drink tank - bray leino · must be multiplier effects galore to be had by unifying the sub brands....

drink tankM A Y 2 0 1 5


Chris O’Donoghue, CEO of Sports & Entertainment agency Mongoose, looks forward to a bumper season. At this time of year, our thoughts turn to the traditional season of events that bring out the best of being British, especially within the sports marketing industry.

The summer tennis and cricket events, for instance, provide a perfect platform for drinks sponsors, evident in the ever-present Champagne, Pimms and cider sponsorships.

This summer there is an extra player in the mix, with England Rugby’s warm-up games for the Rugby World Cup (RWC) coming to Twickenham in August. These introduce additional consumer touch points and activation opportunities for beer and ale brands.

Heineken, official beer of the RWC, will inevitably be driving activation through the summer. Be it through the Webb Ellis Trophy Tour when it comes to the UK on 7th June, or throughout the tournament itself, expect to see the brand harnessing the social power of groups and the raw emotion that a world class tournament brings to home soil.

What is important, as always, is ensuring that the activations go deeper. At Bray Leino Sports Marketing we expect to see more than just product placement and pouring rights. We want to deliver layers of organic conversation with end consumers; generating actionable data and insight that we can apply to drive business growth.

As Guinness, the official beer of the RFU, and Heineken go head to head to capture a nation ramping up with Rugby World Cup fever, we predict an exciting few months for spectators of both rugby and marketing.

There has been a resurgence in grass roots initiatives within the soft drinks category, with a focus on getting children off their sofas and onto the playing field.

Coca-Cola, official soft drink of the Rugby World Cup, has generated a campaign around movement, harnessing the excitement of a global sporting event to motivate people to move more.

Brands that effectively communicate the benefits of involvement in a sport at a grass roots level, like Budweiser’s Club Futures programme, can effectively generate meaningful, lasting engagements with fans.

Grass roots programmes are a key part of any integrated sponsorship campaign no matter what category, what sport or how big the budget. Building a campaign from the ground up and supporting the foundations of a sport is a very effective and fast way of building credibility as a sponsor, and also contributing to internal CSR objectives.

Regardless of your tipple or brand preference, the next six months of UK sporting events will be an extremely interesting time to see which activation campaign resonates most with consumers and which brand can harness the prevailing winds to best dominate the landscape.

If you’d like to explore sponsorship opportunities or promotional possibilities for your brand, please get in touch with the Mongoose team at:

[email protected]

Drink Tank is our regular round-up of the UK’s FMCG and on-trade promotional activity in the drinks sector. And with summer well on the way, with sporting events galore, this quarter’s Drink Tank focusses on sponsorship. It remains to be seen what the strategic implications of recent revelations and upheavals within FIFA will be for brands. Long-term, it may not make too much difference: the world loves football; but for now there’ll be an inevitable reticence for any brand to associate with the toxicity of alleged corruption. And for those that stay, as the US and Swiss investigations continue to rack up casualties, you can be sure that recalculation and renegotiation will be key terms on the agenda.

Chris O’Donoghue, CEO, Mongoose

welcomeTO THE SHOP

FLOOR

mailto:[email protected]


Coca-ColaCoca-Cola is the official sponsor for this year’s Rugby

World Cup (being held in England for the first time since

1991). This will see the brand become the soft drink,

sports drink and water supplier during the tournament.

This deal will mark almost two decades as a partner of

the world’s most iconic rugby event for Coca-Cola and

will also see international rugby star Brian O’Driscoll

team up with the brand. Coca-Cola will hold a number of

events and competitions in the run up to the tournament.

This sponsorship deal adds to Coca-Cola’s high profile

sponsorships for events such as the Olympic Games and

FIFA World Cup.

sponsorships/ partnerships

MORE SPONSORSHIPS/PARTNERSHIPS

We think: As ever the best partnerships are those that not only deliver

a salient message in the right context (and indeed score a tasty distribution deal)

but go further and actively build the image of the brand. For that reason,

our favourite this season is the Guinness Rugby World Cup activation,

where they’ve effortlessly brought to life their brand idea ‘Made of More’, creating

original content in a subject area their audience will relish. The Belevedere deal

caught our eye also, creating a version of the product to cement the association

between the brand and the elusive Bond mystique. Read more about both

activations over the next few pages.


