This March, Londoners will be given the opportunity to #LiveMoreYes with a free blindfolded food experience – based on research showing that, when the sense of sight is removed, taste is heightened. The ‘Bar of YES!’ will allow food lovers to challenge their taste buds, as they try to discern the flavour combinations of a series of delicious tasting plates while blindfolded.

The ‘Bar of YES!’ will be hosted by chef to the stars Nina Parker and will celebrate the launch of Nestlé‘s new brand, YES!, and it’s range of wholesome and delicious snacks. Nina, who counts Donatella Versace, Russell Brand and Stormzy among her clients, has designed a menu of five delicious vegetarian and vegan dishes, each inspired by the exciting flavour combinations and natural ingredients of the new YES! bars – including fruity blends like lemon, quinoa & chilli as well as nut-based combinations such as dark chocolate, sea salt & almond.

Visitors to the ‘Bar of YES!’ will enjoy an interactive blindfolded tasting experience of Nina’s food, before exploring the stylish surroundings of the pop up which will reflect the vibrant and wholesome philosophy behind the range. There will also be YES! bars available to taste, with samples offered to guests on departure.

Louisa Parrillo, Senior Brand Manager at YES! says, “As a new brand, we’re so excited to be opening our first pop up – the ‘Bar of YES!’ reflects our belief that the more we taste and explore in life, the more fulfilled we become. We want to celebrate the key ingredients of our bars which make the best of what nature has to offer – we’ve created our range of fruit and nut bars with exciting taste combinations that are both tasty and wholesome, so no compromise needs to be made on taste or satisfaction when choosing what to have as a snack. We hope people will take the plunge and ‘live more yes’ with our blindfolded tasting challenge!”

The ‘Bar of YES!’ will be open to the public on 13th to 14th of March, with chef appearances from Nina Parker at lunchtime and dinner services.

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Flavoured Alcoholic Beverage brand Hooch is set to unveil its biggest ever promotion, which will see the brand giving away a movie with every purchase of a promotional bottle or pack. Consumers will have access to thousands of movies at the touch of a button, including many of the biggest cinema blockbusters.

Expected to hit 10m consumers and supporting its ‘Just Av An Ooch’ campaign, the limited-edition promotion will encourage drinkers to enjoy a Big Night In courtesy of the brand and is the result of extensive consumer research by Global Brands Ltd, who distribute and market the brand.

To redeem their free movie offer, consumers scratch off a panel on the Hooch pack to reveal a unique code which they then input at Hoochmovies.com. They will then be taken to a site operated by Global Brands’ partner, Rakuten, where they can browse thousands of movies and select the ones they want to watch. Each code is worth 350 Rakuten points, or £3.50 worth of downloads; multipacks carry two codes and individual bottles one.

Christian Sarginson, brand controller at Global Brands, says: “Continued research into our consumers’ habits and behaviours has been key in developing our latest campaign. Hooch has such a diverse drinker base that finding common interests can often be tricky, however this promotion enables us to reward all our key drinker types as well as recruit new consumers to the brand. With the World Cup over and Love Island coming to an end there is a gaping hole in prime-time TV, so we’re providing the perfect solution to fill it!”

Hooch conducted substantial market research earlier in the year to support their activity, building their plans around key understandings of their audience. The research revealed that video is a key element for their audience with up to 33 hours consumed per week and that 55% of them usually drink at home.

The brand will support the on-pack promotion with an engaging social media campaign and on-trade activity across the summer. The social media campaign will comprise of comical videos and parody clips from popular Hollywood movies which will be creatively executed by seven relevant, carefully selected social influencers, planned to be live on their social feeds throughout the rest of summer.

The promotion was created and managed in-house.

Originally launched – as alcoholic lemonade Hooper’s Hooch – by UK brewers Bass in the 1990s, Hooch was at one time the leading FAB or alcopop in the UK, with 70% of the market, and had massive international success. It was discontinued in 2003 but relaunched, with a lower alcohol formulation, in 2012 by Global Brands

Global Brands is a leading UK drinks brand development business which owns, markets and distributes a range of brands across the spirit, beer, RTD and energy drinks categories. These include VK, Hooch, Corky’s and Amigos Tequila Beer.

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Rollover Hot Dogs is partnering with Mission: Impossible Fallout, the sixth film in the Mission: Impossible series (in UK cinemas 25th July) with a competition to win a romantic trip for two to Paris, including a helicopter tour from Paris to Versailles.

