch, less sweet craft options. The cider category is increasingly focused on product novelty and launching new trendy flavours rather than product purity. When it comes to cider, Angry Orchard is unapologetic about its attitude towards purity.” — Julia Glynn, assistant brand manager, Moosehead Breweries