Mission Group’s promotions and partnerships agency, Mongoose Promotions, today announced that they will rebrand to become SPARK Marketing Services Limited (SPARK).

Explaining the change SPARK CEO David Pearson said “ Since the business began in 2016 we’ve worked with brands and agencies large and small to create fantastic work from promotions to partnerships and from B2B representation to benefits, rewards and beyond. “

“ Given the breadth of the services we offer, Mongoose “Promotions” just doesn’t do our capabilities justice and so it was time for a change.  We have a broad offering for our clients and a new name gives us a chance to better reflect that.”

“ We’ve always prided ourselves on finding the right solution to influence the behaviour of both consumers and employees alike and we’re excited to announce a new strategic partnership with our friends at Innovationbubble.”

“ As a team of commercial psychologists, Innovationbubble are uniquely positioned to help us to understand the 80% of the decision-making process which is unconscious ensuring that we can create campaigns that will really impact behaviour.

Founded in 2016 Mongoose Promotions have worked on high profile promotions across Europe for the likes of Mars, Lidl, Britvic and AirWick.  They also hold the B2B representation contracts for multiple cinema chains and operate the market leading cinema benefit platform The Cinema Society which is unaffected by the rebrand.

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Entries are now open for the 51^st edition of IPM Awards. Searching to find and celebrate the incredible work this industry has produced over the last 18 months.

Categories have been refined with new ones added relating to Covid and social Impact. The process has been simplified too, so it couldn’t be easier, check out the brochure here for more details. Deadline for submissions is 12th November, so you better start those entries now.

And don’t forget, The IPM is the only independent, not-for-profit, Government recognised industry body for all Promotional Marketing agencies in the UK.

Good Luck.

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The UK’s most effective brand activation agency, ZEAL Creative, is working with BUXTON natural mineral water to drive multi-pack purchase and reward shoppers with Great British Experiences.

Inspired to engage shoppers eager for new adventures after a year in lockdown, ZEAL created a campaign that aligned BUXTON with brand Virgin Experiences, harnessing the brand’s reputation and credibility. The on-pack competition offers consumers the chance to win one of 125 Virgin Experience Days, worth £250. ZEAL developed the partnership, creative artwork and promotional strategy to grow market share of BUXTON®’s multi-pack range and raise consumer awareness of the brand’s inspirational “Don’t Give Up, Rise Up” message.

The promotion appears on over 5 million packs of BUXTON® 8 x 50cl, 12 x 50cl and 6 x 1.5l packs and drives entry via the brand’s website. Integrated with in-store point of sale materials, organic social media and paid media activity, the campaign also drives footfall into water aisles. Adding value to BUXTON® products over own label and other water brands, the promotion broadens reach and engages shoppers, ultimately driving purchase.

This is the first creative campaign ZEAL has run with BUXTON and the latest Nestlé brand to appoint the agency. ZEAL has also developed shopper engagement promotions for Nescafé and Nestlé confectionery brands including KitKat, Aero and Milkybar.  

Polly Rowntree, Business Development Director at ZEAL Creative, says: “The opportunity for BUXTON to encourage the nation to RISE UP & WIN Great British Experiences after what’s felt like a long year indoors couldn’t be missed. Partnering with Virgin Experience Days was the perfect fit as the prize provider, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact on sales as a result of the campaign.”

Agathe Robert, Nestlé Waters Local Brands Lead, comments: “After this uncertain time, BUXTON is on a mission to bring hope and inspire a nation that never gave up to RISE UP. Now, more than ever. This campaign is directly drawn from BUXTON® positive and resilient mindset. Every promotional pack gives a chance to win Great British Experiences, thanks to the partnership with Virgin Experience Days. We look forward to inspiring our shoppers and seeing a positive impact on sales.”

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In the face of great change in Brits’ lifestyles, new research from YouGov and partnerships and rewards agency Mando-Connect shows Britons’ affinity for promotions.

The What The British Think Of Promotions report reveals that two thirds (66%) of the population take part in promotions, with eight in ten (80%) Brits believing they are a great way to reward customers and seven in ten (70%) thinking that all brands should offer them.

YouGov’s data shows that gender has no impact on promotional participation (65% of men and 67% of women take part in promotions). But age has a significant impact with older age groups being far less likely to participate. Only 54% of those aged 55+ participate in promotions. This suggests that promotions are failing to connect with this important age group.

The report shows that despite so many of the population taking part in promotions, the space is currently dominated by a few select sectors. Supermarkets have by far the biggest footprint, with 47% of the population taking part in supermarket promotions. General Retail then follows with 27% of the population taking part in promotions in this sector, followed by Health & Beauty at 25% and Leisure & Entertainment at 23%.

