NEWS GENERAL:
Waitrose rolls out festive ad activity
The campaign runs across TV and press. The ads outline seasonal offers on popular Christmas food and drink items. TV and press ads will promote 25% off wine and champagne on purchases of at least six bottles. The ads will carry the strapline: ‘This Christmas, there’s only one place to be’.
http://www.brandrepublic.com/Discipline/Marketing/News/950545/Waitrose-rolls-festive-ad-activity/
Three-quarters use pub discount vouchers
The Grass Roots survey was based on 260 mystery visits to the outlets of the UK’s major restaurant chains and found that 76% of consumers had used promotional vouchers. More than two thirds of those questioned said they used the vouchers to reduce their average spend and avoid having to cut back on the number of times they ate out.
BEER, ALE & CIDER:
S&NUK to roll out alcohol-unit glasses
S&NUK plans to deliver more than 1.8m Foster’s pint glasses featuring unit information by next March, in a £2m investment. The aim is to have 4m glasses with unit information rolled out across all S&NUK’s beer and cider brands by the end of 2010.
Guinness launches epic new £5m ad campaign
…to mark the brand’s change of position to a drink for casual drinking occasions and lively nights out. The tone of the ‘Bring it to Life’ campaign is a move away from the iconic ‘Good Things Come to Those Who Wait’ adverts, which focused on the premium nature of the drink.
http://www.thepublican.com/story.asp?sectioncode=7&storycode=65633&c=1
BrewDog gets personal on beers
Scottish micro-brewer BrewDog has launched a new website, which will allow users to personalise beer labels. The site — www,punkdog.co.uk — means visitors can now add their own photos, text or Christmas greetings to their favourite BrewDog beers.
Cricket stars get real ale celebrations underway
Cricket legends Nasser Hussain and Graham Gooch officially launched the Wetherspoon’s Ale Festival celebrations last week. The former England captains were guests of Marston’s Pedigree at the Crosse Keys pub in the City of London to mark the two week celebration. Drinkers will have the chance to taste 50 real ales from across the world during the festival which runs until November 15 at Wetherspoon pubs.
http://www.thepublican.com/story.asp?sectioncode=7&storycode=65607&c=1
SPIRITS:
Drambuie launch a new bottle
Backlit bottles look great when they’re full – golden, honeyed, alluring – but half empty or worse… the effect is the opposite. Drambuie – currently proudly advertising its new bottle via a neck-collar in supermarkets. The stuff inside looks as appetizing as ever… but if this same packaging is heading for the on-trade.
http://www.brandrepublic.com/Discipline/SalesPromotion/News/949956/Comment—Advertising-hot-air/
Disaronno goes glam for Christmas
The Disaronno liqueur brand is being backed by a £2 million TV ad campaign in the run up to Christmas. Screening of the TV ad will coincide with a PR programme called Disaronno Glamour, which will see high street fashion designer Karen Millen and a panel of celebrity experts host a range of in-store festive shopping and makeover evenings during November in London, Liverpool, Manchester and Cardiff.
http://www.offlicencenews.co.uk/articles/76144/Disaronno-goes-glam-for-Christmas.aspx?categoryid=247
WINE, CHAMPAGNE:
Namaqua in cricket sponsorship deal
South African wine brand Namaqua will be the broadcast sponsor of Sky Sports’ coverage of England’s winter cricket tour to South Africa which begins this month. The sponsorship will see Namaqua branding featured on opening and closing credits, break-bumper ads and on-air promotions during the 27 days of coverage from November to January.
SOFT DRINKS & FOOD:
Appletiser goes ‘offline’ with Christmas promotion
Coca-Cola-owned Appletiser is launching a Christmas-themed on-pack promotion offering the chance to win spending money. Consumers are required to purchase two different variants of the drink to enter the competition. Despite requiring the consumer to go to significant trouble to enter the competition only 20 prizes of £250 are on offer, making a total fund of £5000.
Robinsons ‘Put on a Panto at Home’ campaign
To create excitement around the brand outside of summer time, Robinsons are sponsoring the First Family Entertainment’s Pantomimes which has allowed them to build a great brand experience. There is no transactional element involved, no codes to enter, no texts to send in order to participate. Consumers can access all the content they need to put on the panto of their choice online.
Red Bull under fire for plot to usurp Monster
Red Bull is under fire for running a clandestine field marketing campaign aimed at undermining rival energy-drink brand Monster. The plan was devised after Red Bull lost the contract to supply pub chain JD Wetherspoon. The stated aim of the campaign was to convince staff and managers at Wetherspoon that customers were unhappy about Monster being stocked.
http://www.brandrepublic.com/Discipline/Marketing/News/950116/Red-Bull-fire-plot-usurp-Monster/
8,000 pubs join £2m Coke driving campaign
The number of pubs participating in Coca-Cola’s Designated Driver initiative has swelled to 8,000, and this year a £2m campaign will also back the scheme. The initiative, which runs from the start of December to the start of January 2010, will see participating outlets being awarded free product so that they, in turn, can reward designated drivers with a free Coca-Cola or diet Coke on a “buy one get one free” deal. http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/news.ma/article/84935?N=598325&Ne=598327&PagingData=Po_0~Ps_10~Psd_Asc