Glenfiddich is launching a new campaign to promote Fire & Cane, the fourth and latest release in the Glenfiddich “Experimental Series”. The campaign broke on July 23rd 2018 in the USA, with sampling and experiential activations at the Taste of the Cocktails event in New Orleans, and will roll out in other lead markets later in the year – including France in September, the UK in October and Taiwan in 2019

The campaign is part of the William Grant & Sons-owned brand’s continued drive to recruit new drinkers into the whisky category.

The New Orleans tasting saw the whisky paired with grilled andouille (local Cajun sausage), grits, peppers and cream cheese.

The campaign was put together for Glenfiddich by London-based creative agency Space, which has been awarded the lead strategic and creative responsibilities for launching the next edition in the Experimental Series. The campaign brings to life the brand’s maverick spirit and focuses on the power of a simple question and how it can lead consumers on a journey to challenge conventions.

The newest expression in the Experimental Series is an unexpected peated whisky finished in Latin rum casks.

The campaign will be predominantly social, and kicks off with a 5-second teaser video. It will also feature short-form AV assets, Out of Home, print, interactive social assets such as Facebook canvases and Instagram polls, as well as experiential and sampling, all created by Space.

Campaign visuals centre on the liquid’s unique flavour profile. The hero 20” social video features animated CGI sugar crystals and innovative liquid photography showcasing the smokiness and sweetness of Fire & Cane. It runs in reverse order, opening with the product beauty shot (the outcome of the experiment), and closing with the moment of inspiration (the genesis of the experiment).  The core message is that when you question convention, as Glenfiddich has with Fire and Cane, you can spark the unexpected.

Oliver Rudgard, Global Brand Director at Glenfiddich, says: “Fire & Cane is #4 in the Glenfiddich Experimental Series.  The Experimental Series demonstrates our continued commitment to create new, innovative and inspiring whiskies.  Working with the great team at Space, we have pushed the creative boundaries further to create a set of new codes in the single malt category which are set to create cut through, attention and desire for the Fire & Cane launch across the globe.”

Jason Nicholas, Managing Partner at Space, adds: “The Experimental Series offers the chance to continually work on something that challenges a category. The creative idea in this campaign has led to the creation of a beautifully crafted and visceral campaign that will get under the skin of new drinkers and whisky advocates alike. Working with Glenfiddich on this their key campaign for 2018 has been a great opportunity and led to a campaign we’re really proud of.”

Glenfiddich most recently collaborated with Space to launch its first whisky finished in India Pale Ale (IPA) casks. This was backed by a global TV campaign, also created by Space.

Space is an award-winning integrated marketing agency which works across social, mobile, outdoor, in store, on-pack, in print, live or virtually. Clients include Heineken, Arla Foods, William Grant & Sons, General Mills, Eurostar, Sky, Coral, Bundesliga, UEFA, NBA and AELTC. Our work has been globally recognised with four ‘best in the world’ awards

The post Glenfiddich launches new campaign for Experimental Series appeared first on IPM Bitesize.

Newspapers are the fastest-moving consumer goods industry of them all. David Tymm of i-movo explores what brand owners can learn from how they drive loyalty and turn customers into subscribers

The online world has quietly ushered in the ‘Subscription Economy’. Similar to Louis XIV’S Finance Minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert who declared that “the art of taxation consists in so plucking the goose as to obtain the largest possible amount of feathers with the smallest possible amount of hissing”, Spotify, Netflix, Amazon and many others have realised that getting customers to pay “little and often” is the best way of maintaining their loyalty.

Perishable, produced from scratch every day and almost obsolete by four o’clock the following afternoon, newspapers are the very definition of a fast-moving consumer product. Notwithstanding the difficulties the industry has experienced in the face of the competition of instant, up-to-date and free online news, there are lessons for brand owners to be learned from this beleaguered sector in terms of maintaining consumer loyalty.

Given the logistical challenges of producing and distributing a new edition every day and the financial constraints imposed by a low product price, newspapers are sold through retailers rather than delivered direct.

Up until 20 years ago or even later, loyalty was forged as a result of tribal support to the editorial line. But, as with many other sectors, the internet ‘changed everything’ – including, for many former loyal readers, the habit of buying and reading a particular title every day.