Britons clearly see the value of promotions, with the research showing that people are willing to put their money where the promotions are. Three quarters (75%) of Brits are more likely to try and new brand that offers a promotion, seven in ten will switch brands offering one (71%), more than half will shop more often with brands that offer them (58%) and just under half are more likely to recommend a brand offering a promotion (48%).

The report gives clear direction on Brits’ favourite types of promotions too. The top way to enter a promotion is digital. More than half (56%) of Brits like to enter a promotion online or through a website, almost four in ten (39%) by email and 28% through a mobile app. Money is the preferred prize or reward, with almost six in ten Brits wanting it (59%). Next comes a desire for discounts and offers (42%) and free products, services and experiences (38%).

The future for promotions is looking very positive too. Two thirds (65%) of Brits are likely to take part in promotions in the next 6 months. And the impact of Covid-19 and the releasing lockdown timetable has divided the nation. When asked what impact the government’s announcements about the easing of lockdown measures would have on their likelihood to participate in promotions, half of Brits (50%) didn’t know. Three in ten (31%) think are now more likely to participate in promotions, and just under two in ten (18%) think they are less likely to participate.

Charlie Hills Managing Director & Head of Strategy at Mando-Connect: “Promotions are a much misunderstood and under-appreciated marketing discipline. Yet they have the power to attract new audiences, change consumer behaviour, engage and re-engage existing customers and even shift brand perception. Our new research shows that Brits love promotions, regularly participate in them and that they have a very positive impact on the brands that offer them. Almost two thirds of Brits (65%) think they are going to participate in promotions in the next 6 months. Brands need to sit up, take note and make sure that a compelling promotional strategy is a core part of their marketing mix.”

Amelia Brophy, Head of Data Products UK at YouGov: “Our research shows that Brits’ are a nation of promotions lovers. The majority (66%) take part in promotions and eight in ten think that promotions are a great way for brands to reward customers. What was particularly interesting was the strong influence that promotions can have on Brits’ attitudes and shopping behaviours: 75% are more likely to try a new brand offering a promotion, 71% will switch brands, 57% will shop more often with a brand and 48% will even recommend a brand more that offers a promotion.”

A copy of the whitepaper can be requested here.

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Following on from last months news, we are really excited to announce the exclusive launch of new promotions research from IPM member’s Mando-Connect and YouGov. We will be hosting a special webinar for IPM Members on May 11^th at 11am so that you are the first to see this new research which explores what the Brits want from promotions. The research covers what percentage of Brits participate in promotions, how positive they are towards them, the types of promotions they engage with most (and the ones they don’t), promotional motivators and barriers and the impact that promotions can have for brands and businesses. This new research should be very useful for us all, as it clearly demonstrates that Brits really do love promotions.

Please join us here spaces are limited so don’t miss out.

Meeting ID: 964 7365 0632

Passcode: 265544

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The invention of television, war, video, DVD’s and streaming services have all been declared to be the “death of cinema”, but it survived and thrived…will Covid-19 finally kill off the multiplex?  Mongoose Promotions’ CEO and IPM Brand Partnerships Chair David Pearson doesn’t think so…and he’s got the insight to prove it!

It’s been a pretty horrible year for the cinema industry, forced to close its doors to the public and furlough staff.  Movie lovers turned to streaming services for their movie fix and naysayers declared that the age of the cinema was dead…and yet…

Even in the midst of the pandemic 78% of respondents to our annual survey told us that a brand using cinema as a promotional tool would make them more likely to purchase their products or services and that apart from their family and friends a trip to the cinema was the thing they had missed the most.

Their short-term movie fix has been provided via streaming services but studios have been secretive about viewing figures for the small number of “straight to stream” movies that have bypassed the cinema and rumours abound that they are disappointed with the uptake.  The fact that the very biggest titles have been delayed until cinemas reopen certainly suggests that studios need cinemas to reopen just as much as film fans.

Yet cinemas must adapt.  No longer can they depend entirely on the film itself to attract audiences through their doors…a trip to the cinema must be attractive in its own right, regardless of the films they are showing.  And they are adapting.  Showcase and ODEON are spending millions rolling out their “Cinema de Lux” and “Luxe” brands while Cineworld continue to invest in experiential cinema concepts such as 4dx.

So yes, cinema will survive and if the results of our recent consumer research into the popularity of a trip to the movies and the impact of cinema tickets as a promotional tool are to be believed it will thrive.  Take a look at what we found here.

As we start to emerge from lockdown, beer gardens are full and retailers reporting record sales, customers are hungry for a sense of normality and a release from their incarceration at home.

Arguably there’s never been a better time to engage with cinema as a promotional tool and with pent-up demand for massive releases such as Black Widow and No Time to Die, the power of the movies is not disappearing anytime soon.

