Metz Judderman

The Gothic Forest Advert for Schnapps

Forgotten Adverts · 2000

Archived on 17/08/2026

Associated With

Bacardi Martini / HHCL & Partners - advertiser or agency

Defining Feature

A Gothic forest television commercial in which the Judderman lures a lone traveller with Metz

Status

Unresolved - Campaign introduced in 2000

Overview

The Metz Judderman advert sent a lone traveller into a stylised Gothic forest with a sinister tempter.

HHCL & Partners created the campaign for Bacardi Martini. The earliest supplied contemporary report is dated 3 February 2000, but the exact first UK transmission date is not established.

Shot in Budapest, the campaign used a monochrome style shaped by early European cinema, Gothic film and folklore. A puppet-led follow-up called Factory launched in November 2000.

Why It Mattered

Its monochrome early-European-cinema look, folklore imagery and strange verse gave an alcoholic-drinks campaign the atmosphere of a half-remembered fairy tale. The Judderman brought its cinematic and literary influences together around a single sinister figure.

Creative Credits

Bacardi Martini was the client and HHCL & Partners was the agency.
Jonathan Burley was the copywriter and Ian Williamson was the art director.
Enda McCallion directed the commercial.

Setting and Influences

The campaign was shot in Budapest.
Its intended visual language drew on early European cinema, Gothic film and folklore.
Lewis Carroll and Jabberwocky were identified as influences.

Campaign Development

A 20-second puppet-led follow-up called Factory launched in November 2000.
Factory ran on Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky One and Sky Sports.
Still Metz and Black Metz were withdrawn in 2002, while Original Metz was being redesigned and relaunched.

Sources & Records

Marketing Week — Judderman campaign announcement, 2000 — Documents the campaign by February 3, naming the agency and client and describing the Budapest shoot and Gothic style.
Campaign — the making of the Judderman advert — Identifies the creative team and explains the early-European-cinema and folklore influences.
Metz Judderman — Blinder’s commercial upload — Credits Enda McCallion as director of the Metz commercial.
D&AD — Metz Judderman awards entry — Identifies Bacardi Martini as the client in the 2001 awards archive; the award year is not the first transmission date.

Gallery

A pale-faced, pointed-eared figure in a dark glove holds a bottle labeled “METZ” in front of its face against a dark wooded background. — Source
Credit
Metz Judderman advertising film; still from the supplied 2000 UK advert
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
The Judderman presents the bottle of Metz as the lure at the centre of the woodland encounter.

A man in a knitted cap and scarf faces the camera with his mouth open, shown inside a small circular vignette against a black background; blurred trees are behind him. — Source
Credit
YouTube
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
The traveller’s reaction appears within a circular vignette, showing the other side of the Judderman encounter.

Two stylized figures stand before vertical tree trunks beneath a large full moon: a tall pale-faced figure with spiked hair and long fingers holds a cross-shaped object, while a smaller bearded figure stands beside it. — Source
Credit
Metz Judderman advertising film; still from the supplied 2000 UK advert
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
A wide, moonlit view places the tall Judderman and a smaller figure among the forest’s vertical tree trunks.