Williams Murray Hamm gets teeth into Cobra bottles

Cobra Beer, a favoured tipple in curry houses nationwide, is spicing up its image with a new bottle and labelling created by Williams Murray Hamm, in what has been a 12-month project for the group.

The new-look product, scheduled to hit shelves later this summer, comes as Cobra moves to target the mass market and extend its global reach. The company recently raised £8.5m to finance expansion and pundits are suggesting that it is likely to float from the end of 2004.

Keen to shake off the beer’s image as the sole preserve of Indian restaurants, Cobra is planning to boost distribution through supermarkets, clubs and other off licence outlets.

According to Williams Murray Hamm director Richard Murray, the consultancy’s brief was to maintain Cobra’s ‘quirky’ identity, while progressing the design to appeal to a broader audience.

‘It was important to maintain the brand’s heritage,’ explains Murray. ‘The Cobra label looks like it was made by Indian printers and that’s an important part of its charm. We want to maintain that point-of-difference, but execute it in a way that enables it to succeed beyond where it currently is.’

Williams Murray Hamm was awarded the project on the back of a four-way credentials pitch in spring last year.

Cobra claims to be one of the fastest growing brands in the beer sector, having enjoyed sales growth of 50 per cent in five out of the past seven years.