GuinnessGuinness is the official partner of Premiership Rugby.

Recently they launched four ads which show a different

side to the game.

The core messages in the films highlight the emotions

and determination it takes to be great, whether you’re

a player or ‘the voice of rugby’.

Guinness do a great job of pulling at the consumers’

heart strings with their heartfelt ads without overtly

promoting the Guinness brand.



http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6PsOY3TERzRLunOdFmx71VB4ezpgjtFZ


Crabbie’sCrabbie’s is now in its second year as the official sponsor

of the Grand National. This high profile sponsorship

has provided Crabbie’s with a platform to reach a UK

terrestrial television audience of around nine million

on Channel 4. This sponsorship has become one of the

cornerstones of the marketing programme for Crabbie’s

both in the UK and internationally.


Budweiser becomes Official Beer Partner of The FA CupThe Football Association has announced a new long-term

agreement with Budweiser, which will see the brand

become the Official Beer Partner of The FA Cup until 2018.

As the Official Beer, Budweiser will continue to bring

the world’s most prestigious cup competition closer

to the fans through an exciting programme of activity.

This will include a continuation of the Budweiser Club

Futures programme, which has invested £1m into

non-league football over two seasons and was supported

by The FA and the League Manager’s Association.



Belvedere Vodka signs James Bond dealBelvedere Vodka have been announced as a drinks

partner for the upcoming James Bond film ‘Spectre’,

in what will be its biggest global marketing campaign

to date. The LVMH-owned vodka brand will release

a range of promotions and activations ahead of the film,

due for release in November 2015, as well as two 1.75

litre limited edition bottles.

A limited run of 100 bottles featuring an image of MI6,

with its signature blue colouring swapped for the spy

agency’s green ink will be launched. None of the 100

bottles will be available for sale, but will be gifted to

Bond aficionados and donated to charity auctions.

A second limited edition bottle, a twist on Belvedere’s

metallic and illuminated Silver Sabre bottles, will go on

sale next year to a wider market.

TV/Film

Grant’s SignatureGrant’s have recently announced a £1.2m TV sponsorship

deal with Sky Sports for their Grant’s Signature. The deal

includes TV, online and sponsorship for each of Sky

Sports’ UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier matches.

The above-the-line investment has formed part of

a significant awareness push of the new expression.

Ali Cloudsdale, brand manager at William Grant and

Sons UK, states, “Grant’s Signature quickly secured

listings in the top multiple grocers and we’ve seen

positive results since its launch last year.”




Good Call!At the beginning of this year, Foster’s announced

that it is to sponsor Original Comedy on Channel 4.

The multi-million pound, one year partnership

was launched on the 2nd February with a bespoke

Foster’s-inspired Channel 4 logo and welcome spot.

This renewed partnership will see bespoke Foster’s ad

breaks as well as Foster’s idents around 4oD and flagship

Channel 4 shows including 8 Out of 10 Cats, Alan Carr:

Chatty Man and the last ever series of Peep Show.

Stella ArtoisStella Artois have also partnered with Channel 4 this

year. This partnership will see the brand take over

the entire ad break before Channel 4’s popular 9pm

Saturday night film lot. This ad break will be dedicated

to trailers for upcoming box office releases.

The dedicated break will air weekly between two Stella

Artois spots lasting 15” and 30” each. Viewers will then

be encouraged to tweet their trailer reviews using the

hashtag #StellaArtois4Cinema for the chance to win

premiere tickets.

The first spot launched at the beginning of April and will

continue on Saturdays right through to mid-December.




KopparbergKopparberg have recently announced they will be the

official sponsor of We Love Shows.

‘We Love’ shows are curated and hosted by Kal Lavelle

and showcase the newest, rawest musical talent. Past

shows include acts like Ed Sheeran.

Crabbie’s — Help for HeroesCrabbie’s have recently partnered with Help for Heroes.

One of their first initiatives is to raise a million pounds to

aid the charity’s work providing support to wounded,

injured and sick servicemen and women and their

families. The partnership was launched at this year’s

Grand National.



