Creative brand experience agency, N2O, has devised an immersive, multi-brand coronation activity in and around Tesco stores this spring.

The touring experience will bring people together to celebrate the momentous occasion of King Charles’ Coronation in true British style. Customers will experience a feast for a king, with a high tea spread featuring finger sandwiches, gin and tonics, British berries crowned with cream, cupcakes and biscuits. Plus, a gilded throne photo opportunity invites consumers to “Capture your Coronation” to memorialise this historical event.

Nigel Clifton, Head of Creative at N2O, said: “The challenge was to come up with in-store and out-of-store activations that were fit for a king to celebrate the coronation. Out of store, we have a street-style party with sampling and inspiration of all that is great at Tesco. And in-store, to carry on the theme, we’re enhancing product displays using our golden carriage and royal photo op throne – all while helping customers find inspiration for a celebration that’s fit for a king.”

The Tesco Coronation Treat Party will be travelling the UK until the 6th of May.

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This Christmas, Haygarth helped Vodafone bring their overarching platform #FeelTheConnect to all their stores including flagship across the country!

At a time where everyone is feeling the pinch, we wanted to create a retail campaign that was empowering, hopeful and positive. By focusing on the power of connection using Vodafone’s overarching #FeelTheConnection messaging for Christmas, we were able to offer hope for the future to shoppers and positively communicate that technology is a gift not just for today but for the future.

For the look and feel of the campaign, we wanted to allow people to feel joy through nostalgic and reassuring cues of traditional Christmas elements. Individual snowflakes overlapping to create the Vodafone speech mark represented the power of connection in bringing people together at Christmas time, powered by Vodafone. This was brought to life with eye-catching window displays, striking props and engaging Christmas themed POS

Our Vodafone Christmas 2022 retail campaign is now live across the UK and can be seen in all Vodafone stores including flagship.

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Mulberry is kicking off the festive season with the launch of #MulberryLights – a series of illuminating interactive experiences that celebrate how light, colour, shapes and people come together to create a modern British Christmas.

The series began this month in London with an immersive pop-up light installation, drinks and live music at 100 Regent Street. In a partnership with innovation consultancy, TheCurrent, Mulberry is inviting visitors to explore and share their lights-inspired images with #MulberryLights, which grants them instant access to the prizes from Mulberry’s in-store Gift Vending Machine. The smart vending machine ensures that everyone is a winner, with one lucky player wining the top prize of a £1000 gift card every day.

After London, #MulberryLights will continue with the festive vending machine travelling to Leeds from 22nd to 25th November; Manchester from 26th to 28th November and finally to Edinburgh from 29th to 2nd December.

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Packaging is a valuable media channel which brands should be using to communicate added-value messaging and promotions, argues Alastair Lockhart of Savvy

As retailers seek more ways to differentiate from each other, we have seen the leading grocers take more control of their store environments. POS is highly templated, and even promotional mechanics are often under the control of retailers. At the same time, in-store compliance too often remains a source of frustration.

For brands – many already under price pressure and the threat of range rationalisation – this has made it increasingly difficult to activate effectively in-store. Granted there are exceptions where brands do create massive impact in-store, but these are typically isolated and are usually backed by substantial budgets.

With this in mind, the onus is firmly on brands to make their own media and assets work as hard as possible and to take control of the shopper journey wherever they can. There is no question that the proliferation of digital touchpoints has created new opportunities, but marketers need to take time to re-evaluate the potential of more traditional activity, in particular on-pack promotions. Indeed, I believe that the potential of on-pack promotions has never been greater.

Providing an added value on-pack is one of the most effective ways of standing out and creating an emotional connection at the point of purchase amongst a sea of price promotion offers. From the shoppers’ perspective, over half (57%) of UK them claim they are more likely to buy a particular product if it offers an added value on-pack.

From the brand’s perspective, compliance is guaranteed, brand equity creation can be placed at the centre of the campaign strategy and, crucially, on-packs create a direct relationship with the shopper and the consumer.

A skilfully crafted on-pack also has substantial potential to drive category sales and to engage shoppers at the point of purchase. And, with an insight-led customer overlay, the retailer wins too.

At its most basic level, product packaging is a brand’s primary interaction with shoppers in the store environment and can be used as a powerful means to communicate with shoppers. Consider the way that Mars has changed its brand flag to activate its sponsorship of the FA and its sister brand Snickers has altered its brand flag to reinforce its brand campaign and drive a link with the product’s target need state.

The best on-pack promotions do not sit in isolation but play an important role in a connected shopper journey.