The post Cinema Returns On May 17th – Is It Still A Powerful Promotional Tool? appeared first on IPM Bitesize.

Mando-Connect are excited to announce that they will soon be launching a new white paper “What the British want from Promotions”, developed with YouGov. Exploring what Brits want from promotions, what types of promotions are most common in the UK, what mechanics and rewards Brits’ desire and the impact that promotions have on Brits’ attitudes and behaviours. The research hasn’t been released yet, but we were delighted to discover that 80% of Brits think promotions are a great way for brands to reward customers and 66% take part in promotions. Watch this space to find out more!”

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Promotional marketing agency Cat Among The Pigeons has developed a major on-pack promotion for Wagon Wheels featuring BBC Top Gear and the famous racing driver Stig!

Renamed ‘Stig on Wheels’ for the promotion, this exciting campaign will feature in the UK and Eire across millions of multipacks of Wagon Wheels Original and Wagon Wheels Jammie from early March.

The on-pack promotion runs until 31 May 2021 and gives the chance to win amazing Top Gear prizes provided by BBC Studios, including the chance to have a thrilling track day drive with the Stig! A total of 30 fans will have the drive of their life when they travel to the Top Gear track at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey later this summer for a lap with the enigmatic racing driver. A further 100 runners up will receive a BBC Top Gear Magazine subscription, courtesy of Immediate Media.

Cat Among The Pigeons also created a microsite (www.stigonwheels.com), to allow consumers to enter the promotion easily which validates purchase, allocates prizes and provides full terms and conditions. In addition, entrants from Eire are required to complete a timed skill challenge in compliance with local promotional law.

Sonya Gonzalez Mier, marketing manager at Burton’s Biscuits, said: “BBC Top Gear is the perfect brand fit for our Wagon Wheels audience and adds huge excitement to the brand, offering a unique mix of thrilling adventures! We’re confident the chance to win a track experience with the Stig will really stand out in category and encourage shoppers to give it a go.”

Paul McGann, founder of Cat Among The Pigeons added “as a life-long fan of both Wagon Wheels and Top Gear I have to say this campaign has been an absolute pleasure to work on. I just wish I were able to enter the promotion!”

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As lock down begins to ease, so are agencies and brands beginning to become more comfortable with the idea that a sense of business normality is returning, but it is not without its pitfalls. The way we work as well as the manner in which we work has undergone a tremendous overhaul and brands are more acutely aware than ever that now, more so perhaps than ever before, mistakes could be dramatic.

The brand that is seen to be ‘cashing in’ or not appearing to be sensitive to the current climate will suffer. The phrase ‘read the room’ has never been more accurate.

Which puts this webinar delivered exclusively for the IPM by creative strategists Studio Black Tomato up there with the most important webinars you’ll hear all year. Entitled “How to Sell With Sensitivity” it covers the topic of brands that are worried to be seen as crass, insensitive and misjudging consumer sentiment and equips IPM Members with the tools to continue to sell creatively with this in mind.

Key messages

• Now is the time to move on from apologetic COVID marketing.
• Examples of historic times when similar things have happened and how brands have reacted.
• The need to start being creative again.
• How you balance that with sensitivity.
• How to be more human / emotional with your promotions.
• How brands can find the message that is right for them.

Wednesday 15/07/20 14.30 30 mins + Q&A.

Places will be limited so please contact: membership@theipm.org.uk to book your slot.

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Boost Drinks has launched a new ‘Flavour Studio’ campaign to promote their full energy range in Northern Ireland.

Developed by Belfast-based promotional marketing agency, Elevator, the activation includes a combination of experiential and sampling with an injection of colour and creativity to showcase the 7 flavours available in Northern Ireland.

The immersive experience invites consumers to download the interactive Boost Flavours App and do a quiz to help decide which flavour to try. They would taste the flavour for themselves and determine their appropriate ‘flava’ by expressing it in colour on a customised wall.

The ‘Flavour Studio’ tour is promoted through social media as well as by tactical ads near or in each location.

Kim Jacks, Brand Manager, Boost Drinks Ltd, said: “We’re really proud of the range of flavours Boost Energy has in Northern Ireland including our NI exclusive Cola flavour. We wanted our consumers to taste and experience the fantastic range for themselves inviting shoppers to visit our ‘Flavours Studio’ across a 4-week roadshow to showcase Boost’s fun brand personality in a very real and unique way. We worked with a local NI artist to create the stand design that shoppers were able to colour and add to following a flavour quiz to help them decide which flavour they should try next. Once the tour is complete, as well as engaging and sampling with our target market, we’ll also have a completed work of art created by 1000’s of NI consumers which they’ll be able to view across our dedicated social channels in Northern Ireland knowing they contributed to it!” 

#BoostFlavours #FlavourStudio

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