We are seeing a resurgence of on-pack offers, says Paul McGann of marketing agency Brass

From movie downloads to cuddly toys, family holidays to festivals, it seems to me more and more packs have added a ‘Win’, ‘FREE’ or ‘Collect’ message on them. It’s about time!

For years, many food and drink brands have been in a race to the bottom, repeatedly slashing prices to justify a space on shelf and generate any sales growth at all. It wasn’t sustainable and it is increasingly ineffective. In some FMCG categories, over 75% of volume is now sold at a discounted price and shoppers are being trained to only buy when there’s a deal.

Meeting demand for ever lower price points against rising ingredient and production costs means something has to give, and in many cases it’s food quality, or marketing, or both. In doing so, brands sign their own death warrant and fall victims of Project Reset or the latest retailer range rationalisation. Who needs a brand when some own label is perceived to be lower price and better taste?

I think it’s time for brands to fight back. Add value, don’t erode it. Justify your superiority and price premium in the category. Your packaging is one area of shopper marketing activation you can actually control consistently. It is your best salesperson.

Brands can leverage this direct-to-shopper channel with promotional propositions on-pack that really help them stand out in a sea of sameness. Deliver messaging beyond the functional that engages and excites shoppers browsing the fixture. The best on-pack activations mean we throw rational thinking out of the trolley in a desperate attempt to ‘win a Disneyland holiday’ or ‘get tickets to that exclusive gig’.

And they grow sales. Well executed, you can expect sales uplifts in excess of 20%.

In fact on-pack activity can deliver a number of your marketing and sales objectives cost effectively. They help you reinvigorate tired impulse brands. For under a penny a pack, you can attract new buyers and grow household penetration. Build purchase frequency and rate of sale. Secure extra display. Encourage cross sell. Even reward loyalty. They are the perfect communication platform to build a deeper conversation with your shoppers and consumers.

Of course there are plenty of on-pack campaigns that miss the mark. Shoppers are savvy these days and wary of activations offering just a few top prizes with a one in a million chance of winning! Similarly, technology for technology’s sake can sometimes get in the way of a great promotion – be sure your audience will bother to download the App to enter using that clever Augmented Reality experience you spent most of the budget on.

If you are thinking about going on-pack in 2019, here are some things to think about:

1.     Theme – use shopper insight to find the most motivating promotional messages

2.     Awareness – consider the path to purchase, how will a shopper see the activity?

3.     Stand-out, not standard – be creative with the on-pack design to maximise impact

4.     User Experience – make the entry mechanic simple and appealing for the target audience

5.     Reward the many, not the few – think how you can add value for as many shoppers as possible

6.     Amplify – use all your brand channels to bring the activation to life

With many of the big retailers and brands back in growth, I sense optimism slowly returning to the UK grocery market. I hope this observation inspires you to give on-pack activations a go in 2019 and I look forward to seeing you ‘on shelf!’

Paul McGann is Managing Partner at Brass Agency. Brass is a multi-award-winning full-service marketing agency with expertise in strategic thinking and delivery and specialist skills in digital, advertising, design, PR, SEO, media, shopper, consumer insights, brand engagement and promotional marketing. Clients include Coty, Lucozade Ribena Suntory, Perrigo and Burton’s Biscuits. This comment originally appeared on the Brass website.

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Brand experience specialist, BD Network, is spearheading a new experiential campaign to support the launch of Arla Foods’ new butter variant, Lurpak Softest.

The sandwich-themed roadshow experience focuses on hands-on trial of the new product, offering visitors the chance to make their own breakfast or lunch sandwich, within a self-contained chilled unit featuring three distinct areas.

The tour, which is visiting London, Bristol, Cardiff, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow through to 14^th September, is supported by experienced foodie staff from TSR (The Staff Room UK). It offers two sandwich sittings per day, for breakfast and lunch.

The staged experiential approach begins with a bakery window offering freshly baked goods, before moving through to a second chilled room where people can experience first-hand just how easy it is to spread Lurpak Softest onto freshly baked loaves, even when cold.

In the final room, visitors can choose either a meat or vegetarian filling to complete their Lurpak Softest sandwich, with different choices for breakfast and lunch options.  Within the sandwich room, consumers hand over their buttered bread to the Lurpak sandwich experts for filling, and receive it back wrapped, along with a bespoke Lurpak butter spreader made from recycled Italian olive wood, and a £1-off Lurpak Softest 500g pack.

The touring activation is targeting time-poor office workers and professionals around the UK, showcasing the core benefits of Lurpak Softest – while also conveying the brand’s promise that shoppers needn’t compromise between convenience and taste.

Lucy Hurrell Morgan, Lurpak Brand Manager, commented: “We’re really excited to introduce this new product in such an interactive way. For consumers to be able to try Lurpak Softest first hand will really prove how effortless it is to spread, straight from the fridge. As the champions of good food, we wanted to complete the experience with a delicious Lurpak inspired sandwich.”

Imogen Scriven, Account Director, BD Network, added: With this campaign, BD Network supported by TSR (The Staff Room UK) have created another category first, enabling people to experience new Lurpak Softest in an authentic way and truly land the brand message – Lurpak Softest, spreads effortlessly, straight from the fridge.

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M&C Saatchi SHOP has launched a revolutionary voice platform on Amazon Alexa & Google Assistant, allowing users to request samples by simply saying “send me a sample.” The specific products asked for will then be delivered to their door, completely free.

Aiming to close the gap between offline brand comms – such as TV, print, and out-of-home advertising – and their digital call-to-action, consumers in the UK and USA can request a free product sample by simply asking.

In the UK, 10 per cent of households already own a voice-activated device – and by 2020, it is anticipated that this will rise to 48 per cent. Send Me a Sample aims to capitalise on this increasing popularity of voice-based technology.

Working on consumer requests, Send Me A Sample offers a more targeted delivery model, lowering sampling wastage by putting brands’ products directly in the hands of those who want to trial them. What’s more, delivering the product straight to their door ensures that the products are trialled in the most relevant context: in the consumer’s home.

The service also offers customers the chance to opt in for further offers and communications with the brand they are sampling – with brands able to then incentivise feedback through product offers and voucher codes.

Commenting on the launch, Will Glynn-Jones, Managing Director of M&C Saatchi SHOP said: “Product trial and sampling is a central part of the marketing strategy for so many brands – with over $9bn being spent on it by the US alone – and the industry has seen very little innovation over the past 20 years. Brands are still suffering from the same old issues: huge upfront costs, limited targeting, and significant wastage with the added restriction of delivering a product experience outside of the usage environment. Send Me A Sample aims to change this.”

“Brands can now use the platform to drive consumer led requests to trial their products for free. Send Me a Sample helps brands not just send products but also foster ongoing relationships with warm audiences. This offers far greater value than traditional sampling. But perhaps best of all, our service is 100% payment by results – clients only pay for samples requested and delivered, giving brands total control.”

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