Promotional marketing agency Cat Among The Pigeons has announced the launch of a major on-pack promotional campaign for Soreen, the UK’s original malt loaf.

‘Find a golden lunchbox loaf’ launches nationally from the start of May and offers the chance to instantly win a Forest Holiday if you find 1 of 10 golden-wrapped loaves hidden inside special Soreen Lunchbox Loaf multipacks.

Soreen has long been associated with active adventures and the Forest Holidays prizes offer an action-packed escape to a choice of 12 fabulous forest locations. As well as a stay in a log cabin with hot tub, the prizes include bike hire and a Forest Ranger experience to help families make the most of the great British outdoors.

Cat Among The Pigeons created the campaign and negotiated the brand partnership with Forest Holidays. Every special Soreen Lunchbox Loaf pack also features a ‘£60 off’ Forest Holidays booking reward and there is another chance to win a Forest Holiday at www.soreenforestholidays.co.uk.

The on-pack promotion runs until the end of August in all major supermarkets and convenience stores across Malt, Banana, Apple and Strawberry Soreen Lunchbox Loaf multipacks. The promotion will be comprehensively supported by shopper marketing, display and point of sale media.

Liz Jacobs, Marketing Director at Soreen said: “Forest Holidays really is a fabulous partnership fit for us with both brands championing active adventures for all the family in the great outdoors.”

Paul McGann, founder of Cat Among The Pigeons added “we know shoppers are searching for better value and this new on-pack promotion for Soreen Lunchbox Loaves really delivers. We’re confident families across the UK will enjoy the hunt for a golden loaf this summer and can benefit from a guaranteed £60 off Forest Holidays with every promotional pack.”

The post Cat Among The Pigeons creates a lunchbox winner for Soreen appeared first on IPM Bitesize.

As the Premier League has come to a dramatic close, Cadbury kicked-off its second end-of-season promotion, offering fans the opportunity to jet off on a summer getaway!

The ‘You’re off’ campaign created by BD Network, saw the notorious ‘red card’ in football given a ‘Cadbury twist’, offering consumers the chance to be sent off with a gold card – on a Cadbury FC holiday with a Premier League experience. There are five holidays up for grabs including a trip to Australia to watch Man United play Perth Glory and to Singapore to see Tottenham Hotspur play in their pre-season tour.

Shoppers will also be in with the chance of winning 50 pairs’ of Premier League tickets for the 2019/20 season alongside football-themed goodies including key-rings and drawstring bags.

The competition is supported by a £1m marketing spend, including investment in out-of-home, social media including Instagram and Facebook, radio and PR support.

Seana Fitzgerald, Cadbury Brand Manager at Mondelez International, said: “We were looking for a campaign that leveraged the Premier League sponsorship to drive success and consumer engagement. BD Network have embraced this vision, while maintaining the essence of our brand, triggering excitement and enhancing the fan experience.”

Lara Mitchinson, Account Director at BD Network, said:“Our aim was to create a Premier League campaign that excited football fans, as well as appealing to a wider audience who would still be engaged with the prize offering. Our creative is disruptive in a playful manner, ensuring Cadbury has strong visibility’

To enter, Cadbury consumers simply need to visit the bespoke ‘You’re Off’ website at youreoff.cadburyfc.com and type in the barcode of the product that they have bought for the chance to win.

‘You’re off’ promotion will run from April 29th to June 7th across the Cadbury singles range.

The post Cadbury campaign to send fans off on a Premier League holiday appeared first on IPM Bitesize.

Etihad Holidays has launched a new website that’s powered by a smart algorithm, to offer holiday bookers the best packages at the best prices, guaranteed. To promote it, the MullenLowe Open team in Abu Dhabi have built a sci-fi, steampunk style machine that will be at London’s Paddington station on January 22nd and 23rd, 2019.

Commuters will be invited to experience the great destinations Etihad Holidays can take them to, plus see how much they can save if they book with Etihad Holidays. During the activation, Etihad Holidays will be giving away prizes to every single person who comes and interacts with the Holiday Machine – from 5% off their first booking, to free holidays to Abu Dhabi.