The response from publishers was to launch subscription schemes, getting readers to commit to buying the paper for a set time – usually a year – in return for a discount on the cover price.

Four times annually, readers are sent books of 90 or so paper vouchers and use these to pay for the paper. The retailers than claim the value of these vouchers back from the publishers. The original theory was that if readers paid in advance, they would be certain to read the paper every day. For the publisher, the sale and associated advertising revenue would therefore be protected.

It’s a strategy that has proven to be partially successful in arresting the decline in sales. By way of a single example, the Daily Telegraph had 796,000 readers in 2007, of which 327,000 were subscribers. Over the next decade, subscribers fell to 223,000, a 32% drop – but that against a 53% fall in overall average daily sales to 377,000.

Paper is pricy

But paper vouchers are expensive to distribute, expensive to process and vulnerable to various ‘practices’ that can result in considerable, avoidable expense for the publishers. In addition, high fixed costs inherent in the production process result in publishers adopting ‘a one or two sizes fit all’ approach to product strategy. Fixed-term contracts with no escape route are also the norm. Both traits are somewhat at odds with consumer expectations of mass-customisation and a belief that subscriptions should be for their convenience, not to predict the revenue of suppliers.

Digital voucher systems dispense with these operational deficiencies and also provide added benefits. Digital provides insight on subscriber behaviour right down to who is using their subscription (or not), at which retailers, on which days of the week and at what time of day. Critical information for customer retention and product development that is lost in the ether with paper vouchers!

As a result, the Financial Times and Guardian Media Group have been the first to move away from paper fulfilment for subscription services to digital

Other fast-moving product categories face a similar challenge to those faced by publishers two decades ago – and they can learn from the experience of the newspaper publishers.

With consumer decisions often made within 30 seconds or 12 feet of purchase, according to some shopper marketing experts, relying on habit for loyalty and constant investment in marketing programs to influence the consumer at point of selection is, I would argue, economically unsustainable.

Also questionable are the considerable sums spent on digital media when the impact of online promotion is difficult to measure in the context of offline sales. Recent media coverage suggests that the party is over and brand managers are beginning to wise up to the state of the current online advertising market. Texans refer to such arrangements as a ‘Goat Rodeo’…a system rigged in favour of the organisers.

Generation Subscription

With financial innovators such as Zuora and GoCardless democratising the recurring payments market for credit/debit cards and Direct Debit respectively, any business can now collect payments easily and inexpensively from consumers on a regular basis and so sell their wares on a subscription basis.

Dollar Shave Club is probably the most famous example of this model. The disposable razors they sell have a predictable consumption pattern and are easy to ship. The less well-known Batch Brew distillery in Burnley makes fabulous but quite pricy gin. If you sign up as a subscriber, they send you a bottle of whatever they’ve decided to brew up that month for a direct debit payment of £30 a month, just below the price/value consciousness threshold of their target customer, I would guess.

Both examples have the advantage that direct payment and direct fulfilment are viable options. But, as with newspapers, direct fulfilment is not feasible for brand owners where such products are frequently purchased across a range of retailers. Brands will also be aware that retail partners will continue to represent the majority of sales and a direct-fulfilment strategy would effectively dis-intermediate them and damage commercial relationships.

Turning consumers into subscribers is not only good for brands in terms of securing loyalty and stabilising revenues. Consumers welcome it too. The Economist reported in 2014 that 80% favour subscription for preferred brands providing it signifies convenience and is not at the expense of flexibility.

For example, an energy drink manufacturer could pre-sell 20 bottles online and deliver a mobile voucher to let the customer collect at a retailer anytime they want one, but without any commitment to consume all 20 by a certain date. Consumers who have already made their purchase decision and paid are unlikely to buy a competitor product.

Alternatively, firms such as Klarna will extend credit to consumers based on their email address. This means consumers would not always need to pay up front – just settle a monthly invoice for what they have consumed. Purchases can also be added to mobile phone bills using services such as ‘Payforit’, which is supported by all the UK’s major mobile phone operators.

Although the options are many and various and set to evolve further, two truths are inescapable: The ‘Subscription Economy’ is here to stay – and brand owners that cannot supply direct need a method for remote fulfilment of their products if they are to take advantage of this generational shift in consumer behaviour.

