UK drinks firm DRGN Turmeric Superdrink has launched an advertising campaign based around the Government’s COVID-19 advice.

The company’s OOH (Out of Home) campaign features four phrases: “Stay in, but not in in”, “Go out, but not out out”, “Go to work, but don’t travel to work” and “All this advice is tiring”.

The captions are based on advice given on the easing of the lockdown by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in May.

The Government advice was also parodied by Little Britain Star Matt Lucas in a video clip that received more than 3 million views on Twitter.

CEO and founder of DRGN Vishal Sodha said he wanted to capture the national mood, which was a mix of “confusion, boredom and fatigue”, and wanted to portray that in a relatable and funny way.

Sodha said the wording of the ad campaign was also relevant to the health benefits of the DRGN Turmeric Superdrink, including reducing fatigue and supporting the immune system.

“We felt it was a nice way to tie in our product’s USPs with the general mood that the British public has probably felt for the last couple of months,” he said.

In an opportunity that “came out of the blue”, the DRGN brand was able to run the campaign with the help of Clear Channel. The advertising company ran an initiative to give smaller businesses the opportunity to advertise on their digital kiosks, and DRGN was one of the successful applicants.

“We were really privileged to be one of the chosen ones”, said Sodha, adding that they were very lucky the launch of the campaign occurred as the high street stores reopened this week.

The DRGN brand was launched in 2018 and began to gain more momentum in spring and summer 2019, with the drink being sold in UK wholefood and health-food stores and university campuses. Earlier this year the brand was launched in the John Lewis Food Hall.

Sodha said lockdown had been “a bit of a spanner in the works”, but was confident the brand had established a good proof of concept, and hoped the business would reestablish momentum once lockdown ended.

The low-calorie turmeric-based drink has a mixed consumer base, mainly made up of the grab ‘n’ go lunch crowd, millennial foodies and the family shopper. Due to its offices being partially closed since lockdown, the company began selling the drink online, which Sodha said widened the consumer base.

The CEO said that, along with the health benefits, the drink also appealed to the “mindful consumer”, due to their sustainability practises. All of the ingredients in the drink are sustainably sourced, the packaging is recyclable and there is an ethical trading policy in place with their suppliers.

The DRGN brand idea was formed in 2012, the Chinese Year of the Dragon. Founder Vishal Sodha lived in the Far East between 2007 and 2015, and upon moving back noticed that popular eastern ingredients like turmeric and ginger were gaining popularity in the West.

Sodha said he did not realise how mainstream ingredients like turmeric had become, and recalled being surprised at seeing a turmeric latte being offered on the menu in his local coffee shop in London.

The DRGN Turmeric Superdrink is caffeine-free and is a combination of eastern and western ingredients.