The Rollover Hot Dog trays will feature artwork from the movie and will direct consumers to the Rollover Facebook page, where they will be able to enter the competition to win the trip to Paris. There are also Mission: Impossible movie products to be won.

The campaign aims to reach over 3 million shoppers and is being supported with extensive POS materials for retailers.

Rollover negotiated the partnership deal with the films’s UK distributor, Paramount Pictures, according to a Rollover spokesman.

Tony Owen, Sales and Marketing Director for Rollover Ltd, says: “This movie, starring Tom Cruise, is set to be one of the biggest releases of the summer and we’re extremely thrilled to renew our partnership with a film that our consumers will really love. It’s a fantastic promotion to make shoppers aware of the Hot Food To Go category and specifically Hot Dogs, which remain in huge growth due to the continued trend around Street Food.”

Owen adds: “Mission: Impossible’s core demographic of 16-30 year olds matches our brand personality: young, lively, and fun. We expect a lot of engagement with our fans on this promotion and it will encourage new discussions at the point of purchase.”

The Mission: Impossible campaign started on July 9th and runs for eight weeks.

Rollover Hot Dogs, which is part of Kerry Foods Group, is the UK’s largest hot dog brand, selling over 25 million a year. It supplies preparation equipment and marketing collateral (steamers and POS) free to stockists and sells them the consumable items (sausages and buns). Customers include sports venues such as Old Trafford, theme parks, cinemas, universities and contract caterers. It regularly runs partnership campaigns with hit movies.

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Household towel brand Plenty is collaborating with Disney ahead of the hotly-anticipated launch of the Disney∙Pixar film Incredibles 2, which will be released in UK cinemas on July 13^th.

Manchester-based marketing agency Blue Chip has created an on-pack promotion for Plenty which runs across two million Plenty ‘The Stylish One ‘packs. The activity aims to recruit younger families into the category by offering the chance to instantly win one of 10,000 Incredibles 2 plush toys. Plus there is a prize draw to win an adventure holiday for a family of five to visit Queenstown, New Zealand.

To enter, consumers must visit www.plentywins.co.uk/incredibles2 and provide their full name, contact telephone number and a genuine email address along with the unique code found on the inside of every promotional pack. There are 10,000 Disney∙Pixar Incredibles 2 plush toys to be won instantly online. The toys are around 7 inches tall and represent the main characters of the Incredibles 2 film – Bob Parr (Mr Incredible), Helen Parr (Elastigirl), and their children Dash, Violet and Jack Jack.

Winner selection is via ‘winning moments’.

In addition to the instant win, everyone who enters their unique code online at the microsite, whether they have won a toy or not, will be put into a random prize draw to win a holiday to Queenstown, New Zealand for a family of five.

There is a No Purchase Necessary entry route for Northern Ireland. In the Republic of Ireland, where the law requires that brands operating prize draws where consumers have to buy a product to enter must partner with a charity which has been granted a lottery license, Plenty is working with LauraLynn Children’s Hospice.

The promotion went live this week and will be supported with a full media campaign including TV, social and in-store throughout the summer months.

Jess Harper, Account Director at Blue Chip, says: “This promotion will really inject some fun and excitement into the Household Towel category, not only by adding value with every pack, but also through recruiting younger families into the category and ultimately driving incremental volume.”

The release of the Incredibles 2 film sees Helen (voiced by Holly Hunter) being called on to help bring Supers back, while Bob (voice of Craig T. Nelson) navigates the day-to-day heroics of “normal” life at home. Meanwhile, a new villain hatches a brilliant and dangerous plot that only the Incredibles, working together, can overcome.

Consumers can enter on the microsite until 30^th November 2018. All valid entrants will be submitted into the prize draw for the holiday prize, the winner of which will be drawn on 3^rd December 2018.

The Plenty brand is owned by Essity, formerly part of SCA, the giant Swedish paper products group. Other Essity brands include Cushelle paper towels and the TENA range of personal hygiene products.

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Paul Parry of Filmology, part of consumer engagement specialists Sodexo Neon, Headline Sponsor of the IPM Awards 2018, explains why marketers can’t afford to miss out on the latest films SPONSORED COMMENT

From Heineken to Weetabix and Nissan, cinema offers a perfect vehicle for brands to reach segmented audiences with closely aligned film partnerships. Increasingly sophisticated data now enables companies to not only reach huge audiences, but make well-informed decisions about how to really make their target consumers sit up and take notice.

The feeling of being engrossed in a spellbinding film is a form of entertainment that has lost little of its lustre in over 100 years – and an increasing yearly UK audience of over 170 million people backs this statement up!