This activation is the launch of a fully integrated campaign going live internationally throughout Q1. The campaign will include digital, press, social, content, CRM, sponsorship events, and activation.

Louise Roberts, managing director at MullenLowe Open, Abu Dhabi said: “We are thrilled to be working on such an exciting launch, and look forward to using our challenger thinking and creativity to develop the Etihad Holiday’s brand internationally.”

Ryan Dunlap, head of customer engagement at Etihad said: “We know that customers are looking for clear and cost-effective solutions when booking packages for their holidays. In an effort to embody our new Choose Well brand positioning, we’ve recently launched a new Etihad Holiday platform that now gives customers the opportunity to choose the best holiday packages at the best prices.”

“That’s why we are excited to see the Etihad Holiday Machine campaign going live as the embodiment of the ideals we strive to achieve, helping all of our customers make the right choices for their travel needs with Etihad.”

The post Etihad builds steampunk ‘Holiday Machine’ activation appeared first on IPM Bitesize.

Virgin Holidays has once more revolutionised its retail experience by opening the first-ever travel agent to feature an operational spa. The brand new store in Milton Keynes offers customers a totally immersive holiday booking experience.

Spas are already a staple in many Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses around the world, but this is the first time the concept has been available in a v-room store.  Now, customers will be able to enjoy a relaxing manicure or hand massage, as they peruse an extensive collection of holiday options – courtesy of experts trained by the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse.

The Milton Keynes v-room is designed in the style of a luxurious airport lounge to provide a relaxing environment for customers.  As well as the spa, unique features include a virtual reality rollercoaster, a complimentary bar serving bubbles, a children’s play area and a selection of Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class and Premium Economy seats to enable customers to “try before they fly.”

Lee Haslett, VP of Sales and Product at Virgin Holidays, commented: “We’ve been revolutionising the way our customers book their holidays for several years and our latest v-room in Milton Keynes is the next step on that journey.  We know that our customers are looking for something extra than just a standard holiday and our v-rooms are the first step on that journey – whether that’s the instore bar, children’s play area or rollercoaster simulation.  I’m excited that we’re able to bring our v-room concept to Milton Keynes and I can’t wait to see what our customers think of our first ever in-house spa.”

Mark Morton, Milton Keynes Store Manager, added:  “Whether it’s a beach holiday in Antigua, a cultural excursion in Havana, a throw of the dice in Las Vegas or the family holiday of a lifetime in Orlando – we’ve got a tonne of brilliant long-holiday deals for Milton Keynes residents.  The entire store concept is relaxed and informal; we want people to feel as if they’re chatting to a friend over a glass of Prosecco.  If you want to explore holiday options in a welcoming environment you can’t go past this world-first concept.”

In total Virgin Holidays now have thirteen v-room high street stores across the UK, as well as a number of recently opened concession stores in retail giant Next.

Key features of the new Milton Keynes v-room:

• A spa area, allowing customers to enjoy a manicure as they peruse holiday options
• A complimentary bar serving soft drinks, Prosecco and snacks
• A children’s’ play area with interactive screens
• A selection of Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class and Premium Economy plane seats to enable customers to try before they fly
• A unique virtual reality rollercoaster experience – taking customers to Las Vegas and back, via space
• Five kiosks with relaxed seating for families to consult with Virgin Holidays’ expert travel consultants

The store is the biggest Virgin Holidays has launched to date – spanning an impressive 1,700 square foot – and was designed by YourStudio and project managed by Resolution Interiors.

The innovative v-room design has recently won a “Gold” award at the 2018 London Design Awards for openings in Cardiff and Norwich, and the Milton Keynes store is the third opening under the new v-room design principles.

The post Virgin Holidays creates spa, VR rollercoaster and bar in new experience store appeared first on IPM Bitesize.

