McDonald’s has signed a deal with The Smiley Company, master licensee for the Rubik’s Cube, for the iconic 1980s puzzle toy to feature in McDonald’s Happy Meal offers in multiple countries.

In a deal brokered by global customer engagement agency The Marketing Store, which has worked closely with McDonald’s for many years, the multi-territory promotion will appear in McDonald’s restaurants across various European countries, the Middle East, Africa and North America.

The campaign launches in France this month (July 2018) and will then roll out across other territories from August through November 2018, including Italy, Spain, Austria, UAE and Canada, amongst many others.

It is not clear yet whether it will be running in the UK, where restrictions are in force on the use of toys and licensed characters to promote food and drink products. Promomarketing has asked McDonald’s for clarification on this point.

Unusually, the Happy Meal Box will be transformed from its traditional tented ‘house’ design into a Cube shape to mirror the Rubik’s Cube for the duration of the campaign.

Children enjoying a Happy Meal at participating McDonald’s will have a choice of four different bespoke Rubik’s Cube toys; including square 2×2 cubes and rectangular 3×2 cubes as well as rounded versions of these, with a total of 12 different toys to choose from.

The unique promotion will also feature a product mash-up between Rubik’s and a major Hollywood animation film studio’s properties appearing on the toys alongside the iconic Rubik’s Cube colours and trademark twist and turn mechanism.

Nicolas Loufrani, CEO at The Smiley Company, says: “We have worked closely with The Marketing Store and the whole team at McDonald’s and are really pleased with the innovative and high quality content of this campaign. From the robust mini Cubes and the unique Rubik’s Cube shaped Happy Meal box to the TV ads and bespoke games created for the Happy Studio app, every aspect of the promotion has been crafted to perfectly leverage the Rubik’s brand mission of encouraging children to PLAY SMART and further our goal of bringing intelligent play to kids of all ages.”

The Smiley Company will be leveraging the partnership with McDonald’s to drive the ongoing Rubik’s brand extension program and “to realise our plans to take the brand to new consumers, with particular emphasis on engaging the brand with children aged from 3-8 years old, as our brand mission continues to focus on creating new toy partnerships for this age group,” Loufrani adds.

To support the promotion’s launch in the markets where it will be appearing, there will be a 360° marketing campaign, supported by a TV advertising featuring the Happy Meal mascot ‘HAPPY’ playing with a Rubik’s Cube in a 26 and 13 second spots. There will also be series of ‘How to Solve’ short video tutorials launched on social channels to help kids solve the bespoke Happy Meal Rubik’s Cubes, and a McDonald’s Happy Studio app takeover.

Additional marketing materials will include in-store POS, branded balloons, colouring sheets, wall stickers and window decals which will help amplify the Rubik’s brand identity throughout the promotion.

The launch of the activation in France is being supported with an influencers’ campaign while other national markets will also see major marketing initiatives.

The Smiley Company is a brand licensing company which originated in France and which holds the intellectual property rights to the classic smiley face symbol face symbol in more than 100 countries (although not the United States, where the symbol originated).

In addition to the smiley symbol, it also holds licensing rights for Rubik’s Cube and related properties, and recently launched a major brand extension program for Rubik’s. This draws on Rubik’s iconicity, rich heritage and archive and the resurgence of retro gaming and geek culture, while utilising Smiley’s own industry leading design studio and world class distribution channels.

The company says global demand for Rubik’s is now at the highest levels since its launch in 1980 and a number of industry leading partners have already signed up across categories including apparel, back to school, gift, live events and attractions, partworks, promotions and publishing.

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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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Tough new rules banning ads and promotions for food and drinks high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) from appearing in children’s non-broadcast media come into effect on Saturday 1 July.

The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), the body which writes the CAP Code – the rules which marketers in the UK are required to follow, under the country’s highly-regarded self-regulatory system for advertising and marketing – has made the changes to bring the rules covering non-broadcast media (which include the vast majority of promotional campaigns) into line with the rules covering broadcast (TV and radio).

Laura Kelly, Regulatory Adviser at the Institute of Promotional Marketing (IPM), says: “The CAP Code changes affect the way we promote HFSS (high fat, salt or sugar) products to children and families. These changes are a result of industry-wide consultation and represent a significant shift in the way responsible promoters want to market their brands. Agencies need to understand the impacts on campaign planning and make sure they take into account the changes when considering campaigns around HFSS brands. We are ready to advise brands and agencies that plan to use promotional campaigns which are likely to be seen by large number of under-16s on how the rules affect them.”

The IPM is a stakeholder in CAP and is represented on the CAP Committee. It has been closely involved in the process of drafting the latest changes to the CAP Code.