Even despite Death Star-sized challenges – including the rise of online streaming and increasing ticket prices – cinema is still the go-to place for blockbusting entertainment, reaching over 66% of the UK population, meaning there has never been a better time for brands to get involved in cinema.

Research by Mintel shows that nearly half (49%) of cinema goers go to the cinema without knowing what they want to watch, and instead make their choice when they get there. This is because they crave the overall cinema experience in its own right. This figure rises to 58% among the impulsive and daring 16-34 year olds, who trust the big screen to deliver on its promises.

Brand and film partnerships

Part of cinema’s unique appeal is how social it is – chatting with your friends or family, eating popcorn, sitting together in the darkness immersed in a shared narrative and trading views and opinions after the event. Cinema is an event in itself, and one that brands are now clamouring to be a part of.

Partnering with a major or independent cinema to offer ticket promotions or giveaways can prove hugely attractive for the two in three people who visited the cinema last year, particularly given the recent rise in cinema ticket prices.

For a relatively small investment, brands can deliver an experience that is worth so much more. You are offering an experience – a whole night out – if you reward your customers with a cinema ticket.

Compare that to trips to New York, for example: there are only so many of those that will fit the budget! With cinema, for a relatively low investment, brands can give every customer the opportunity to claim something of real value.

Captive audiences

In 2017, there were 788 commercial cinemas in the UK. The number of screens per site remained stable at an average of 5.3, but the proportion of sites with multiplexes (five screens or more) crept up – from 40.3% in 2011 to 46.2% in 2016. Put simply, the sheer number of cinemas in the UK means unless you’re frozen in carbonite or trapped in the quantum realm, it’s never been easier to visit a cinema.

Over 170.6 million people visited the cinema at least once in the UK in 2017 according to the UK Cinema Association; and it’s not a one-off, either. Audiences increased in 2017 by 2.4% over the previous year and are forecast to stay high for at least five more years – throwing shade on the naysayers who say that digital streaming has dented cinema’s appeal.

 According to BFI data, UK films were popular across all demographic groups; not only in the core 18-30 audience but also maintaining a particularly strong appeal for those aged 45 and over. We can drill down even further to see which films are most popular with different genders and social groups, which means we can help brands identify trends and inform their decisions about the most powerful films to partner with in future.

By the way, don’t ignore the power of the sequel.

21% of parents with children aged five and under said the last film they saw at the cinema was a sequel or part of a franchise. Popular franchise films are attractive to parents looking to engage young kids with notoriously short attention spans, as they already recognise certain themes and characters.

As for films for older children and grown up audiences, the success of franchises and ‘shared universes’ like Marvel, DC, Harry Potter and Jurassic Park is evidence that sequels, far from being quick cash-ins, are here for the long haul.

Mobile-free, perhaps – but not technology-free

Visiting the big screen is a shared, high-impact experience that plays to a captive audience all undertaking the same emotional journey. If you’ve seen Avengers: Infinity War, you’ll know what we mean! In a world where mobile phones play a part in almost every interaction we have, the cinema offers an increasingly uncommon opportunity to be completely free of mobile phones and social media.

However, you don’t have to be Tony Stark to enjoy the latest cutting-edge tech in the cinema. The introduction of 4K high definition digital films, IMAX screens and Dolby’s 3D Atmos sound systems have all contributed to enhancing the cinema experience like never-before; and that’s even before you throw in other incentives such as premier seating, direct-to-your-seat service and 3D films.

Earth’s Mightiest Promotions

For brands wanting to be involved in film promotions and partnerships, cinema offers an immensely powerful way to reach an enraptured and highly-targeted audience. From tickets to a film, to licensed merchandise giveaways, or even use of film assets – brands can use the ever-enchanting power of cinema to talk to consumers.

The right film campaign can help to drive home a company’s brand values, while adding credibility and extending its reach. In addition, a new release film will often secure acres of publicity in the press, whipping audiences into a frenzy of excitement, making lots of noise – and providing a vehicle on which your brand can hitch a lift.

You simply can’t argue against cinema’s power and effectiveness. It enables companies to engage a select audience, forge partnerships that align with their brand values, fits their budget, and meets their unique objectives.

Paul Parry is Head of Filmology, which is part of consumer engagement specialists, Sodexo Neon. Sodexo Neon is Headline Sponsor of the IPM Awards 2018.

To find out more about promotions with Star Power, click here…

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The IPM COGS Awards 2018, the awards and recognition programme for service agencies – the providers of specialist services which are used to build promotional campaigns – is now open for entries. The entry deadline is July 19 2018.

