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Insight

December 20th, 2023

December Retail Highlights

A fresh line-up to close the year. Just a few of the best festive initiatives and brands appealing to shoppers with what the New Year has to bring. Profiling and personalisation are festive favourite tactics, from Quality Street as usual and including Cola-Cola this year. All topped with a sprinkling of sustainability inspiration and creative genius from Guinness!

Foot Pints!

Guinness have done it again! This campaign celebrates the festive season and the pubs that play a key role in culture and community, especially over the winter! What's more is shoppers can get their hands (and feet!) on a pair of limited edition stout snow boots!” – F&BM View

In it's latest 'pint play' genius, Guinness is running a campaign to celebrate the winter boots that it has created, to leave 'foot pints' in the snow, paving the way to the pub! 

  • The boots leave footprints which partly reveal the dark surface below and partly leave the white fluff intact, to resemble a perfectly poured pint of the dark stuff.
  • See www.guinness.com/en-ie/shop/foot-pints

Massive Magnum Offer

“A great consumer promotion to highlight the quality and award-winning nature of Baron de Ley wines. Despite a relatively low budget prize pool, the Magnums offering feels rich and increases awareness of the range.” – F&BM View

Baron de Ley is offering consumers the chance to  win 1 of 50 Magnums this Christmas. 

  • The promotion is featured in ASDA, Waitrose and Co-Op stores, on bespoke neck colours. These include ‘award winning’ messaging to help incentivise purchase. 
  • This no purchase necessary mechanic includes a scan to win QR code on pack, although consumers could simply visit the URL to enter.

Bringing ‘Joie de Vivre’

“An authentic and delightful offering to tempt shoppers. The way the iconic Eiffel Tower is featured on the bottle’s neck tag design and the mix of bold and traditional script, combine to make it both eye-catching and charming.” – F&BM View

Les Dauphins is offering consumers the chance to win a ‘Joie de Vivre’ weekend break for two to Paris, to soak up  the ‘Bistro life’ that inspired the wine brand. 

  • The prize includes a hotel stay, V.I.P trip to the Eiffel Tower, dinner on the Seine, and a French cookery course. 
  • UK Consumers enter the draw with their details and proof of purchase, uploading a photograph of their receipt before March ‘24.
  • Runners up prizes of 100 x £50 UK Bistro vouchers  to be won.
  • Captured in Waitrose, Guildford.

House Party Hits

“This latest activation by Monkey Shoulder, is a great example how to elevate a brand experience in a more relaxed way and to engage with consumers within the home environment”
– F&BM View

Monkey Shoulder has run a big instant giveaway promotion, headlining with a house party prize worth £5,000. 

  • Consumers simply scan a QR code to enter, retaining their proof of purchase which is required to claim prizes if they win
  • The house party for up to just 8 people includes a bartender and cocktail trolley, DJ and decks plus an  hour of 'the world's loudest whisky tasting'
  • The 2,000 merch prizes included branded baseball caps, glasses, waist bags and wireless headphones
  • Captured in Morrisons, Woking.

All Sorts of Santa’s!

“It’s fantastic to see how this campaign focusses on building emotional connections and sustained brand engagement, effectively integrating online interactivity and physical incentives to enhance the customer experience.” – F&BM View

Kindness is the theme of Coca-Cola this Christmas, highlighting a human narrative instead of rather than  being product-centric. 

  • In store, promotional POS features a ‘buy 2 and get a free branded glass’ with the incentive encouraging consumers to ‘Unleash their inner Santa’.
  • Alongside this campaign, a social ad is asking consumers ‘What type of Santa are you?’ by encouraging them to take a quiz on the Coca-Cola  app, for the opportunity to personalise their Santa-themed products.
  • Captured in Morrisons, Woking.

Sunsets Experiences

“Corona's promo triumphs by harnessing the universally cherished sunset, signalling it's time to end the day and embrace the evening! The clever wordplay on 'sunSETS' seamlessly connects to the festival vibe and the illustrative trade POS is eye-catching. I'm considering swapping creamy liquors for this refreshing serve this Christmas!” – F&BM View

Corona offered consumers the chance to win festival tickets as well as range of on-the-spot prizes, including discounts on popular Mexican restaurants like Chiquitos. 