Naked Noodle, the leading authentic snack pot brand has joined forces with IPM Members, lastminute.com and Brass agency, to create its biggest ever promotional campaign.

Shoppers can banish those winter blues with the chance to win extraordinary Far East holidays to Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam or a range of stylish travel merchandise. Plus every promotional pack unlocks a £30 off lastminute.com holiday voucher offering added value for all.

The Symington’s Naked brand has experienced phenomenal growth of +30% over the last 12 months and now wants its first on-pack promotion to standout on shelf and attract even more young adult shoppers to impulse buy, further boosting household penetration and sales.

The Escape the Ordinary campaign cleverly uses an instant reveal mechanic, with 205 winning tickets randomly inserted inside promotional pots. Lift the lid and find a ticket and you could win 1 of 5 trips to Asia worth £7,000 or other travel and tech prizes such as a GoPro cameras or noise cancelling wireless headphones.

Mike Benton, Head of Snacking at Symington’s comments “Escape the Ordinary is a campaign heavily influenced by insight targeting the busy lifestyles of Gen Y. We think the prizes will have huge appeal to a generation that lives life to the full, managing hectic social lives from their mobiles but with a real taste for adventure and experience.”

The on-pack promotion goes live from 18 January 2019 in supermarkets and C-stores nationally, supported by a comprehensive shopper advertising and display campaign that also includes social media and PR.

The post Naked Noodle and lastminute.com launch new holiday on-pack appeared first on IPM Bitesize.

Nestlé’s iconic KitKat is starting 2019 with a new on-pack promotion giving lucky consumers in the UK and Ireland the chance to win an amazing holiday break to one of ten warm, exotic destinations such as Barbados, Cuba, Miami and Thailand.

Each holiday prize, worth up to £8,000, is available to be won instantly by purchasing a promotional pack of KitKat and finding a Lucky Winning Bar and winning ticket inside. The special winning chocolate bar will feature the name of the dream holiday destination written on it in white chocolate, providing a fun and exciting way for consumers to discover their prize.

What’s more, there are 100 getaway goodies to be won every day during the promotional period with prizes including KitKat branded passport covers, sun visors, beach towels, luggage tags and more. The getaway goodies can be won by entering online the unique promotional code found inside packs to discover instantly if they are a winner.

Sascha Macchi, KitKat Brand Manager, Nestlé UK said: “We are very excited to launch this new fun promotion. January can seem a bit of a bleak month, with many of us getting tired of the cold winter weather, the dark nights and short days. Therefore, the chance to win amazing holidays to warm, exotic destinations such as Miami, Cuba, Thailand and Barbados is certain to be hugely appealing.”

Promotional packs including KitKat 4 Finger, KitKat Chunky, KitKat 2 Finger and KitKat Bites are available across the UK and Ireland from this week (7^th January 2019).

The KitKat’s ‘Make a Break For It’ promotion will be supported by a new media campaign from 4^th February.  In addition, a new KitKat TV advertising will launch on 21^st January with a specific ‘Make A Break for It’ tag featuring across February.

The post KitKat gives consumers the chance to win dream getaways appeared first on IPM Bitesize.

In a cruise industry first, P&O Cruises has launched an augmented reality campaign to promote its latest new ship, Iona, and bring to life its onboard experiences in interactive 3D.

The initial 3D renders for Iona were produced by content agency Sunday from which the augmented reality experiences were crafted by creative agency Founded. With technology delivered by  augmented reality pioneer, Blippar, this new campaign has been created to allow travel agents and consumers to experience Iona 18 months prior to the completion of the ship.

Almost 300,000 pieces of direct mail have been sent to travel agents and past guests with details of how to download the Blippar app, which will provide them with the ability to experience Iona in augmented reality. Once the Blippar app is opened and a phone is held over the image of Iona, the ship will burst into life and may be explored from bow to stern. Included in the AR are images of the SkyDome, the vast glass domed entertainment and relaxation area on the top deck, cabins and the Grand Atrium. As more Iona images and designs become available, new augmented reality experiences will be added. Anyone ‘blipping’ the ship before November 1 will have a chance to win a one-week cruise on Iona.

