John Smith’s Pushes Grand National

John Smith’s has launched an outdoor campaign in Liverpool to push its sponsorship of the Grand National.

The three-day meeting at Aintree starts on 8th April and John Smith’s, title sponsor of the Grand National, is set to promote the bitter brand at more than 150 outdoor sites in and around the city plus track side and in bar advertising.

The campaign, created by Steam, will see a seven-storey high poster on the city centre Holiday Inn featuring a giant image of brand icon, Smithy the Horse, with the line, ‘It’s the John Smith’s Grand National – so why the long face?’

John Smith’s, owned by Heineken UK, is also set to distribute Grand National sweepstake kits to over 7,500 pubs and clubs across the UK.

The sweepstake kits, created by integrated marketing agency Space, will include branded promotional Grand National sweepstake material, such as posters and number strips to enable the pubs and clubs to run sweepstakes for their punters on the race.

The kits will also contain 100 William Hill bet vouchers which will be given out with every pint of John Smith’s purchased.

‘Smithy the Horse’, the face of John Smith’s racing, will feature prominently across all of the campaign.

‘Smithy, the People’s Racehorse’ campaign, ran earlier this year in allowing John Smith’s drinkers to have a ‘No Nonsense Share’ in a real racehorse.