The Institute of Promotional Marketing (IPM) launched The IPM COGS Awards eight years ago as a recognition programme for the work of specialist services agencies, to run alongside the IPM Awards, which are for creative agencies.

Richard Pink, Head of Awards at the IPM, says: “The IPM COGS is the most important awards programme for the promotional industry’s service agencies – they give deserved recognition to the companies behind the scenes who make sure that everything runs like clockwork. They are the awards for the unsung heroes of our industry.”

Entry is open to any company from a range of business sectors which support great promotional marketing campaigns – handling, print, staffing, digital, mobile, event and risk management, to name but a few.

Companies do not have to be IPM members to enter (except for the IPM COGS Awards 2018 Service Agency of the Year Special Award, which is only open to IPM members). IPM members enjoy the advantage of paying lower entry costs, however.

The online awards entry platform has been updated and streamlined, to make the entry process even easier than in previous years. In order to submit an entry, you will need to register for this new awards platform – https://theipm.awardsplatform.com/

The IPM – the marketing industry trade body which represents the interests of brands and organisations which use promotional techniques to target their audiences and also of the agencies and service providers which advise them – is encouraging members and non-members alike to seize the opportunity to show the world how their contributions have helped create world-class campaigns.

Now in its eighth year, The IPM COGS awards programme is constantly setting benchmarks and driving up the standard or promotional campaigns.

A full list of the 2017 winners can be found on the IPM website. 

The full list of categories for The COGS Awards 2018 is below:

• Coupons
• Print Management
• Risk Management
• Digital
• Promotional Merchandise
• Experiential and Event
• Handling and Fulfilment
• Staffing
• Direct Marketing
• Loyalty
• Prize, Incentive and Reward
• Innovation
• Multi Territory

In addition to the industry and sector categories, there are three special awards:

• The IPM COGS Awards Service Agency of the Year
• The IPM COGS Awards Breakthrough Company of the Year
• The Grand Prix

Information on the criteria for each category and how the special awards are selected can be found on the IPM website. Alternatively, download the IPM COGS Awards 2018 Handbook which also includes details of how to enter, timings and costs.

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Kettle Chips has launched an ‘Upgrade your lunch’ on pack promotion on its full single serve and multi-pack ranges offering consumers the chance to win the lunch upgrade of a lifetime with a trip to Hollywood – plus every purchaser can also rent a digital film in full HD from Chili Cinema for just £1.

Consumers just need to go online and enter the promotional code printed on each pack to receive their Chili film code and enter the Hollywood Trip prize draw.

The prize will enable one lucky winner and their guest to experience the life of a Hollywood ‘A’ lister, including a poolside lunch at a top Beverley Hills hotel. During their stay in Los Angeles, the winners will also receive a behind the scenes VIP tour at Universal Studios and a helicopter ride over Tinseltown. The prize package includes return flights from the UK or Ireland and five nights’ accommodation in a 5 Star hotel.

The promotion started at the beginning of March, with the prize draw for the holiday prize close at midnight on July 31^st 2018. The Chili Cinema film rental for £1 offer closes at midnight on December 31^st 2018.

To enter, consumers have to visit the promotional website, www.kettleupgrade.co.uk and enter the promotional code printed on the 40g pack or on the outer bag from multipacks, along with their personal details. They will then be automatically entered into the prize draw for the Hollywood trip and will receive a discount code to enable them to participate in the film rental for £1 offer.

The Chili film code allows consumers to select from thousands of movies and TV series, including new releases only a few weeks after their cinema release, available to stream on a Smart TV, PC, tablet or smartphone without subscription charges.

The promotion is open to all residents of the UK, Isle of Man, Channel Islands and Republic of Ireland aged 18 and over, with the usual exclusions. Only one entry per person is allowed during the promotion. There are No Purchase Necessary entry routes available for consumers living in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland – they can access a separate webpage via a link on the main promotional website, and they will be automatically entered into the Prize Draw.

The on pack will be supported by trade advertising and a full range of POS from dump bins and shelf edge strips for retailers, to bus stops and pallet wraps for Cash & Carry depots and branded beer mats for the on-trade. To amplify the promotion even further a programme of consumer facing activity is planned for the spring, including social media and PR.

In store from the middle of March to the end of June, the promotion will run on a total of 17 million bags across the entire Kettle Chips 40g range, including Price Marked packs, and the four Kettle Chips Multi-packs.