Christopher Edgington, P&O Cruises VP Marketing, said: “Iona’s scale and breadth of experiences will offer holidays like never before and this demands marketing like never before. With Iona going on sale two years before its launch, we realised that we needed to create new and innovative ways to reach and engage both existing and potential guests. The obvious solution to this was our first ever augmented reality campaign.”

Edgington continued: “A week after launch we have beaten our targets for number of blips and dwell time which proves that interactive marketing and the ability to get a much more intimate and inspiring view of the ship is a hit with our guests.”

The post P&O Cruises launches the cruise industry’s first augmented reality experience appeared first on IPM Bitesize.

Travel can help engage consumers by putting unusual and unexpected incentives at the heart of marketing campaigns, says Amy Nield, Head of Prize at Sodexo

The world’s a crowded place, isn’t it?

Think about it. What was your last trip really like? What really stood out for you? It may have been the giant cruise ship that suddenly sailed into town, emptying its hold of minions armed with selfie sticks, cluttering up cafés and restaurants in their wake.

It may have been the daily fight for a sunbed by the pool.

Or it may have been a seemingly endless traffic jam to nowhere. Too much? Well, it seems UK holidaymakers are putting busy touristy destinations behind them and looking closer to home for more bespoke travel experiences. And they’ve got one thing in common: they want a great experience.

We’ve just published a report –  our ‘2018 Sodexo UK Exploring Travel’ e-book – which reveals that promotional marketing expectations are at an all-time high and the competition for consumer attention is fiercer than ever before. It’s up to marketers to deliver on these expectations to create maximum stand out.

If you put experiences at the heart of your campaign, you can engage consumers and truly take your brand places.

In fact, ‘experience’ is driving customer engagement in brand marketing like never before. For this reason, travel promotions can give marketers the edge they need to help their offering stand out in an increasingly noisy and saturated world. But they need to be unique and they need to be immersive.

So how can you beat the crowds and take your consumers on a brand journey they’re unlikely to forget in a hurry?

Unexpected experiences a marketing necessity

According to the British Tourism and Travel Show, not only do “33% of consumers put ‘exploring new places’ as their main motivator for travelling,” but “93% of Destination Marketing Officers consider experiences ‘important’ or ‘vital’ to consumer decisions.”

It’s not enough for UK travellers to want to go to see a new city. They want to book an experience to shout about while they’re there, too.

For marketers who wish to influence behaviour change, it means looking beyond the obvious. If you’re thinking about a standard giveaway that on paper seems reasonable enough, you need to look again.

It’s about doing something different, creating a promotion that reaches the right audience, at the right time, and stopping consumers in their tracks.

If you’re beginning to perspire with anticipation, please don’t fret.

An ‘unexpected’ travel prize incentive doesn’t have to break the bank. Long gone are the days when only a beautiful Caribbean beach would cut the billboard. Today’s holidaymakers are a more varied bunch.

Now it’s all about what you do, not where you do it.

The West Country – but not as you know it

Perhaps it’s down to the fact that many of us have long been accustomed to making the most of cheap no-frills air carriers, but domestic tourism is facing somewhat of a renaissance. ABTA is even reporting that UK demand is set to grow even more this year.

In fact, as Sodexo’s research reveals, “84% of people are considering, planning or have already taken a UK overnight break outside of their home county in 2018.”

Smart marketers can use this thinking to create an affordable and impactful promotional campaign that taps into our love of experiences and a desire to stay closer to home. So, where to next? Now that’s a question.

Our research reveals that while “London may be the number one UK destination for International visitors… it’s the South West of England that ranks highest for domestic tourists (Barclays).” Ah, we can almost smell the pasties.

The off-season is now the on-season, promising quieter towns, villages and roads, along with a less stressful experience for those seeking to get away from it all.

