Mars Wrigley Confectionery UK is launching The Sweetstake, a new football-themed on-pack promotion offering consumers the chance to win millions of prizes including free products and cash instantly, plus entry into a final draw for £10,000.

An adaption of the classic football fan tradition of “sweepstakes”, the unique promotion will run across 11 brands in singles, multipack and pouch packs. There will be 100 million promotional packs in the market from the 23rd of April in the lead up to and during the football this summer.

Mars Wrigley is not an official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup, taking place in Russia this summer, which is why there are no overt references to the tournament, just generic football references; but the confectionery giant is obviously hoping to benefit from increased consumption of its products by fans watching the matches on TV. Mars Wrigley suggests that 80% of UK football fans will watch the games at home.

Every promotional pack purchased gives consumers entry to The Sweetstake and there will be over 700 different The Sweetstake gameplay scenarios available across the promotion. Shoppers will need to enter the unique codes found inside the packs onto a microsite to see if they have won a prize, if their gameplay scenario occurs.

Each pack carries a 1 in 7.7 chance of winning prizes, which include cash prizes of £5, £20, £500 and £10,000, and also free products which are redeemable by coupons, driving shoppers back in store. Every entrant will also be added to a £10,000 super draw to be held at the end of the promotional period (16th July).

Promotional packs will all carry a visible flash, with a WIN beacon consistent across all of them. On top of this, the Mars brand is the official chocolate partner of the Men’s England Football Team, and Point Of Sale displays will be available featuring three famous players to capitalise on the nations support: Dele Ali, Marcus Rashford and Jamie Vardy.

Mars Wrigley Confectionery UK will also drive awareness of the promotion with a £1.2 million media spend, including a TV commercial featuring England players Marcus Rashford, Jamie Vardy and Jordan Henderson.

The promotion will also be supported by digital and live Out Of Home (OOH) media.

Katie Walland, Mars Brand Director – Mars Wrigley Confectionery UK, says: “Rooted in cutting edge shopper and consumer insight, we’re confident The Sweetstake can, with a £1.2m media spend, drive growth across the category, boost sales for retailers, and provide consumers with a way to enjoy football even more with Mars Wrigley Confectionery UK’s blockbuster brands.”

Walland adds: “As a partner of the England Football Assocation, and as supporters of the England football team, the Mars bar has football in its DNA and Mars Wrigley Confectionery produces the perfect products to stock up on ahead of a big tournament.”

Mars is the 10th biggest chocolate brand in the UK, with of £77.5m. Mars Wrigley confectionery brands include M&M’s, Snickers, Dove, Galaxy, Mars, Milky Way and Twix, Doublemint, Extra, Orbit and 5 chewing gums, Skittles and Starburst candies, and Altoids and Lifesavers mints.

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Wrigley is giving away an innovative new in-car gum holder with bottles of its Extra and Airwaves chewing gum brands.

After identifying in-car consumption as a clear growth opportunity, Wrigley developed the holder which is tailored to conveniently keep bottles of Extra and Airwaves to hand and front of mind.

Gum is the second most consumed product in car, after drinks. However, many drivers do not consume gum whilst driving if it’s not in easy reach. Free to consumers with every gum bottle purchased from July to mid-September at participating stores, Wrigley’s in-car gum holder provides a solution, putting an end to glove compartment rummages.

As the fastest growing and most dynamic format in the UK gum category, Wrigley’s bottle is expected to deliver a 7.5% uplift of Extra and Airwaves sales during the activation period. The free gum holder suits the bottle format, and, by presenting shoppers with a new occasion, is expected to drive penetration as well as boost rate of sale, as gum chewing becomes habitual and shoppers look to replenish their holder.

Wrigley’s ambition is to provide a bottle in every car in the next three years – equivalent to 32 million bottles.

The launch is being supported with a high profile national media campaign aimed at maximising reach and accelerating awareness during the promotional period. As well as a dedicated 20 second radio ad, which will run for four weeks from July 17^th to August 13^th 2016, and TV advertising during the same time period, retailers will also be supported with a variety of in-store POS materials.

Julio Guijarro, Marketing Director for Wrigley UK, said: “Consumers are increasingly looking for gum formats which suit all of their consumption missions, whether it’s freshening breath on-the-go, improving oral hygiene, or keeping teeth clean. This exciting new promotion will tap into consumer demand for a convenient way to keep gum to hand in the car – opening up massive growth opportunities for the gum category and our retail partners. The free in-car gum holder promotion demonstrates our continued commitment to offer retail partners compelling promotions which boost traffic and drive sales for the gum category”.

Wrigley’s in-car gum holder will be free with every gum bottle purchased from June 30th to mid-September at participating stores. Formats in the offer include; Extra Peppermint, Extra Spearmint, Extra White and Extra White Bubblemint, Extra Ice Peppermint and Airwaves Menthol & Eucalyptus Bottles.

Wrigley is a subsidiary of confectionery and food giant Mars. Wrigley makes a wide range of gum, mints and hard and chewy sweets. Its brands include Skittles, Extra, Starburst and Airwaves which are sold in over 180 countries across the globe.

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