  • The day to night events were developed to be more than a music festival with various sunset-themed activities, including live art installations and culinary experiences. 
  • The QR code, scan to win mechanic was featured alongside a trade advocacy programme promoting the perfect serve ‘on draught with a wedge of lime’ and could be found on beer mats and branded POS. 
  • Captured in Wetherspoons, Woking.

Wonka Wins!

“A fun family promotion for mess-free chocolate indulgence this Christmas. However, the brand could use more visibility – I find myself thinking about Timothée Chalamet more than Persil or laundry (not that I'm complaining!)” – F&BM View

Persil is leveraging the release of ‘Wonka’ by offering 5 families a fun-filled weekend away in London.

  • Open to UK residents, consumers enter by purchasing any Persil product from Asda and scanning the QR code (or visiting a landing page). They are required to retain their receipt as proof of purchase.
  • The prize includes 2 nights hotel stay, Wonka themed afternoon tea and chocolate making workshop. 
  • A lenticular trolley campaign will support the  promotion as well as feature at shelf, in the aisle and on promotional displays.

Glorious Gifting Made Personal

“Personalisation is an excellent incentive to enhance sales and is especially on-trend with consumers now. The opportunity to personalise gifts instantly, without having to pre-order, provides for an impressive customer experience.” – F&BM View

In a festive chapter of events across the year, Molton Brown is offering personalised gifting and complimentary gift wrapping. 

  • Turning its Northcote Road store into a one-stop-shop for 'glorious gifts', it is offering personal fragrance consultations and fragrance bottle engraving
  • The service involves some beautifully high-tech machinery, which is versatile enough to travel with  to the various programme of events.

Personal Favourites

“This bold and interactive display, with the personalised touch, is just what people are looking for at Christmas! The pick’n’mix style is a win, because, let’s be honest, no one wants the blue coconut eclair.” – F&BM View

John Lewis has teamed up with Quality Street again, this year to offer bespoke chocolate Christmas gifts. 

  • Consumers can personalise the tins and fill them with their favourite Quality Street chocolates. These include the ‘back by popular demand’ coffee creme, as an exclusive flavour. 
  • As well as the iconic tins, shoppers can opt for a new Christmas cracker box design whilst taking a selfie in a giant ‘favourite’ themed backdrop. 
  • John Lewis is promoting a refill service, offering low prices if you refill a tin from previous years. 

Quality AR

“A lovely idea! The in-store feature is great and engagement levels will be maximised with no-purchase required. The overall AR delivery experience however has room for improvement and incorporating banners on Sainsbury's online Quality Street pages, feels like a missed opportunity.” – F&BM View

Shoppers are being offered the chance to win Sainsbury's gift cards or a £1,000 cash prize with a fun AR mechanic in the build up to Christmas Day. 

  • The no purchase entry mechanic gives shoppers  access to a simple AR game
  • Players move their phone around the room and when a Quality Street tub appears, they tap on it to find out if they are a winner
  • There are 600 x £20 gift cards available to be won (25/day) plus a final draw for the £1,000 prize.

Sip Rioja in Rioja

“As the rain and wind lashes the UK, who wouldn’t want the chance to win a luxury experience in Bilbao! A simple but effective promotion to help drive rate of sale and premiumise the brand.” – F&BM View

Ramón Bilbao is offering consumers the chance to win a trip to Rioja with a two-day cultural experience. 

  • Includes a two-night stay and flights for two, a 4-star hotel, car rental, lunch at a Michelin Star restaurant and wine tasting with lunch at the Ramón Bilbao winery. 
  • To enter the UK promotion (excluding Northern Ireland), consumers are required to purchase a bottle of Ramón Bilbao, then visit the promotional website, provide their details and upload a photograph of their receipt as proof of purchase.
  • Runners up prizes include 30 x 6 bottle packs of Ramón Bilbao. 31 winners will be drawn at random in January. 

Vine to Fashion

“A fantastically creative way to utilise what would otherwise be wasted, with the bonus of a collaborative celeb endorsement. We all need to be looking at ways to reduce waste.” – F&BM View

Veuve Clicquot has teamed up with fashion designerStella McCartney to create luxury fashion items from winemaking process waste! 

  • The brand is recycling its grape and cork waste to  be used to craft vegan handbags and shoes
  • The 'vegan leather', that's taken less than 18 months  to develop has been the source of Stella's new Vegea range, which includes a bottle holder for one of Veuve Clicquot's champagnes.