So-called summer destinations such as St Ives boasts indoor cultural treats such as The Tate St Ives; Penzance offers the all year round wild cookery school ‘Fat Hen’ and vibrant arts city Falmouth offers fantastic festivals every month of the year.

UK consumers may love the West Country, but if you can tie your travel prize incentives into latest trends coming from that part of the world, you’ll turn heads more than, say, offering a singular surfing trip in Newquay might do.

And on that note, is now a good time to mention targeting? Think about who you want to impress and you’ll find there’s a whole world of possibilities available.

All about the bragging rights

Whatever it is, it seems consumers are looking for something a bit different. They’re looking at new destinations, perhaps to beat the crowds and find their own way when it comes to holiday planning.

There’s big head-turning kudos for brands who actively engage consumers by helping them to boost those all-important bragging rights.

If you can create the feeling that your promotion is something new, something unheard of, you’ll do well to create maximum stand out.

Our report says ABTA nods to several major cultural anniversaries and events which are set to help cement the UK as the most popular destination [for Brits] overall for holidays in 2018:

• Bristol hosts the 40th anniversary of its world-famous Balloon Fiesta.
• Liverpool will mark 10 years since its successful bid to become European Capital of Culture.
• Several cities including Manchester, Oxford, London and Leeds have gallery take overs and other cultural events to mark the centenary of the Women’s Vote.

By building travel incentives in around events such as these, brands can find ways to tie their marketing ideas in via timely, eye-catching creative and thoughtful messaging.

Five go mad off the beaten track

Here are five more off-the-beaten-track UK travel ideas for weird, wacky and wonderful weekend breaks that may whet even the most seasoned traveller’s appetite and won’t burn the promotional budget – but don’t try them all at once, kids:

• Cheese Rolling in Gloucestershire

Who wouldn’t want to chase a rolling cheese wheel down a hill for a laugh? Well, maybe not all of us, but adrenaline junkies will love it. And for spectators, the event is guaranteed to be a memorable one. Just imagine the cheesy craic in the local taverns and inns afterwards.

• Oyster Festival in Whitstable

A foodie break to the seaside town of Whitstable is a mouth-watering delight. Throw in a quirky overnight stay in alternative accommodation such as the Fisherman’s Huts, and you’ve got a veritable feast for the senses.

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/whitstable/news/oyster-festival-dates-revealed-157394/

• The Highland Games, Braemar

If you can’t wait for Tokyo 2020, how about the UK’s answer to the Olympics instead? The Highland Games take place every summer – think kilts, cabers and ceilidhs. Add in a trip to a whisky distillery or see where all the action from James Bond’s Skyfall took place.

• The Night Carnival, Glastonbury

Somerset plays host to a wonderful and wacky night carnival every November. Like something out of a picture book, this type of event will seriously capture your audience’s imaginations. Attract customers with a night at nearby hot spot, Babington House, or a hotel and spa in beautiful Bath.

• The Green Man Festival, Brecon

Nothing says fun like a fabulous festival, but with so many out there, it’s important you align your brand with a high-quality, absorbing experience. The Green Man is Times’ columnist Caitlin Moran’s festival of choice and one that boasts something for everyone. Dial up the experience with a bell tent and hot tub and you’ll have instant promotional success.

The best incentive for social media marketing

We could go on. We won’t. The point is, if you take your brand promotion to the lesser known parts of well-loved locations, you’ll not only surprise and inspire your audience, but you’ll start some fantastic conversations – which hopefully will be shared on social media.

Travel incentives, such as an unusual, fun-filled weekend away, are perfect for social media, and your bespoke travel prize draw could be the perfect complement to fast-moving promotional platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest.

Ultimately, wherever you decide to take your consumer campaigns, the ‘experience economy’ is where it’s at. Take it out of the mundane and into the wild, unexpected, authentic and unusual, and you’ll entice customers by the bucket and spadeful.

After all, it’s the road less travelled that’s leading to travel promotion gold. Keep that front of mind and you’ll soon be creating customer engagement that’s well and truly worth the ride.