Events/Charities


DiageoDiageo recently turned a London landmark into

a private club for its David Beckham-backed Haig Club

Scotch Whisky. Haig Club London was a week-long

residency at the Wellington Arch and served cocktails

featuring Haig Club. Entrance was by invitation only and

included people Beckham met while launching Haig

Club in Asia.

RémyLa Maison Rémy Martin also opened late last year on

Greek Street in London’s Soho district. For two weeks,

the five-floor venue hosted celebrities including Idris

Elba and Yasmin Le Bon, held workshops on crafts

such as guitar making and perfumery and served up

specially-created Rémy Martin cocktails from two

fully-stocked bars.

Luxury Pop-ups



Coca-Cola — One BrandCoca-Cola recently announced that they will be unifying

the Coca-Cola portfolio of products, this includes

Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero and Coca-Cola

Life. The new “one brand” strategy promotes the full

choice of Coca-Cola variants.

This choice to unify the products comes from their

recent research showing that not all British consumers

fully understand the choice offered within the Coca-Cola

trademark and the distinct benefits of each brand.

MORE REBRANDING

Rebranding

We think: The unstoppable force of global marketing captures another

two brands this quarter. The Coke rebrand obviously makes sense – there

must be multiplier effects galore to be had by unifying the sub brands. Let’s

just hope they don’t compromise the distinctive identities of these sub brands

they’ve taken so long to build; from the look of the packaging they seem to

have done a nice job. We’ve always been interested that Somersby had a

different strategy in the UK versus the rest of the world – a Somerset-style

cider made in Denmark was always a tricky thing to pull – but in this case the

global communications and content seem to hit the mark well.

The strategy will also see media investment in the lower,

no sugar and low calorie variants of Coca-Cola doubled.

Coca-Cola have also recently announced that they will

be scrapping their UK-centric website in favour of their

existing global platform, Journey, as part of their new

‘one brand’ strategy, with a focus on both branded and

non-branded content.


Somersby OnlineSomersby are also undergoing a refresh in terms

of branding to align the UK look and feel with their

European identity.

They have made this change in line with launching three

new fruit variants: Apple Burst, Cranberry and Blackberry.

David Scott, Director of Brand and Insight at Carlsberg

UK, said: “Somersby Cider is the fastest-growing cider

brand in the world, available in over 40 markets,

with year-on-year growth of 41% across the brand.

This gives us the confidence to invest £7m in a new

marketing campaign that will truly bring Somersby Cider

to the fore for our on-trade customers and ultimately,

for consumers.”

Rebranding


MORE NPD

npd

Low Calorie Soft DrinksStatistics in the Grocer’s recent Soft Drink Report show

42% of people avoid added sugar in soft drinks but think

that naturally occurring sweeteners are fine. Consumers are

now actively seeking low calorie drinks which have no

artificial sweeteners. The on-going trend shows no signs

of slowing down and this has seen another wave of brands

releasing their own contribution to the new ‘light’ market.

J2O — New VariantsBritvic have launched a lightly sparkling brand extension

for its J2O brand, called J20 Spritz. They say it’s their bid

to answer the demand for more excitement and choice in

adult soft drinks. It will be supported by a £1.5m marketing

campaign, which includes in-outlet activation, a celebrity

partnership, social media activity and digital advertising.

The new variant will be available in 275ml bottles across

the UK in three flavours: Pear & Raspberry, Apple &

Watermelon and Peach & Apricot. One serving contains

only 55 calories.

We think: It looks as if the recent mainstream criticism of sugar and the declining

trends in alcohol consumption amongst the highly social 18-24 group means we might

finally have reached a tipping point in the adult soft drink category. Every brand

worth its salt is developing a naturally sugar-free proposition. With ciders, on the

other hand, it’s a case of ‘plus ça change’ – the ever decreasing circle of fruit flavours

underlines how much this category is defined by the novel or the new. We keep

thinking there’s got to be a paradigm shift to a new category after the fruit cider

boom, but what it will actually look like is the multimillion pound question.

SchweppesSchweppes have added sparkling juice drinks to their

range in the licensed trade alongside a new marketing

campaign for the mixers brand. The new range includes

Grapefruit & Blood Orange and Lemon & Elderflower

variants, which were available from April.