Thanks to the application of technology, never has there been a better time for brands to make a stronger connection with consumers. On-pack campaigns can now extend beyond simple win and free gift with purchase mechanics. By using technology like Augmented Reality, brands can drive deeper engagement activating brand content on-pack and creating an on-going dialogue with consumers over a sustained period of time.

Use of digital touchpoints to enhance an on-pack and manage the shopper/consumer journey also provides a means to collect data, and subsequently measurement and valuable engagement insights.

Despite the potential of connected shopper campaigns that link on-pack promotions with digital touchpoints, it is rare that we see really good examples of this type of activity landing. In part this is because of a lack of true strategic planning by agencies, but in larger part it is a result of the way FMCG businesses are structured. Brand teams look after the brand, shopper teams look after shopper marketing and digital teams look after social channels. All too often, the communication between these teams is poor, or worse non-existent.

More and more shoppers expect a seamless, joined up journey – brands and agencies need to work more closely to make sure that experience is delivered.

Alastair Lockhart is Insight Director at creative, digital and retail marketing agency Savvy. Savvy is focused on shopper, retail and brand insight and has won multiple awards for its work. Clients include AB InBev, Mars, adidas, Pernod Ricard, Britvic and many other household names.

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Lucozade Energy is delivering its biggest ever sampling activity across the UK this year as part of its wide-reaching Energy Beats Everything campaign. The brand’s extensive sampling will see seven million ice-cold orange 150ml cans being circulated during this campaign will drive sales of Lucozade Energy by getting the drink into the hands of consumers.

The brand is also handing out vouchers as part of the sampling campaign, giving consumers 50p coupons to be redeemed against any Lucozade Energy or Lucozade Zero SKU.

Sampling for the UK’s number one energy drink will be activated nationwide, in high footfall cities and the surrounding areas throughout England, Scotland and Wales. The brand is spending a total of £28m on the Energy Beats Everything campaign, which will also include nationwide TV, outdoor and digital activity, alongside in-store marketing.

Bridget Hirst, Brand Manager at Lucozade Ribena Suntory, says: “In the past, our extensive sampling campaigns have proven to drive a 9% sales uplift on Lucozade Energy.”

Lucozade Ribena Suntory is one of the leading soft drinks businesses in the UK and Ireland. LRS was formed in 2014 and is part of Suntory Beverage & Food Europe. Its soft drinks brands include Lucozade Energy, Lucozade Sport, Fitwater, Ribena, Orangina and True Nopal cactus water.

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pladis-owned snacks brand McVitie’s is running an interactive experience to back its ‘Sweeter Together’ Masterbrand advertising and marketing campaign. In keeping with the TV ad, featuring a crane driver, the Sweeter Together Challenge requires two consumers to work together to operate a model crane to grab a giant McVitie’s ‘prize’ Nibble, to instantly win prizes that are ‘sweeter when enjoyed together’.

pladis has appointed promotional marketing agency whynot! think people to deliver the interactive challenge, which will be appearing at Westfield Stratford City between until April 23rd April. It then moves to the Manchester Arndale Centre between April 25th and May 1st before finishing at the Cardiff St. David’s mall from May 4th to 7th. It will also be appearing at key London railway stations, including Waterloo, Paddington, Victoria and Euston.

The activity, which will also see the distribution of 800,000 samples of the  Nibbles product, is part of the re-launch of the McVitie’s brand, which is being backed with a £12m multi-media Masterbrand campaign, exploring the importance of real human connections and showing how the simple act of sharing a biscuit has the power to bring people together. It launched in mid March with the 60-second animated TV ad, titled ‘Crane’, showing a tower crane operator going about his work dozens of metres above the ground. Below him, he sees his colleagues enjoying the camaraderie of a tea break, complete with McVitie’s biscuits. He waves but is not seen.

As the day wears on, the operator becomes gloomy, craving some company – even if it’s only from passing birds. When he is convinced that everyone’s forgotten about him he gets a surprise: the latest steel beam he lifts has been loaded with a cup of tea and some McVitie’s biscuits. He looks down and sees his colleagues waving and smiling at him and his mood instantly lifts. The ad ends with a simple message: “Sometimes the little things are actually the really big things”.

A second TV ad will air later this year. Social and in-store activity also features as part of the integrated campaign.

Sarah Heynen, Marketing Vice President, pladis UK & Ireland, says: “whynot! think people have done an incredible job of bringing both the fun sharing attributes of Nibbles, and our Sweeter Together campaign, to life.  The challenge element physically executes our new brand purpose – enabling everyday moments of real human connections. We are confident that this brand experience will tap into our consumers’ love for our brands as well as supporting our efforts to drive penetration and repeat purchase of our Nibbles range.”

