Award-winning creative brand experience agency, N2O, is thrilled to support Tesco once again with their London and Brighton Pride activations.

Featuring a DJ, stunning choreography and an army of LGBTQ+ colleagues involved in the big celebration, the truck will be adorned with the new Tesco Pride toolkit, based on the flowing colours of the progressive flag that Tesco is proud to support.

The crowd were electrified by the beats of DJ Glitzy von Jagger at the capital’s Pride on the 1st of July before heading to Brighton Pride on the 5th of August. Tesco colleagues will come together to dance their hearts out to N2O-choreographed routines and engage with the massive crowds to spread the love.

Nicola Johnson, Tesco Retail Operations Director at N2O, said: “We are delighted to be working with Tesco on its Pride float for another year, building on last year’s success for the 50th anniversary, and standing proud together for this momentous celebration once again.”

Tesco is the Gold sponsor for London Pride and Partner for Brighton Pride, and will support Pride events across the UK in Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast, Norwich, Manchester, Glasgow and Dundee.

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The Silver Anniversary, 25^th National BBQ Week has finished and delivered its highest-ever performance with packed RoadShows and massive media and social coverage, with delighted sponsors, all of whom have achieved massive RoI.

There was a great mix of delighted BBQ focussed sponsors and the roadshow had a reach of around 95k over 4 major foodie festivals. Across the festivals, they delivered around 145k perfect-serve samples & BarbiBags to lucky visitors. The media coverage over 330 competitions and editorial was worth £1.7m and social and their website attracted 260+ interaction. The overall campaign value was £2.04m which is over 20% above target.

Sponsorship now open for 26^th National BBQ Week 2022, with half of existing sponsors already reconfirmed. https://nationalbbqweek.info

Sponsors:

Beefsteak Club – Official Wine

Birds Eye Green Cuisine – Official Plant-based

Budweiser – Official Beer

Bull’s-Eye – Official Condiment

Sainsbury’s – Official Meat

Shloer – Official Soft drink

Festivals:

Pub-in-the-Park – Warwick

Tatton Park, Knutsford Foodie Festival

Winchester Foodie Festival

Cambridge Foodie Festival

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Birds Eye Green Cuisine is revealing a new integrated campaign to support its role as the official plant-based sponsor of Team GB for the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games. The push was developed in partnership with creative agency ELVIS.

To promote its first sponsorship of this size, Birds Eye selected its digital and social agency of record ELVIS as the lead creative agency for the partnership. Green Cuisine has worked with the agency to develop a sponsorship platform in order to boost brand awareness and drive sales amongst flexitarian families, with a focus on its taste credentials.

“Powered by Plants – proud to power Team GB” aims to bring Green Cuisine’s “Plant Power” proposition to life by combining imagery of Team GB athletes with exaggerated Manga-inspired illustrations to highlight their movement, in a nod to the Tokyo location of this year’s Olympic Games.

Running across OOH and social channels including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, the push features impactful action shots of Team GB’s athletes, including Max Whitlock, Cheavon Clarke and Laviai Nielsen, with Manga-style illustrations amplifying their ‘plant power’. Using a bold art directional style, the campaign showcases the athletes propelled from a Manga-style plant-powered world into their kitchens, where they cook and enjoy Green Cuisine meals.

This activity is supported by a series of online recipes inspired by Tokyo 2020, featuring Japanese meals made with Green Cuisine, along with shopper marketing, PR, and an always-on reactive social strategy. ELVIS also developed the storyboard and voiceover for an updated version of an existing Green Cuisine TV spot as part of the campaign, with editing and playout managed by Hogarth.

Media planning and buying for the campaign is by Zenith, talent management is by Publicis Sport, PR is by Cirkle and shopper activity is by Juice.

Sarah Koppens, Marketing Director, Birds Eye, said: “We are hugely proud that Green Cuisine is the plant-based sponsor at this year’s Olympic Games. Partnering with ELVIS, we have created a dynamic, exciting campaign to celebrate the sponsorship and demonstrate that our products are packed full of powerful nutritional good stuff, giving athletes, and normal people like you and me, plant power. If it’s good enough for Team GB, it’s good enough for families across the nation!”

Rob Griffiths, Creative Director, ELVIS, added: “With so much noise around the Olympic Games, we wanted to create something out-of-the-ordinary to support Green Cuisine’s sponsorship of Team GB. Taking Tokyo as our inspiration, we’ve developed a brave and bold creative platform which positions the brand as a challenger, creating real stand-out for our audience of flexitarians.”

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As the UK re-emerged from lockdown, drive in cinema events started popping up across the country, offering customers an opportunity to get out of the house for a safe and fun experience.  Just Eat! were a headline sponsor for The Drive In Cinemas and required a team of COVID safety trained ambassadors to support them in delivering a memorable experience for attendees.