David Tymm is founder and CEO of i-movo, one of the largest Secure Digital Voucher networks in the world. i-movo works with over 60,000 participating retailers and has delivered over 300 successful campaigns, processing over 20 million vouchers worth over £400m.

Photo by Peter Bond on Unsplash

The post Plucking Geese to get Golden Eggs appeared first on IPM Bitesize.

The Financial Times plans to invest heavily in a brand experience campaign this summer, aimed at supporting its recently-launched global marketing push for the FT Weekend section. As part of its plans, it has just hired Tamara Gates, formerly with TV, film and ad production and visual effects specialists Moving Picture Company, in a new role as experiential marketing manager. Her remit will include managing the planned brand experience activities.

The new Open Minds campaign for FT Weekend was inspired by the section’s colourful and provocative journalism and aims to encourage stronger engagement with FT Weekend by the FT’s core business audience, while attracting new readers to its world-class coverage of arts, culture, ideas  and lifestyle.

The campaign, which builds on a 2017 refresh and rebrand of FT Weekend under editor Alec Russell, will have two phases. The first will include out-of-home, digital display, online video and retail elements in high profile locations in London, Hong Kong and New York’s Times Square. The second phase, in the summer, will have a major experiential focus, marking a new direction for the Financial Times.

The creative concept and execution of Open Minds have been developed in partnership with The Brooklyn Brothers. The visually striking phase-one adverts were designed by a variety of illustrators and inspired by a range of thought-provoking FT Weekend articles:

• ‘Is mind control the tech industry’s greatest invention?’ (pictured) challenges readers to question their relationship with the smartphone.
• ‘Can we separate the art from the artist?’ challenges people to think about the character flaws of renowned artists and entertainers;
• ‘Is age a disease we can cure?’ poses questions about wellbeing and mortality;

Financial Times chief communications and marketing officer, Finola McDonnell, says: “We have created this campaign with editorial content at its centre to have strong visual and intellectual impact, sparking debate and conversation – exactly what FT Weekend aims to do. We’re positioning the FT Weekend as an essential read for those interested in arts, culture, ideas and lifestyle, just as the Financial Times and ft.com are essential to our core business readership.”

FT Weekend editor Alec Russell adds: “This campaign goes to the heart of my ambition for the journalism in FT Weekend each week. It is sharp, provocative, probing and embraces the big ideas of our age – yet it is also tinged with mischief.”

The campaign will be supported by social media activity on the FT’s Facebook, Twitter (@FTWeekendand @FTLifeArts) and Instagram (@FT_Weekend) accounts with the hashtag #FTOpenMinds. The articles which inspired the campaign can all be found outside the FT’s paywall at FT.com/OpenMinds.

The Financial Times is one of the world’s leading business news organisations, recognised internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy.  The FT marks 130 years in 2018 with a record paying readership of more than 930,000. The FT is now a majority digital content business, with digital subscriptions up to 739,554, representing more than three-quarters of the total paying audience. Content revenues represent almost two-thirds of total revenues, double the share of five years ago.

The post Financial Times plans major brand experience campaign for FT Weekend appeared first on IPM Bitesize.

Volvic, the Danone-owned mineral water brand, is kicking off its biggest-ever UK marketing campaign this summer across its flavoured waters range, Volvic Touch of Fruit and Volvic Juiced.  The ‘Let It Out’ initiative reaches out to consumers through multiple channels to raise awareness and ultimately drive penetration, and will include a massive sampling operation across three key UK cities and a partnership with The Sun newspaper to distribute yet more free samples.

Adrienne Toner, Senior Brand Manager at Volvic, says: “Health is one of the big trends at the moment. We know consumers are actively moving away from sugary carbonated drinks into soft drinks that they view as healthier. However, we also know not everyone enjoys the taste of plain water. That’s where our Volvic flavoured waters range comes in, as it perfectly fills this gap.”

Backed by an investment of over £3million, ‘Let It Out’ is a product-led campaign told in a way that emotionally connects with the millennial target audience. Volvic believes that life is better when we approach it with positivity and that it takes inner strength to choose to approach everyday moments of frustration with optimism and a sense of humour.