David Ryan, Creative Director, whynot! think people, adds: “Our Nibble twist on the iconic crane game is the perfect fit for a legendary brand such as McVitie’s. The Sweeter Together Challenge brings to life the new brand purpose, not only visually but by bringing people together to enjoy moments of sharing, the sweet spot for Nibbles.”

The Sweeter Together Challenges will be filmed and edited, with content featuring on outward facing TV screens at the events, as well as being used as part of a social media campaign to amplify the activation, extending campaign reach and driving footfall to future events.

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pladis-owned snacks brand McVitie’s has launched a brand-new Masterbrand campaign, ‘Sweeter Together’. The campaign explores the importance of real human connections and shows how the simple act of sharing a biscuit has the power to bring people together.

The £9.7m campaign launches with a TV ad campaign bringing to life the significant role the humble biscuit plays in everyday lives. A second ad will air later this year. Social and in-store activity will also feature as part of this integrated campaign.

As part of the launch, a major in-store promotion will be running across all McVitie’s Biscuits. Consumers will have the opportunity to win prizes including dream family holidays, weekend breaks and family days out. To enter, shoppers must buy any packet of McVitie’s biscuits and text ‘SWEETERTOGETHER’ to 66644 to find out if they have won.

The 60-second animated TV ad, titled ‘Crane’, shows a tower crane operator going about his work dozens of metres above the ground. Below him, he can see his colleagues enjoying the camaraderie of a tea break, complete with McVitie’s biscuits. He waves but is not seen.

As the day wears on, the operator becomes gloomy, craving some company – even if it’s only from passing birds. When he is convinced that everyone’s forgotten about him he gets a surprise: the latest steel beam he lifts has been loaded with a cup of tea and some McVitie’s biscuits. He looks down and sees his colleagues waving and smiling at him and his mood instantly lifts.

The ad ends with a simple message: “Sometimes the little things are actually the really big things”.

Sarah Heynen, Vice President of Marketing at pladis UK & Ireland, the global snacking company behind McVitie’s, said: “We know that despite being more connected than ever before digitally, we’re drifting further away from those real human connections that can mean the most. That’s why we’re so excited about our new ‘Sweeter Together’ campaign; because it has a very real message about the importance of togetherness. And we truly believe McVitie’s enables these moments every day.”

A second TV ad, ‘Brows’, will air later this year as part of the Sweeter Together campaign, telling the tale of a woman feeling nervous during her first day in a new job. Her sense of isolation disappears, however, when a new colleague breaks the ice with a joke and a packet of McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes is shared around.

The campaign has also been extended to convenience retailers, offering them a chance to win £1000. Retailers must first request a ‘Win Big Together’ POS kit from betterbiscuits@pladisglobal.com. They must then build a high-impact display that makes buying easy for shoppers and send images of the display back with a chance to win. In wholesale depots, the campaign will be executed through high impact displays and point of sale driven by the Field Sales team at pladis.

Pladis was established in January 2016 after Turkish conglomerate Yıldız Holding merged food companies United Biscuits, Ulker, Godiva Chocolatier and DeMet’s Candy Company into one global business. pladis is now one of the world’s leading snacking companies with brands including McVitie’s, Ulker and Godiva Chocolatier. pladis delights consumers with products across the snacking category including sweet and savoury biscuits, wafer, cake, chocolate, gum and candy. pladis has a 26,000-strong global workforce in 34 factories in 13 countries, with annual revenues of £2.2 billion.

The company has already delivered a series of successful product innovations in the biscuit and chocolate categories since the group was created, which include Godiva for retail, McVitie’s Nibbles and McVitie’s Chocolate Digestive Thins – products which have fast become firm favourites in pladis’ anchor markets.

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Princes has launched an integrated marketing campaign, ‘So Good. So Simple’, to support its canned fish and fruit product ranges.

Reaching at least 8.4 million consumers, the initiative will involve a partnership with some of the UK’s largest radio stations, social and digital media, in-store sampling, coupons, a new website with improved user experience and the renewal of the brand’s successful partnership with celebrity dietician Lucy Jones.

The activity has been driven by consumer research and trends showing that shoppers are looking for tasty, easy and nutritious meals. It demonstrates how Princes meets those needs while encouraging them to increase their repertoire of dishes made with canned fish and fruit.

Neil Brownbill, Marketing Director for Princes Limited, says: “We have put an integrated marketing strategy in place to ensure we reach families through engaging content via channels that they most actively consume.”

The campaign will promote Princes Tuna Chunks in Springwater and its range of Tuna Fillers as simple, tasty toppings for jacket potatoes, alongside Princes Mackerel and rice as a quick protein and Omega 3-rich meal solution for busy lives.