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This week, online travel brand lastminute.com has officially launched its sponsorship of the London Eye, the capital’s best-known landmark.

The 135-metre wheel on the south bank of the Thames opposite the House of Parliament was officially turned pink and has been fully branded to reflect the deal with lastminute.com. The deal to sponsor the London Eye was reminiscent of the early days of online travel.

Lastminute.com has created packages for its customers with free rides on the wheel included along with flights and hotel stays. Free rides will also be offered to customers as incentives as part of promotional offers.

At this week’s VIP launch party on a boat on the Thames opposite the Eye global pop superstar Meghan Trainor took time out from filming The Voice UK, on which she is a judge, to play an acoustic set to guests, including the 80 members of staff lastminute.com has based in London.

Marco Corradino, chief executive of lastminute.com, said: “We’re delighted to officially launch our flagship partnership with the London Eye. To see one of the capital’s most recognisable icons lit up in pink is a proud moment and we can’t wait to bring visitors from the UK and across the globe to experience it. We’ve been helping people make memories in London for more than 20 years and we know enjoying moments on this unique part of the London skyline will make people pinker in the years to come.”

The 135-metre observation wheel on the south bank of the Thames opposite the House of Parliament will celebrate its 20th birthday this year.

If you would be interested in partnering with lastminute.com in 2020, please get in touch with Paddy Goggin by emailing partners@lastminute.com

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The world-famous London attraction will launch brand new sponsorship with IPM Member, lastminute.com, from February 2020.

The UK’s most popular paid-for attraction, the London Eye, announced today an exciting headline sponsorship with European travel giant lastminute.com. The sponsorship, which officially launches from February 2020, will see a joint rebrand of the London Eye and River Cruise.

Both organisations will be building upon the exciting potential of this opportunity by investing in a range of innovative and memorable experiences for guests visiting the London Eye.  Alongside this, the sponsorship includes full naming rights and the iconic landmark lighting up the city skyline in the lastminute.com brand colours.

Sunny Jouhal, General Manager, London Eye, said: “We are delighted to be working with lastminute.com as our new headline sponsor. The London Eye has been an iconic and world-famous part of the city skyline for almost 20 years and is a ‘must-do’ for visitors to the capital. We are thrilled to enter a milestone year partnered with such a well renowned brand and we have already agreed lots of exciting plans and are looking forward to bringing them to life.”

Marco Corradino, Group CEO, lastminute.com, added: “London is the city where it all began for lastminute.com more than 20 years ago, so we’re thrilled to announce our partnership with one of the capitals most recognisable symbols, the London Eye. We are planning many exciting things together for the people of the UK and visitors from across the globe. And we can’t wait to help make this unique part of the London skyline a bit more pink from 2020 onwards.”

Previous headline sponsors of the London Eye include British Airways, EDF Energy and most recently Coca-Cola Great Britain since 2015.

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Premier Foods, manufacturers of Cadbury Mini Rolls have launched an on-pack promotion to leverage Cadbury’s sponsorship of the Premier League.

The campaign gives customers the chance to win ‘The best seat in the house’ – offering VIP hospitality Premier League tickets to a Premier League 2019/2020 season match of their choice*, as well as other desirable prizes such as gift vouchers to gigs, meals and movies.

The idea developed by creative agency BD Network, aims to target a mass audience with a variety of compelling prizes, whilst ensuring the Premier League football theme is still the hero, and Cadbury FC is at the heart of the concept.

To enter, consumers will need to buy promotional pack of Cadbury Mini Rolls Milk Chocolate or Raspberry, enter their unique code from the pack at www.cadburycompetition.com to instantly find out if they are a winner. Winners and prizes are selected randomly via a computer algorithm and there are 100 prizes available to win, including 10 x pairs of Premier League hospitality tickets with lounge access. A free entry route is available for consumers in Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland.

The promotion is live and will close on 10^th April 2019.

*Premier League matches are subject to availability.

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Coca-Cola European Partners is launching a limited edition Coca-Cola zero sugar Cinnamon flavour for Christmas, and an on-pack prize draw across its entire Coca-Cola portfolio offering tickets to Capital Radio’s annual Jingle Bell Ball music event as prizes.

Available in a 1.25l PET pack format, the Coca-Cola zero sugar Cinnamon variant will combine one of Great Britain’s top festive flavours with the sugar-free taste of Coca-Cola zero sugar. The limited-edition festive packs will feature a bespoke red and gold design to highlight the premium new flavour and specialness of the Coca-Cola brand.

As with the other Coca-Cola zero sugar variants – Vanilla, Cherry and Peach – the Cinnamon version will be exempt from the UK’s Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL), commonly knows as the Soft Drinks Tax. Under the tax, companies pay 18p per litre in tax if the drink has five grams of sugar or more per 100ml, or 24p per litre if the drink has 8g of sugar or more per 100ml.