Amy Nield, Head of Prize at Sodexo. Part of Sodexo Employee and Consumer Engagement, Sodexo’s Neon solutions drive consumers to your brand – and keep them coming back. As consumer engagement specialists, we know how to influence behaviour. From building brand awareness to driving consumer loyalty, our unique mix of expertise means we can transform the way people interact with your brand.

The ‘2018 Sodexo UK Exploring Travel’ report can be downloaded for free from the Sodexo site.

The post Why the road less travelled is best for your next travel incentive appeared first on IPM Bitesize.

Foster’s is giving consumers the chance to win a unique trip to “the thirstiest place on earth” – Ayers Rock, Australia – in an on-pack summer promotion in partnership with music and discovery app, Shazam.

Running until August 31st, the on-pack prize draw means Foster’s fans who buy a multipack and ‘Shazam a Can’ could win a variety of items including chill disks, chiller seats and slings, as well as well as the ultimate trip to “the thirstiest place on earth”.

Shoppers just have to scan the Shazam icon on the can with their mobile devices to enter the competition. They will be notified instantly if they have won one of the thousands of instant prizes.

The winner of the trip to Australia will be selected via a prize draw at the end of the campaign.

Foster’s says it is activating its “For the thirsty” platform throughout the summer months to drive penetration at a time when shoppers are looking for crisp, cool refreshment.

Toby Lancaster, Category and Shopper Marketing Director for Heineken, says: “With 52% of beer and cider value sales taking place over key seasonal periods, our on-pack promotion throughout the summer offers a great opportunity for retailers at a time when shoppers are looking for crisp, cool refreshment. Activating on-can means that we that we are able to cover a greater number of our SKUs, incentivising purchases and driving additional sales for retailers over the summer months. We are very much looking forward to revealing the lucky winner at the end of August.”

Foster’s on-pack promotion is available across 4 x 440ml, 10 x 440ml, 12 x 440ml and 18 x 440ml can pack formats and also Foster’s single 440ml and 568ml cans.

Heineken is the UK’s leading pub, cider and beer business. The company owns around 2,900 pubs as part of its Star Pubs & Bars business, and employs almost 2,200 people. Its portfolio of brands includes Foster’s, Heineken, Strongbow, Desperados, Kronenbourg1664, John Smith’s, Bulmers, Amstel, Birra Moretti and Old Mout, as well as a range of niche and speciality beers.

The post Foster’s encourages shoppers to ‘Shazam a Can’ to win Australia trip appeared first on IPM Bitesize.

Malt drink Supermalt is launching a carnival-themed on-pack prize promotion, offering consumers the chance to win one of three Caribbean holidays, with tickets to the Trinidad Carnival, or one of three European holidays, with tickets to the Rotterdam Carnival.

The limited-edition packs went on sale at the start of July and will be available until the end of September.

Each holiday prize includes two economy flights from the UK, accommodation in a four star hotel, transfers and spending money. There are also other prizes including official Supermalt t-shirts.

To enter, consumers have to enter 20 separate codes found on the inside of bottle caps onto the Supermalt website. They will then get a special Supermalt bottle opener and a chance to win the prizes.

Neil Lunn, trade marketing manager at Supermalt, said: “The celebrations, music and general festival themes resonate with our iconic brand and the launch of the on-pack promotion and wider site activation will help to drive this opportunity for operators. We have run summer promotions and competitions for a number of years, seeing a significant uptake particularly with the on-going ‘Live-up’ campaign. This year’s promotion is our biggest and best yet, as we are giving away some incredible prizes.”

Supermalt is non-alcoholic and caffeine free. The brand is owned by Danish drinks company Royal Unibrew, Scandinavia’s largest beverage exporter which has been specialising in the malt drink category for more than 140 years. Supermalt UK Ltd, Royal Unibrew’s UK subsidiary, markets and distributes the brand in the UK. Supermalt is extremely popular with the London Caribbean community.

The post Supermalt launches on-pack carnival holiday competition appeared first on IPM Bitesize.