They are being promoted as containing fewer calories

than some other products in the adult drinks sector,

with 20 calories per 100ml. The launch is being

supported by behind-the-bar point-of-sale materials.

It coincides with a multi-million pound advertising campaign

for the Schweppes brand, targeting a younger adult

audience with a new, witty tone of voice and ad strapline,

“Separating men from boys, separating women from girls”.

The advertising campaign will run from the end of April

across on-demand TV, cinema, digital and outdoor media.


npd

Innocent BubblesInnocent Smoothies, owned by Coca-Cola,

have launched a new flavoured sparkling water

in an attempt to secure further market share in

the competitive drinks sector.

MORE NPD

Innocent Bubbles is a blend of sparkling water and

natural fruit juice and is positioned as an alternative

to sugary soft drinks. The new variant is only 95 calories

and one of your five-a-day.


MORE NPD

npdFruit ciders

Stella Artois CidreStella Artois Cidre has announced the launch of two

new variants, Stella Artois Cidre Peach and Stella Artois

Cidre Elderflower.

The Peach variant will be sold in single 500ml bottles

alongside 330ml bottles in four and eight pack formats.

Stella Artois Cidre Elderflower will be sold in 500ml only.

BulmersBulmers have launched the first blood orange-flavoured

cider in the UK.

Bulmers Zesty Blood Orange is being targeted at 18-24

year olds.

Unsurprisingly, Bulmers claim it has ‘performed brilliantly’

in taste tests. It will be launched with a multi-million

pound outdoor poster campaign and sit within their

‘Live Colourful’ campaign.


npd

CarlingCarling have recently launched a new variant called

‘Orchard Fruits’ following the popularity of other flavours

such as Peach and Apricot. Orchard Fruits will be

available in 500ml bottles in both the on and off trade.

The Orchard Fruits launch is being supported alongside

the existing Carling British Cider portfolio with a £5.4m

advertising campaign including TV, outdoor and digital.

BrothersTo mark 20 years in business, Brothers Cider has

launched a new festival-inspired look to their bottles,

and has released another unique flavour to add to

their portfolio.

The new flavour, Coconut & Lime, is the first ever cider

with coconut to the market. They state this is a response

to the growing consumer trend for coconut water.

They describe it as a light, clean and refreshing taste,

with real coconut water and lime juice – perfect for

a summer’s day. Coconut water is now a £100m market

in the UK, according to Data Monitor, and this is expected

to grow to £193m by 2019.

MORE NPD


npdNew Apple Cider TrendAlthough the fruit cider market is continuing to grow, there seems to have

been a renewed focus on apple ciders, with many brands releasing traditional

and modern takes on the classic apple cider.

StrongbowStrongbow have just announced the

launch of what they call a ‘posh version’

of their standard Strongbow Cider.

The cloudy cider is 4.5% ABV and made

from bittersweet apples. It is being

positioned as a premium version

of Strongbow.

The launch will be supported by POS

and glassware, followed by a multi-million

pound campaign later this year supporting

the entire Strongbow brand.

Rekorderlig — New VariantRekorderlig have released a new variant to their

portfolio, Dry Äpple, which will be available on draught

and in 330ml bottles. Rekorderlig Dry Äpple is described

as “an innovative take on the classic apple flavour”

and has a crisp, clean finish.

ThatchersThatchers have also released two new cider variants

in their bid to bridge the gap between apple and fruit

ciders. Thatchers Red and Thatchers

Somerset Haze are aimed at a

younger audience, giving drinkers

who may have entered the market

via fruit cider an accessible

traditional apple cider.

The launches will be supported

throughout this year by branded

POS, sampling events,

festival activity and merchandise,

which includes clothing.


MORE IN THE AISLE

Frozen PouchesFollowing Smirnoff’s release of frozen pouches, sales

of freeze pouches have more than trebled from £5m to

£16m over the course of the past year. They account for

almost half of the £11.4m increase in total take-home

RTD sales. As you would expect they are especially

popular during summer. Last year, rates of sale of freeze

pouches were one and a half times higher during this

key trading period than at other times of the year.

Many brands have now followed suit, releasing their

own frozen pouches.