In tandem with the new flavour launch, CCEP will be running an on-pack prize draw offering consumers the chance to win tickets to Capital Radio’s annual Jingle Bell Ball which takes place in December.

The on-pack offer will be running across on-the-go packs of Coca-Cola original taste, Diet Coke and Coca-Cola zero sugar for five weeks from mid-October.

To enter, consumers have to enter a unique code found on promotional packs on the brand’s website, to be entered into a draw to win a pair of tickets every day. There will be 100 pairs of tickets available to be won. According to a link on Coca-Cola GB’s Facebook page, consumers will be able to input their codes from October 15^th 2018.

Coca-Cola sponsored the Jingle Bell Ball in 2013, and from 2015 to date.

Simon Harrison, customer marketing director at Coca-Cola European Partners, says: “We’re confident that with the early arrival of our great tasting Cinnamon variant and Capital’s Jingle Bell Ball on-pack, the festive season will get off to a flying start for our customers. We’ll be back in November with even more activity that will keep Coca-Cola at the centre of Christmas celebrations for both consumers and retailers.”

Coca-Cola European Partners is the world’s largest independent Coca-Cola bottler. CCEP is the sole licensed bottler for products of The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) in Andorra, Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Iceland, Luxemburg, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.

CCEP makes, sells and delivers the following products in GB for TCCC: Coca-Cola Classic, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Fanta, Dr Pepper, Sprite, Schweppes, Fuze Tea, HONEST, AdeZ, Abbey Well, glacéau smartwater, Powerade, Oasis and Appletiser. In GB, it also makes, sells or delivers Monster, Relentless and Capri-Sun.

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What happens to the festival industry in a year when the greatest show on earth, Glastonbury, takes a year out, asks Orla Ryan of ignis

When Glastonbury, a festival the size of Southern England’s seventh largest city, takes a fallow year, you would think that the rest of the festival calendar would reap the rewards – but has it?

Yes, some of the events have filled their fields, some have even hit record numbers. Others have struggled, some have even fallen by the way-side. By no means has it been a bumper year for the industry. So where have the Glastonbury masses gone? And how do you ensure your brand is  investing in an event that is going to deliver?

With 135,000 tickets on offer and two million applicants, each year’s Glastonbury show brings disappointment to roughly 1,865,000 people. That’s a lot of people who have gathered to plan and plot their festival attendance. Having collectively bought into the concept of the festival experience, all it takes is for one of the group to ask, ‘so where now?’ and plans are re-plotted elsewhere. In a year without Glastonbury, these fledgling festival plans never got off the ground, and the disappointed masses were simply not there to be absorbed.

So, what does it all mean for next year? We have digested the 2018 season, beyond the promoter stats and demographics, to analyse some of the trends when considering brand investment in festivals in 2019.

It’s a sell out! (or is it…?)

The true attendance figures of each festival are always difficult to unpick. No show ever wants to admit that they have under-achieved. Having rattled around festival fields for a few years now like we have, you get the feel (and the data) to tell you when an event is under-performing, and 2018 has seen a few of those.

As a brand, how do you know whether or not to believe in the audience figures that are being sold to you? The only answers I can give you are knowledge, experience and a view of the wider picture than the individual promoter is selling you. Be sure of the credentials behind new events, beware of exaggerated growth claims and consider whether the event is delivering ‘best in class’ in the genre in which it exists.

With the disappointed 1,865,000 back in the mix and with so many great events on offer, 2019 has all the credentials to be a booming festival year.

Does the experience outweigh the effort?

Emerging onto the scene in 2004, Bestival and Secret Garden Party were refreshing new concepts – music festivals that were not about the music.

Now, 14 years later, Secret Garden Party is no more, and Bestival has been refreshed after a few tough years. But why? What went wrong for these festival pioneers?

I don’t believe that the concept of putting on a fabulous party is, or ever will be, dead. It’s more that the rest of the festival industry caught up with the realisation that a festival is about experience, and so there are now more events than ever delivering truly great experiences, and the competition is fierce.

In essence, in order to attract the audiences, it comes down to whether the experience is worth the effort of the festival hardships: the travel, the weather, the tent, the port-a-loos… The cons list is long.

When you are no longer the stand out and most unusual event of the year, you need to remove obstacles to remain relevant. For example, in order to survive, Bestival removed one significant obstacle – the Isle of Wight ferry – by shifting location from the island to the Lulworth estate in Dorset!

Urbanisation

One genre of festival that cuts out a number of the festival obstacles is the urban festival. For those less keen on the idea of three days of camping and with more attainably-priced day tickets on offer, urban events become a more accessible option.