Consumers will also be encouraged to try Princes Peaches, Mandarins and Mango with Juice – which are packed from fresh and contribute to one of your recommended five-a-day – as a convenient breakfast with yoghurt.

Brownbill adds: “We are confident that this campaign will provide a valuable boost for the brand and wider category.”

The campaign launched at the end of September and runs until March 2018, the activity builds on the success of the brand’s 2016 marketing initiatives which contributed to increased value sales of more than 12% on the featured lines across Princes Fish and Fruit products.

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Helen Braybrook, staffing director at experiential agency Closer, provides some timely advice for brands seeking to connect with Christmas shoppers

It’s that time of year again, the critical months before the festive season hits, and with some 53% of shoppers making final decisions on what to buy in-store, brands would do well to build in-store demonstrations into their Christmas marketing mix.

In-store demonstrations are often an underused tactic in the retail space, and while it’s the big brands that might be driving customers through the retailers’ doors, a smart team of brand ambassadors can easily divert the shopper to an alternative brand.

Smaller challenger brands without the marketing budgets of category leaders, for example, can use in-store demonstrations as a way to boost brand awareness and increase sales over the busy Christmas period.

It’s a simple, yet effective way to cut down the decision-making process and grab a sale at the finishing line; but many brands forget some of the fundamental rules that need to be considered before holding an in-store demo.

Here are the five in-store demo tips that will help you make the most of your activity as shoppers take to the high streets.

Know your audience

Understanding the needs of your audience before holding an in-store demo is pivotal to the success of the activity. By piecing together a comprehensive picture of your customer, you can equip yourself with the information you need to understand their purchasing habits, motivations and needs. This allows you to tailor your activity and deliver a demo that will engage the key decision maker in a targeted way.

Know your product inside-out

All of your competitors will be out in force over the Christmas period, so it is crucial that your staff know the product inside-out and are able to deliver a compelling pitch to consumers. This is especially important for big ticket purchases. They need to be prepared to answer any detailed, technical or challenging questions that may come their way. Consumers will only give you so much of their time, and if your team lacks the know-how, they could potentially lose sales.

Use data to plan and stage your activity

The intelligent use of data can help suggest the best times and most relevant locations to stage and implement your demonstration. Brands need to do their homework and ensure they invest in the right areas before thinking about the intricacies of the campaign. By applying re-targeting models and clustering techniques, a brand can find areas outside the oversaturated hot spots and reach new audiences with the best sales uplift potential.

Understand the challenges of your competitors

Before you map out your in-store demo, make sure you understand the challenges faced by other brands operating in the space. This can help you identify a USP that you may have previously neglected. Communicating this benefit to the customer then needs to become a core focus. Only then will you be able to successfully differentiate your brand from your competitors.

Hire the best available talent

Creating a relevant experience that people want to engage with comes down to hiring people who know how to connect. The staff selection process is therefore vitally important for brands looking to hold an in-store demo. Demonstrators need to be engaging, knowledgeable and, above all, professional. They are the human face to your brand, so they need to be fully briefed on your company values, brand culture and the product they are promoting. In-depth training and incentivising staff plays a huge part in ensuring results are achieved. Demonstrators should know how to involve a customer in the activity and never be seen standing still. They need to be confident enough to engage directly with shoppers and tell them why your product is the product for them.

Helen Braybrook is Staffing Director at specialist experiential agency Closer

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Beans brand Branston has announced the return of its two-for-one ticket deal with Merlin Entertainments for the second year running, offering tickets to 13 Merlin attractions including Thorpe Park Resort and Sea Life Centres.

The “2 for 1 Tickets” campaign, which will be in store until August on multi-packs and single cans, “aims to extend the target audience for the brand while resonating with families in a fun and engaging way”, according to Branston.

The on pack promotion will also be supported by wider activity including PR and in-store activation, including specific retailer giveaways.

Dean Towey, marketing director for Branston, said: “The partnership aims to provide a point of difference and encourage product trial among a wider target audience. We were thrilled by the success of last year’s partnership and are pleased to be able to offer a benefit which truly resonates with families.”

Katie Chapman, Brand Manager, Thorpe Park Resort, comments: “We are looking forward to developing a partnership with Branston Baked Beans for a second consecutive year. The brand is very much aligned with our own core values and we feel the promotion is a great opportunity to reach out to families during the summer season”.

To claim tickets, consumers have to buy a promotional pack and take the label to the attraction of their choice, or they can claim their passes online using the entry code featured on the label. Consumers have until November 1 2017 to claim tickets at Thorpe Park and until December 31 for Sea Life centres. Restrictions and exclusion dates apply.

The Branston brand is owned by Mizkan Europe Ltd, which usues it for pickles and sauces. Branston Baked Beans are made under licence by Princes Foods.

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