Bulmers is launching a £20m advertising campaign tomorrow as it looks to grab a bigger slice of the cider-on-ice market from Irish-based rival Magners.

The campaign will kick off with a television advertisement, created by Glasgow-based agency Frame, which “celebrates the way the British squeeze the best out of the summer”.

Frame beat off competition from leading UK rivals to win the contract when Bulmers' owner Scottish & Newcastle relaunched the brand two years ago. S&N was taken over by Heineken last week.

The ad will be screened in the half-time break of the Champions League final.

Graeme Atha, of Frame, said: “We wanted to get across the British nature of Bulmers without being jingoistic, so it is done in a self-deprecating way poking fun at the vagaries of the British summer.”

The new ad is part of a major marketing programme, which also includes outdoor poster and press activity and the brand's biggest-ever consumer trial campaign.

C&C Group, which owns Magners, has spent heavily on promotion in the last few years but seen a decline in sales in the UK due to competition from S&N and last year's poor summer.

Strongbow, also owned by S&N, is the market leader in the mainstream cider market with about 30% of sales, with Magners in second place with just under 14%. Bulmers has around 6%.

Explore Industry Sectors

• Banking & Finance

• Construction & Property

• Consumer Goods

• Engineering

• Health

• Industrials

• Leisure

• Media

• Natural Resources

• Retailing

• Support Services

• Technology

• Telecoms

• Transport

• Utilities

Times Recommends

• Repossession orders at a record high
• Retailers police industry through database
• Royal Mail demands cash after £279m loss