Metz Judderman

Forgotten Adverts · 2000

Published

The Judderman campaign for Metz schnapps placed a lone traveller in a stylised Gothic forest where a sinister figure tempted him with the drink. HHCL & Partners created the campaign for Bacardi Martini, with the principal advert first documented on 3 February 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 result remained culturally recognisable long after Metz itself faded from sale.

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, “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 - Still Metz and Black Metz were withdrawn in 2002, while Original Metz was being redesigned and relaunched.

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

Creative Credits

- Client: Bacardi Martini; agency: HHCL & Partners. - Jonathan Burley was the copywriter; Ian Williamson was the art director. - Enda McCallion directed the commercial.

Primary Records

- **Metz Judderman — Blinder / Vimeo** - **Metz Judderman — D&AD Awards Archive** - **Judderman Campaign for Metz — Marketing Week, 3 February 2000** - **Campaign Craft: Judderman Adds Chilling Aspect to Metz Fairytale — Campaign**

Image Sources

- **Image 1** - **Image 2** - **Image 3** - **Image 4** - **Image 5**

Rights Notice

Images are included for historical and archival reference. Rights holders may contact Forgotten Archive through the publishing account to request a credit correction or removal.

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 and research. Fair dealing under the UK CDPA 1988 applies only where its conditions are met. No permission for reuse is granted.

Caption

The Judderman's encounter with a bottle of Metz turned a drinks advert into an unsettling woodland fable.

Close-up of a pale stern-faced figure wearing a tall jagged crown-like headpiece, framed between dark tree trunks with a bright circular light behind the head.
Source
Credit

YouTube

Licence

Historical Ephemera

Displayed for commentary and research. Fair dealing under the UK CDPA 1988 applies only where its conditions are met. No permission for reuse is granted.

Caption

The Judderman’s jagged silhouette gives the Metz advert its unsettling fairy-tale character.

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 and research. Fair dealing under the UK CDPA 1988 applies only where its conditions are met. No permission for reuse is granted.

Caption

A traveller’s reaction shares the advert’s circular vignette, showing how the Judderman story was presented as a strange 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 and research. Fair dealing under the UK CDPA 1988 applies only where its conditions are met. No permission for reuse is granted.

Caption

Moonlit scenery and stylised characters gave the Judderman campaign a fairy-tale atmosphere far removed from an ordinary bar scene.

Dark, vignetted image of a painted shop-window display. A sign reads “JUDDER pÿair METZ os SCHNAPPS” above a moonlit forest scene with black silhouettes of a tall spiky-haired figure with outstretched arms, a small pointed figure, and a raised-arm shape; a bottle labeled “METZ” stands at right.
Source
Credit

Metz Judderman advertising film; still from the supplied 2000 UK advert

Licence

Historical Ephemera

Displayed for commentary and research. Fair dealing under the UK CDPA 1988 applies only where its conditions are met. No permission for reuse is granted.

Caption

The advert's theatrical signs and silhouettes framed Metz as part of a strange invented world, helping the Judderman linger in viewers' memories.