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Applewood Smoked Cheddar is running an on-pack promotion in partnership with new British romantic comedy film, Finding Your Feet, offering a prize of flights for two to Rome, two nights’ accommodation plus sightseeing and a meal at a top restaurant.

Finding Your Feet stars Imelda Staunton as ‘Lady’ Sandra Abbott, a middle class, judgmental snob on the verge of retirement who discovers that her husband of 40 years is having an affair with her best friend. Devastated, she moves in with her estranged bohemian older sister, Bif, played by Celia Imrie, who lives on an impoverished inner-city council estate. Bif forces her to re-engage with life, taking her to a community dance class to meet her friends, played by Timothy Spall, Joanna Lumley, and David Hayman. Staunton and Spall take a trip to Rome in the film. The film opens in the UK on February 23^rd, 2018.

The Applewood Smoked Cheddar promotion started at the beginning of February and runs until the end of March 2018. There will be a draw on April 1st. Entrants must be UK residents aged 18 or over, excluding anyone who works for brand owner Norseland or professionally connected to the running of the promotion.

Entry is via the brand website, www.applewoodwin.co.uk, and the winner will be chosen at random. Multiple entries are allowed, but shoppers must buy an Applewood promotional pack every time they enter. Promotional packs and till receipts must be retained.

Applewood is a blended English cheese made by the Ilchester Cheese Company, which is a subsidiary of Norseland Ltd, based in Ilchester, Somerset. Norseland is owned by Norwegian dairy co-operative, Tine SA. Brands distributed in the UK include Applewood, Mexicana, Ilchester, Norwegian cheeses Jarlsberg, Snofrisk and Gudbrandsdalen, a range of Italian cheese under the Michelangelo name, and Marmite cheese (under license from Unilever).

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Dairy company Yeo Valley is running an on-pack promotion linked to the new Aardman film, Early Man, offering consumers the chance to win one of two Caveman breaks or one of 1,000 Early Man goodie bags.

The Caveman breaks star prizes consist of a two-night family break for two adults and two children, staying one night at a local country pub and one night in Yeo Valley with all meals included, a tour of Cheddar Caves, a ‘Foraging for food’ experience, tuition in building a primitive shelter, a fire-lighting skills workshop, a lesson in ancient food preparing and cooking techniques and a course in primitive tool making.

To enter, consumers need to buy a promotional pack of Yeo Valley yogurt, Little Yeos or milk and enter the 14 digit unique code found on the pack at earlyman.yeovalley.co.uk.

The promotion is only open to residents of the United Kingdom, Channel Islands and Isle of Man aged over 18 (excluding employees of Yeo Valley, their families and anyone associated with the promotion). Consumers can enter as often as they like, but each entry must be accompanied with a different URN and one person can only win a prize once.

The main competition is running until March 22nd 2018, with a final wrap-up draw (for some of the goody bags) on May 3rd. Prizes for the main draw are being allocated by ‘Winning Moments’, where times have been randomly selected in advance (down to the second) and the first person to enter after that time wins.

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Magic Light Pictures, which manages children’s brand The Gruffalo, has appointed entertainment marketing specialists Brand & Deliver to secure UK brand partnerships.

Independent production company and Intellectual Property owner Magic Light Pictures is a BAFTA-winning and Oscar-nominated creator of family entertainment and brands, managing production, distribution, licensing and marketing from its London headquarters. It works with The Gruffalo creators Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler to manage their portfolio of children’s brands, which also includes The Gruffalo’s Child, Zog, Room on the Broom, Stick Man and The Highway Rat.

B&D has been tasked with using its data-driven approach to sourcing and activating commercial partners across its brand portfolio. It will build on the reputation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s characters and use its expertise in entertainment partnerships to help bring them to a new range of fans, driving awareness and revenue along with helping stimulate children’s imaginations across the UK.

Aidan Taylor-Gooby, Licensing Manager at Magic Light Pictures, says: “We want to bring our IPs to a wider audience by partnering with leading brands that share our passion for creativity, especially in run up to 2019 when we are celebrating 20 years of The Gruffalo.”

Ros Carmoody, Partnerships Director at Brand & Deliver, comments: “We’re really excited to develop partnerships with Magic Light Pictures’ beloved portfolio of characters. Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s picture books help foster creativity in children and we’re looking to create partnerships that stay true to this ideal.”

Brand & Deliver is a full service creative marketing agency delivering experiential, digital, film, design, partnerships/promotions and marketing to a range of organisations from blue chips to start ups. Current clients include Radeon Technologies Group, Rovio Global, Warner Brothers, LG, and Three.

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