KopparbergKopparberg have announced the launch of Kopparberg

Frozen Fruit Cider. It will be available in Strawberry & Lime

and Elderflower & Lime. They state, “the stylish drink

provides the ultimate mix of invigorating fruity flavours

and absolute refreshment and sits neatly alongside the

brand’s current range of premium Swedish ciders.”

They are the first cider brand to release a frozen pouch.

WKD Freeze Pouches SHS Drinks are bringing a new element of fun and

excitement to the at-home consumption experience

with the launch of a new freeze pouch pack format

for their ever popular WKD Original Blue.

The 250ml freeze pouch was released in April to all

take-home sectors.

in the aisle

We think: The at-home drinking experience improves yet further with

pre-mix cocktails and slushy pouches, and we suspect this is just the start

of a growing trend in weird and wonderful formats and liquids.


RTDThe aisles are currently full of RTDs but the majority

of these are now in pre-mixed cans rather than the usual

bottles. According to Future Foundation; “as disposable

incomes recover and price becomes a (slightly) less

potent primary motivator, the pre-measured nature

of RTDs and the associated ease in tracking both units

and calories is likely to ensure their continued popularity.”

They also state that there is continued growth and

popularity in the RTD category compared to its

slump a few years ago. There aren’t many brands

established out there now who haven’t got a premixed

or RTD on offer.

From a consumer standpoint, RTDs offer numerous

benefits including:

• The opportunity to emulate the out-of-home

drinking experience in-home

• A lower price point

• A convenient and easy way to consume

in the aisle

MORE IN THE AISLE


Full Size AdventuresSainsbury’s ran a competition to

win ‘adventures’ when purchasing

a half size bottle of selected spirits.

This included brands such as Grant’s,

Absolut and Hendrick’s Gin.

in the aisle

MORE IN THE AISLE


Coors LightCoors Light recently ran an on-pack promotion to win

tickets to see UK Drum & Bass outfit Rudimental. To be

in with a chance, consumers needed to enter

their unique code from

a promotional pack online.

Although the competition

has recently closed,

consumers can still use

their codes to be in

with a chance to win

Rudimental’s album.

in the aisle


MORE ON TRADE

GuinnessOn-trade kits According to the Guinness owner Diageo, publicans

could have sold up to 100 extra pints of beer during

the recent St Patrick’s Day celebration.

Guinness accounted for 34% of incremental up-lift

in 2014, and to help boost sales again on the recent

celebrations, they distributed St Patrick’s Day kits

to 10,000 venues. Worth around £30 each, the kits

contained flags, bunting and branded hats.

St Patrick’s weekend

Guinness also ran a St Patrick’s weekend at their

Guinness storehouse from Saturday 14th March until

Tuesday 17th. It included four days of live music,

food and drink sampling, Six Nations Rugby,

live marching bands and more.

St Patrick’s Day

on-tradeWe think: In the on-trade it’s nice to see some brands doing things a little

differently: WKD’s gonzo approach to St Patrick’s Day shows how Guinness are

(perhaps) becoming a little complacent about their ubiquity around the festival.


JamesonPernod Ricard UK also supported bars and pubs during

the run-up to St Patrick’s Day, with bespoke vessels

shaped like barrels for serving Jameson Whiskey with

a pint of beer.

The mini barrel vessels were designed to hook onto any

existing glassware to create the Jameson Barrel Back

serve – a shot of whiskey alongside a beer in the style

of a classic boilermaker.

They distributed a range of new point-of-sale solutions

for the on-trade in the lead-up to St Patrick’s

Day. It also included bunting, integrated beer and

shot-glass mats and materials providing customers

with instructions on how to drink the serve.

on-trade

WKDWKD gave thousands of shamrock-shaped hats to

bars and pubs as part of their St Patrick’s Day activity.

They made the WKD Shamrock Head available

to licensees to help them maximise what brand owner

SHS Drinks sees as the “ever-growing” sales opportunity

of the Irish celebration.

The promotion offered a “Free Genuine Irish Shamrock

Head (Made in China)” when consumers bought two

bottles of WKD. This was also supported by humorous

point-of-sale items.

drink tank - bray leino · must be multiplier effects galore to be had by unifying the sub brands....

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