The changes will apply to media targeted at under-16s and will mean a major reduction in the number of ads children see for HFSS products, according to CAP. Where media targets under-12s, then there are even stricter rules which must be followed.

The IPM’s Laura Kelly adds that the new rules are complex and promoters must make sure they understand them. She has written a blog post for the IPM’s website highlighting some of the main issues and also providing links to advice from CAP and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the body which investigates complaints about marketing in the UK, on the new rules.

Particular areas of concern exist around brands where more than half the products count as HFSS (which under the new rules mean even non-HFSS products are subject to the same restrictions) and on-pack and in-store promotions.

HFSS products can still use on-pack and in-store promotions, but any promotional activity must not then appear in broadcast or non-broadcast media advertising.

While the new rules impose new curbs on how HFSS products may be marketed to under-12s, they also relax the rules for products which can be classified as healthy.

So while ads and promotional marketing for HFSS products will not be allowed to use promotions, licensed characters and celebrities popular with children, marketers will now be able to use these techniques to better promote healthier options.

Carey Trevill, Managing Director of the IPM, is the organisation’s representative on the CAP Committee. She comments: “Government has rightly addressed the issue of obesity in this country, asking the marketing community to step up to the plate over the way we self-regulate. The consultation with the advertising and marketing community proactively set in motion the changes we see in the CAP Code now and address how we promote to children and their families. With both CAP and BCAP Members and the wider industry collaborating, consumers and shoppers will see a healthier approach to the way HFSS brands approach campaigns through the new rules.”

Trevill adds: “The industry and the IPM have been communicating this change for some months now and of course we want to ensure our Members are able to translate the new rules to their campaigns without encountering issues. We welcome the changes and look forward to seeing the resulting campaigns that embrace the new ways of working.”

The new rules were created following a full public consultation last year by CAP, and reflect restrictions already in place on TV. The new rules apply to children’s non-broadcast media (including print, posters, cinema, online and in social media). Crucially, ads for HFSS products will no longer be allowed to appear around TV-like content online, such as video-sharing platforms, if it is directed at children.
The new rules come in response to changing media habits amongst young people, with research showing that youngsters aged 5-15 are spending around 15 hours each week online – overtaking time spent watching a TV set. They also respond to wider concerns in society about the public health challenges surrounding childhood obesity and what part the advertising industry can play in helping to change our children’s relationship with less healthy foods.

In summary, the new rules state:

• Ads that directly or indirectly promote an HFSS product cannot appear in children’s media.
• Ads for HFSS products cannot appear in other media where children make up over 25% of the audience.
• If the content targets under-12s, ads for HFSS products will not be allowed to use promotions, licensed characters and celebrities popular with children; advertisers may now use those techniques to better promote healthier options.
• The Department of Health nutrient profiling model will be used to classify which products are HFSS.

CAP recognises the multiple and complex factors, beyond advertising, that can be instrumental in childhood obesity; including parental influence, sedentary lifestyles and education.  While the evidence shows that advertising has a modest effect on children’s food preferences, CAP believes the new ad restrictions will still have a positive impact in reducing harm to children.

Chairman of CAP, James Best said: “The tougher new advertising food rules are a significant and positive change designed to help protect the health and wellbeing of children. These measures demonstrate the advertising industry’s continuing commitment to putting the protection of children at the heart of its work. The new rules will alter the nature and balance of food advertising seen by children and play a meaningful part in helping change their relationship with less healthy foods.”

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Ros Carmoody has been promoted to Partnerships Director at creative marketing agency Brand & Deliver, and also joins the Executive Board.

In her new role, Carmoody will oversee all partnership accounts at Brand & Deliver including Sony Pictures International and all major UK Distributers, including Disney, Universal, Paramount and Warner Bros.

She has led multiple award-winning campaigns during her six years at the agency and is currently shortlisted for Screen International’s Brand Partnership of the Year 2016 for her Angry Birds and Peperami campaign.

Ben Gallop, CEO of B&D, says that Carmoody’s promotion is in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the launch and development of the partnerships business and her delivery of 25% year on year growth since 2010. “Ros’s promotion is a reflection of her hard work, commitment and can-do attitude from day one at B&D. She has led the partnerships business from strength to strength, delivering remarkable year on year growth and inspiring the rest of the team to reach their full potential. Our clients want Ros in charge of their account. They trust her 100% and feel totally reassured when she’s in control, as do I. This promotion is thoroughly deserved.”

Ros Carmoody adds: “Building the partnerships division at Brand & Deliver over the last six years has been hard work but great fun. I’m excited to join the Board and take on this new challenge as we grow our reputation in new markets such as publishing and TV.”

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Four high profile UK brand partners will support the UK release of the new Ghostbusters film on Monday July 11th 2016, including National Tyres and Autocare, Sony Mobile, O2 for O2 Priority and cleaning technology company Karcher.