With articles on ‘how to ace a one-day festival’ appearing in this year’s Time Out festival guide, you get a real sense of the growth of these events.

The ‘promoter chess’ (which has seen Wireless move to Finsbury Park, Lovebox to Gunnersbury, Field Day to Brockwell and All Points East stake a claim in Victoria Park) just shows how much competition and appetite there is.

London is not the only city hosting these Urban shows – TRNSMT, Parklife and Tramlines are increasingly popular events held in Urban spaces across the country.

These urban parks are also playing host to a wide array of events, aside from pure music festivals. Melas (from the Sanskrit for a gathering, festival or fair) delivering culture and creativity, and festive shows taking winter residencies, provide colour and choice to the event space. The diversity of events on offer provide distinct audiences and an array of opportunities relevant to different brands.

With a reduced initial outlay, and fewer days to budget for, the on-site spend at these events is often much higher, which can make them an attractive option where sales are a factor.

Outstanding in their fields

So which events looked tipped to thrive in 2019?

From the Michelin stars and champagne bars of Wilderness to the immersive theatrical spectacle that is Boomtown, these events are producing true ‘best-in-class’ offerings. Creamfields is another event that has a single-minded purpose in delivering the best EDM (Electronic Dance Music) experience going.

These events attract wildly differing audiences, but they know what they stand for and strive to produce the best in what they do.

Reading and Leeds, on the other hand – with a diversified line-up – missed the mark this year. Their line-up, still an important factor for most music festivals, was found lacking. The traditionally Rock’n’Roll based pair of festivals branched out into a much more Urban scene this year which, rather than attracting a more diverse audience, left it confused. I am sure these festival giants will be back on track next year, but it just shows that even the big events can get it wrong some years too.

Do it different

So how should a brand engage within the festival arena for 2019? It is about fitting in and standing out at the same time.

Find a fit with the festival-going human and be relevant to them. Don’t, however, slavishly follow the standard festival format. Expecting consumers to hunt out your allotted 10 X 10 space is not going to give you the return that you are looking for.

Look to stand out. Do different. Think about how the audience will engage, and what your brand offers that is unique. Consider how you can generate a buzz about your brand, not just about the brand space that you could create.

Hot

Immersive events – the experience is everything

Urban events – making the festival experience more accessible

Whatsapp – the unglamorous glue that holds a festival squad together

Not

Middle of the road – know what you stand for and be the best at it

Secondary ticketing – the rebellion against over-priced tickets is on

Single use plastic – Glastonbury has banned plastic water bottles in 2019

Orla Ryan is Head of Experiential at ignis, a multi-award winning independent brand experience agency based in Fulham. Over its 29-year history, it has worked for a wide range of clients ranging from Jameson Whiskey, Sheraton Hotels and Fuller’s, to Betfair and Cuticura. A member of the Institute of Promotional Marketing, ignis won two Gold trophies and a Silver for its #JamesonBeOriginal360 experience work for Pernod Ricard Travel Retail and Jameson in the IPM Awards 2017; the same campaign then went on to win a Silver and a Bronze in the pan-European IMC Awards.

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German alcoholic drink Jägermeister, official sponsor of London Cocktail Week 2018, is showcasing the complexity of its 56 herbs and spices with a collection of cocktails, ice cold shots, events and workshops at a pop-up forest activation in Big Chill, Brick Lane.

Jägermeister’s Der Wald Bar, located on the Big Chill terrace, a three-minute walk from the LCW cocktail village at the Truman Brewery, will transport cocktail lovers to a contemporary German forest setting where they will be able to enjoy a selection of cocktails and Jägermeister Ice Cold Shots, served at -18°.

Jägermeister UK brand ambassador, Florian Beuren, plus special guests, will be running a series of free interactive workshops at the Meister Akademy in Big Chill, including ice sculpting, urban foraging, cocktail “meisterclasses” and top-tips for DIY home cocktail making.

Exclusive Jägermeister cocktails and ice-cold shots will be available around the capital at select bars including MNKY HSE, The Racketeer, Shep’s, Big Chill, 46 & Mercy. Jäger Soho, Jägermeister and Soho Radio’s collaborative space, will host a series of pop-ups from innovative cocktail makers and bars including Kelvingrove Café and Tony Rowlands of Salt Dog Slims and Santa Chupitos Liverpool.

Nicole Goodwin, Marketing Director for Mast-Jaegermeister UK, comments: “An inherently complex spirit, Jägermeister naturally lends itself to being enjoyed as an ice-cold shot, as well as being used for experimentation and cocktail creation. We’re delighted to be continuing as official sponsors of London Cocktail Week and partnering with Big Chill as our festival venue.  This year, we’ve curated cocktails and experiences that we think surprise and excite consumers, ultimately inviting them to reimagine the possibilities of Jägermeister.”

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