Based on this, Volvic says the ‘Let It Out’ campaign is set to inspire consumers to ‘let out’ their optimism and positivity while enticing them to ‘let out’ the flavour inside bottles of Touch of Fruit and Juiced.

The campaign will run from July 17 2017 until the end of August and will include:

• A complete packaging-refresh across Volvic Touch of Fruit and Volvic Juiced, emphasising taste and naturalness.
• The brand’s biggest Out Of Home advertising campaign yet, with displays never more than 10 metres away from point of purchase.
• Three new TV sponsorship idents showing how people ‘let out’ their inner optimism and see the positive in everyday moments of frustration. These will be on air every day throughout the summer as part of Volvic’s on-going E4 sponsorship, shown alongside hit TV shows such as How I Met Your Mother and The Inbetweeners as well as the new series launch of 2 Broke Girls.
• A huge social media presence across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to engage with Volvic’s millennial target audience.
• YouTube bumper ads targeting viewers with tailored content related to what they are watching.
• A partnership with News UK, including a front page ad in The Sun for a free sample on July 21.
• Large-scale depot and in-store takeovers in key retailers.
• A nationwide experiential sampling campaign, which will visit three cities across the UK this summer.

Adrienne Toner concludes: “Our 360 campaign is about recruiting new consumers into the category through Volvic’s flavoured portfolio.”

Last year, Volvic Juiced launched its biggest ever brand campaign and innovation launch, using the hashtag #smallvictories. This included media partnerships, OOH, experiential, sampling and digital and face-to-face couponing (see www.promomarketing.info, May 13 2016). The £1.8m campaign focused on recruiting new consumers into the brand and supporting the launch of its new Volvic Juiced Tropical 50cl variant. The campaign ran throughout the summer months.

Danone Waters (UK & Ireland) Limited (DWUK) is the UK parent company of the bottled waters and beverages produced by evian, Volvic and BADOIT. Danone is a leading global food company built on four business lines: Fresh Dairy Products, Early Life Nutrition, Waters and Medical Nutrition. Present in over 130 markets, Danone generated sales of €22.4 billion in 2015, with more than half in emerging countries. Danone’s brand portfolio includes both international brands (Activia, Actimel, Danette, Danonino, Danio, evian, Volvic, Nutrilon/Aptamil, Nutricia) and local brands (Oikos, Prostokvashino, Aqua, Bonafont, Mizone, Blédina, Cow & Gate).

The post Volvic launches biggest ever campaign to inspire consumers to ‘Let It Out’ appeared first on IPM Bitesize.

Mobile marketing platform Shopitize has extended its reach to 25 million consumers in the UK, after signing a partnership with publisher Johnston Press.

The deal will give Johnston Press, one of the UK’s largest publishers with 250 newspapers and associated websites, the opportunity to build brand loyalty with its readers through a range of rewards, all activated through the Shopitize mobile marketing platform.

With a reach of 25 million consumers, Shopitize is now one of the largest mass reach mobile channels in the UK, where brands can build relationships directly with consumers based on verified purchases of their products.

The platform drives shoppers into store to purchase, validates the purchase via a photo of the receipt and delivers a range of rewards, all without the need for retailer or pack integration.

Carl Engelmarc, General Manager of Shopitize, says: “The partnership with Johnston Press is a great example of how publishers can engage with their mobile audience without the need to invest in expensive owned apps or marketing products. At Shopitize we aim to create mobile marketing solutions that build closer, mutually beneficial relationships between shoppers and organisations, and this is precisely what our partnership with Johnston Press will achieve.”

Liam Reynolds, Managing Director, National Sales at Johnston Press, adds: “We are constantly looking at new ways to further drive audience engagement, particularly digitally. Shopitize engages on a really personal level and our audiences are rewarded in the process so it’s a win-win relationship.”

In addition to driving shoppers in-store and validating purchases, Shopitize also allows brands to captures valuable shopper data in order to inform future marketing activities. This data allows Shopitize to offer its clients and partners a smarter way to deliver proven shopper marketing activations such as guaranteed rewards, instant wins, sampling and sweepstakes as well as loyalty constructs and shopping reward catalogues.

Shopitize clients include leading FMCG brands such as PepsiCo, Pernod Ricard and Kellogg’s.

The post Shopitize partners Johnston Press appeared first on IPM Bitesize.