To indelibly mark the final ever season of Game of Thrones, streaming service NOW TV is giving Game of Thrones superfans the chance to get inked at a one-of-a-kind tattoo studio, with a series of designs from guest tattooist to the stars, Lauren Winzer, who created and inked Sophie Turner’s iconic ‘The Pack Survives’ tattoo.

Open for two days only from Tuesday 16^th to Wednesday 17^th April 2019, the Tattoo Studio takeover at The Circle in Central London will offer 16 different Game of Thrones inspired tattoo designs, drawing on iconic themes, quotes and symbols from the show.

Winzer, whose Hollywood client list includes superstar singers Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry and Game of Thrones’ own Lady of Winterfell, has created a collection of tattoos suitable for every allegiance, so superfans can ink their loyalty to the throne forever.

Targaryen supporters will love the homage to Daenerys’ dragons, Stark fans can show their devotion with Arya’s legendary Needle and Lannister loyalists can pay their debts to the show with the heroic Lion sigil, not to mention a host of other tats up for grabs too.

NOW TV is giving away up to 100 free tattoos at central Soho tattoo studio, The Circle. A ballot of 50 advanced appointments will be available via Eventbrite! If you miss a slot, don’t lose your head like Ned, 50 tattoo slots will be available for walk-ins across the two days – on a first-come first-served basis.

The Circle tattoo parlour has been given a Seven Kingdoms inspired makeover and those attending will be able to stream episode one of the new and final season on NOW TV whilst getting their tattoo done – the perfect distraction! All tats will be inked by either special guest artist Winzer or by one of a team of first-class tattooists from The Circle.

*Note tattoos will only be available to those over the age of 18 and a valid passport or driving license must be shown on arrival at The Circle.

Fans can sign up via nowtv.com/gotink or via Eventbrite here: https://nowtvgotink.eventbrite.co.uk

WHERE: The Circle, 21 Noel Street, Soho, London, W1F 8GP
WHEN: Various slots 11:00 – 20:00 – Tuesday 16^th and Wednesday 17^th April 2019
AGES: 18+
COST: FREE

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Nestlé UK and Ireland has partnered with online streaming service NOW TV to launch a brand new on-pack promotion which will feature on some of its favourite confectionery brands including KitKat, Aero, Yorkie, Toffee Crisp and Rowntree’s Fruit Pastilles.

The promotion, which went live this week, offer consumers the chance to win either a monthly Sky Cinema, Entertainment or Kids pass, or Sky Sports day pass, with 1,000 passes to be won every hour for eight weeks.

The promotion can be entered from 8.00am to midnight every day from May 21^st to July 15^th, with 1,000 winning moments each hour. Entries outside these daily start and finish times will not be accepted.

To enter, consumers need to go online to the promotional site – www.nestle-promotions.co.uk/nowtv – and input a code found on the inside of a promotional wrapper. They will then be told instantly if they are a winner; if they are, they will be able to select the pass that they prefer. Consumers who win will be asked for their card details as part of setting up a free subscription; they will have to cancel the subscription or they will be charged once the free period has run out.

In the Republic of Ireland, companies can only run prize draws linked to purchase if they partner with a charity which has a lottery licence; for this promotion, Nestlé has partnered with Down Syndrome Ireland.

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Jo Coughlin of Mediator Communications reports back on the IPM’s first ever Partnership Marketing Conference, Creating the Perfect Blend

In an ever-changing marketing landscape, brands are looking at alternative approaches to engage a hard to reach consumer. As a result, we’re seeing the growth of Partnership Marketing, as it earns its place amongst the marketing mix as a more engaging, effective and innovative tool.

This was the subject of the IPM’s recent conference, Creating the Perfect Blend, which took place on Friday 22nd April 2016. Organised in conjunction with the UK Partnership Panel and chaired by Mediator Communications’ Managing Director, Tara Honeywell, speakers from British Gas, Warner Music, Comic Relief, NOW TV, Cinema First, LiveNation and Fusion Festival discussed the pros and cons of Partnership Marketing, talked through case studies and drew on their own experience to talk about trends and best practice.

Everyday, consumers buy into brand propositions; often, those that resonate most are where great brands, retailers and common causes come together to create the perfect match. The conference saw those at the forefront of shaping the future of partnerships share their views on why partnerships has become so important in today’s marketing mix as well as demonstrate the powerful combinations that have grown brands.

There can be some ambiguity around what is meant by ‘Partnership Marketing’ and its scope. Tara Honeywell began the day’s proceedings by outlining the definition that was created by the UK Partnership Panel, whose role is to raise the profile of PM across the industry.

This definition states:

“Partnership Marketing is the discipline of brands working together to co-create ideas that are collectively more effective for their businesses and more compelling to their consumers.”

Matthew Leopold of British Gas then shared how the energy giant’s sponsorship with British Swimming created a ‘new world’ model of marketing partnerships, focusing on the depth of the ‘fanship’ rather than on the more activation-led approach which they had previously applied to the sponsorship.

By engaging people who care about the sport, British Gas was able to help British Swimming grow the fanbase and increase participation in the sport and in turn trigger likability, affinity and consideration of British Gas over the long term.

This deeper engagement and a more meaningful association helped change the way the customer felt about British Gas outside of a standard sponsorship badging exercise. Truly integrating the partnership and sharing objectives created a more credible association.

For Ciara Godley at Comic Relief, having clear objectives and working together has been the secret ingredient in Comic Relief’s hugely successful and long term partnership strategy.

Sainsbury’s has partnered with Red Nose Day for years and is their biggest partner outside of the BBC. Not only does the retailer raise a lot of money for charity, but it has also benefited itself – ‘Red Noses’ have driven footfall into stores and engaged with shoppers on a much deeper level. For Comic Relief, a flexible approach to a partnership and having passion and belief has reaped rewards for the charity and all involved.

Tanya Easterman from Cinema First took us through the journey of how Meerkat Movies changed the game of movie partnerships by applying a full business response to the partnership with significant investment that built the momentum.

For Cinema First, it was important to re-invigorate the ‘Orange Wednesday’ proposition and evolve the partnership. It was important for them when choosing a new partner that this was a genuine partnership that promoted the industry and would drive incremental business for all parties. For the cinema industry, the partnership has opened the offer up to multiple day visits and are looking at a family offering and for Compare the Market they’ve retained customers as well as impacting customer perceptions.

Tara Honeywell closed the day with a round-up of the outtakes, from movie and charity partnerships to sponsorships and music collaborations there were three clear aspects required to create the perfect partnership:

• Strategy first;
• Collaborative approach;
• Clear KPIs and evaluation metrics.

The IPM’s Managing Director, Carey Trevill concluded: ‘We decided that Partnership Marketing as a discipline needed a spotlight – an important part of any marketers tool kit, this first Partnership Conference started to explore the future thinking of the industry. We were delighted to work with the Partnership Panel on this and look forward to a close working relationship in the coming year.”

If you are looking to use partnerships to help your brand grow take a look at the Partnership Panel’s Best Practice Guidelines.

Jo Coughlin is New Business Director of partnership marketing agency Mediator Communications. She can be contacted on jo.coughlin@mediator.co.uk

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