The campaign, running throughout June and July, was created by partnership marketing specialists Brand & Deliver for client Sony Pictures.

Activity includes: a national press and drive time radio campaign by National Tyres and Autocare, utilising the iconic “Who You Gonna Call?” soundtrack by Ray Parker Jr; a TV campaign by Karcher supported by POS in more than 3,000 stores; a TV and Digital Out Of Home (DOOH) campaign by O2 for O2 Priority offering the chance to win tickets to the US premiere and preview screenings; and a POS promotion by Sony Mobile within 480 O2 stores. All four partners will engage customers on digital and social channels.

Peter Taylor, Managing Director of Sony Pictures UK, says: “Ghostbusters is quite simply one of the best-loved film franchises ever made. These partnerships are vast in scale and fun factor, giving us a powerful platform to promote the film with UK-wide promotions across multiple touchpoints.”

Richard Barnes, Partnerships Director at entertainment marketing specialists Brand & Deliver, adds: “Ghostbusters is an iconic franchise with multi-generational appeal. These brands have tapped into the movie’s feel-good factor with memorable partnerships that will ensure it’s the most highly anticipated film of the summer.”

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Meat snack brand Peperami has linked up with the new Angry Birds movie in an on-pack prize promotion with Angry Birds merchandise and weekend trips to Barcelona as prizes.

The UK campaign positions Peperami’s brand ambassador, the Animal, as ‘Official Stunt Animal of The Angry Birds Movie’, undertaking really dangerous stunts that even Angry Birds cannot do.

There are two Barcelona breaks to be won, one for a family of four and the other for two adults; both include various adventure activities, and the family trip includes accommodation in an Angry Birds-style tree-house hotel.

A new bespoke Peperami TV ad supports the partnership.

In addition, Peperami and the Animal also feature in Rovio’s classic Angry Birds 2 game where a Peperami-branded ‘spell’ can be called upon to defeat the Piggies. The TV ad can be viewed to earn extra lives. Furthermore, a new game, Angry Birds Action, launches on April 28th and consumers can scan a ‘birdcode’ from their Peperami packs to gain additional content and lives in this game.

The promotional period kicked off at the end of March and runs until June 30th 2016. There are two elements to the prize promotion, an instant win and a prize draw.

Entry to the prize promotion is online; consumers have to enter a code from their Peperami packaging and their contact details at www.peperami-angrybirds.com. 2,000 instant win prizes have been allocated according to ‘winning moments’, and entrants will be told immediately if they have won one. All entrants will be entered into a prize draw for the two holidays which will take place after the promotional period ends.

In the instant win game, prizes include The Angry Birds Movie keyrings, 3D Piggy Puzzles, tube scarves and drawstring bags. The prize draw prizes are one trip to Barcelona for a family of four, including flights, three nights in a luxury tree house, and an Adventure Forest stunt course, and a trip for two adults to Bareclona including flights, two nights at a luxury hotel and a flyboarding (water powered stunt surfboard) experience.

The Peperami brand was sold along with BiFi, a very similar product sold in Germany and other European countries, to US snack foods company Jack Link’s in April 2014. Jack Link’s will be running the Angry Birds promotion in 11 countries where it sells the product under either the Peperami or BiFi brand names.

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Black taxi booking app Gett has linked with Warner Bros. Pictures UK for a promotion offering people the chance to win tickets to the London premiere of Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice.

For one week only, from 10.00am Friday March 11th to 11.59pm Thursday March 17th, anyone using the Gett app to book a black cab in London will see the red BATMAN v SUPERMAN glyph icon at the top of the home screen, entitled ‘B v S’. When booking a taxi ride using the icon, users will get a fixed fare black cab, only available through Gett, as well as automatic entry into the competition.

One lucky winner will be awarded a pair of tickets to the film’s star-studded red carpet premiere in London’s world-renowned Leicester Square on March 22nd, which will be attended by cast and filmmakers including Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Holly Hunter, Gal Gadot and director Zack Snyder.

In addition, 100 branded goody bags containing film merchandise will be placed in select Gett cabs around the capital, allowing anyone who books a Gett ride to receive the chance to win instant rewards throughout the week.

This competition is exclusive to Gett and Warner Bros. Pictures UK and marks the first entertainment promotion of its kind in the UK for the transport and lifestyle app.

The Gett app is free to download on iOS and Android. Competition Terms and Conditions can be found by visiting Gett.com/uk.

Founded in 2010, Gett is an on-demand app that lets people instantly book a licensed black cab with their mobile phone, and is available for both consumers and corporations. Gett is a $207m funded company and the largest international on-demand player by revenues. It is available in 50 cities, including New York, London, Edinburgh, Manchester, Moscow, St Petersburg and Tel-Aviv.

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Comparethemarket.com has linked up with Warner Bros. Pictures to offer limited edition Aleksandr and Sergei toys with the two brand characters as Batman and Superman respectively.

The promotion, which celebrates the upcoming release of the new film, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, opening in UK cinemas on March 25^th. It neatly links the long-running and highly successful Meerkat toy promotion with Comparethemarket.com’s more recent Meerkat Mondays two for one cinema ticket promotion.

In addition to a year’s worth of 2 for 1 cinema tickets, for a limited time customers can also get their hands on a Limited Edition Meerkat Movies Toys inspired by either Batman or Superman when they buy insurance or switch energy with comparethemarket.com.

The Aleksandr toy is dressed in Batman’s trademark suit, complete with cape and mask, while Sergei is transformed into Superman, the Man of Steel, complete with biceps and sixpack.

Mark Vile, Marketing Director at comparethemarket.com, says: “Since launching Meerkat Movies in March last year, we have seen over a million members enjoy the magic of the movies for less. We’ve now super-charged our rewards offering, Meerkat Movies, by partnering with Warner Bros. Pictures and one of the most hotly anticipated films of the year.”

A new TV ad shows the two characters having to find their inner superheroes as car problems put them in danger of missing the film.

Meerkat Movies was unveiled to the nation last year, with 2 for 1 cinema ticket redemption available across the UK via a voucher code on the Meerkat Movies app, which is available to Apple and Android users, or via the comparethemarket.com website.

Since then, it has been promoted with TV ads featuring cameos by Hollywood stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Nicole Kidman.

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To celebrate the Romanian cinema release of Star Wars Episode VII “The Force Awakens” before Christmas, French-owned supermarket chain Carrefour Romania put interactive billboards into 150 of its outlets which allowed customers to use Jedi-like gestures to buy products.

The stunt was part of a longer running loyalty promotion, where Carrefour shoppers are being rewarded with collectable ‘shells’ or cards featuring characters from the new Star Wars film. There are 72 characters to collect, plus a special album to keep them in.

The interactive billboards featured pictures of a range of goods, interspersed with Star Wars toys and merchandise. Using Kinect technology connected to an iPad, the billboards tracked shoppers’ gestures and let them ‘grab’ images of the products they wanted and drag them into a virtual shopping trolley icon.

They could then make their way to a special counter where a real trolley with the products they had selected was waiting for them, along with money-off vouchers.

The “Shop With The Force” promotion also rewarded shoppers with extra collectable cards when they bought certain items.

The fully integrated campaign, created by Publicis Romania, was promoted across all media. A TV ad for the loyalty campaign featured the famous Star Wars main theme recreated using sounds that can be found every day in Carrefour stores.

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TCC, a global leader in retail loyalty campaigns, has appointed Perry Valkenburg as new CEO of the company.

Valkenburg joins from advertising agency TBWA, where he has worked for the past 20 years. He will take up his new role on January 4th 2016.

In his previous role, Valkenburg served as President International & Global Operations, overseeing among others TBWA’s globalised digital, shopper marketing and data offering.  He has delivered many industry firsts and is responsible for campaigns which have won numerous awards including Cannes Golds.

Richard Beattie, TCC’s acting CEO, says: “In the new world of retail, where the digital and real worlds are interchangeable, it’s vital that we help our customers navigate this new terrain effectively. The environment has changed, but loyalty has not and Perry’s appointment comes at a time when TCC is looking to strengthen its position, preparing for future growth as a fully independent and privately owned company. As we enter our 25th year, we’re better placed than ever to help retailers foster the pairing of strategy and creativity so vital in inspiring passion and excitement in their customers. ”

Commenting on his move to join TCC, Perry Valkenburg said: “In today’s marketplace, where bricks, clicks and commerce fully integrate audience understanding, data planning, activation and loyalty have never been more important.   For future success, retailers and brands need to ensure an emotional connection with their customers.”

TCC is a global marketing company that works in partnership with a broad range of retailers to create and implement in-store loyalty marketing campaigns that grow their sales and profitability.

With a portfolio of licensed consumer and entertainment partner brands including Disney and 20th Century Fox among many others, TCC enables retailers to engage with their shoppers and reward them for their loyalty with a wide range of exclusive offers. Active in over 60 countries, TCC employs around 600 people in 34 offices throughout Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific.

TCC, a global leader in retail loyalty campaigns, has appointed Perry Valkenburg as new CEO of the company.

TCC, The Continuity Company, digital, shopper marketing, shopper, data, data analytics, retail, retailer loyalty, loyalty, licensing, licensed promotions, international

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