Sweets for my Sweet
With Halloween on the horizon – and the nation’s trick and treaters soon out in full force – now is the ideal time to re-evaluate your confectionery category and ensure you’re carrying the top-selling lines. Supported by extensive consumer marketing campaigns, these confectionery heroes are sure to be front of mind when your customers think ‘indulgence’ this autumn
Print17 September 2015
Fashion fix encourages trial
Kinder Bueno will kick off a new campaign from September, appearing across 19 million packs and offering consumers the chance to win one of 10 fashion prizes every day until Christmas. Kinder Bueno, growing at 14.1%*, will be partnering with popular high street retailers for 13 weeks. The partnerships will see Kinder Bueno offer fashion prizes for shoppers such as the latest ‘must-have’ shoes, hair tools, accessories, clothes and beauty products, which can be won via a microsite, BuenoFashion.com*.
Levi Boorer, customer development director, Ferrero, comments: “When life gets busy, it is easy to find yourself in a routine, but we shouldn’t forget to try new things along the way. That is exactly what the Kinder Bueno promotion will be conveying to shoppers. By offering a little pleasure with our fashion prizes, we aim to appeal to new and existing brand fans alike, encouraging greater trial and increased visibility for the great tasting product.” The promotion is available on the Classic and White variants across the single and multipack formats and will be supported with extensive sampling activity, in-store POS and digital. Free POS can be requested at www.ferrero-trade.com.
*(Source: Nielsen MAT 12.07.15) focused
Marvellous Minions
Ferrero’s power-brand, Kinder, is launching limited edition Kinder for my sweet Surprise eggs containing Minions toys. Rolling out from September, the eggs aim to capitalise on the popularity of the animated characters, coinciding with the recent Minions** film release in the UK and Ireland.
The launch will receive the Kinder treatment with a multi-touchpoint support plan, including TV advertising, video-on-demand, out of home and instore media. The support plan starts on 14 September and forms part of a €300k media investment for the brand over the coming months.
Levi Boorer, customer development director at Ferrero UK and Ireland comments: “We continue to experience a stellar performance across our Kinder portfolio, spearheaded by Kinder Surprise, growing sales by an additional +8.5%. Kinder is a household name that parents trust and their family love, and keeping people engaged with new and limited-edition toys, such as Minions, is a fantastic way to help our loyal retailers drive sales.
“It is vitally important that we look at all new product development through a long-term lens,” Boorer continues, “using robust insights to ensure it delivers against the key pillars of value, relevance and uniqueness for shoppers and consumers. We’re really excited to introduce our latest Minions licence, which forms the beginning of another exciting wave of news for the brand.” Kinder will be helping as many retailers as possible to take advantage of the new opportunity by offering in-store support and a range of POS materials suitable for all store sizes. Kinder Surprise single eggs carry an MRSP of €1.14 and Kinder Surprise multipacks of three eggs carry an MRSP of €3.00.
**(™ & ©2015. Universal Studios)
Highest repeat rate within pralines
Ferrero is launching the biggest ever marketing campaign for its Raffaello brand in the lead up to Christmas, worth €550k, to drive consumer awareness and tap into the full sales potential for the top-quality coconut praline. The heavyweight activity kicks off from November and includes a brand new TV advert, video on demand, digital, sampling, print advertising, in-store activation and a new design on-pack.
Alongside the marketing campaign, the brand will also reintroduce its seasonal products to leverage the opportunity at Christmas, including a Raffaello Mini Cube (RRP €3.66) containing seven individually wrapped Raffaello chocolates and a Raffaello Star Tree
Decoration (RRP €2.40) with four individually wrapped Raffaello pralines which is sure to attract shoppers on the lookout for new and unique gifting solutions.
Levi Boorer, customer development director, Ferrero UK and Ireland, comments: “Raffaello delivers a fresh, special and unique praline experience that no other brand can offer in the market. A praline that is as delicate and high quality as you would expect from Ferrero products, yet delivering an experience that requires no special occasion or time. It has huge potential, with the highest repeat rate within the pralines portfolio, which shows that once shoppers try it, they love the product. This is why we are looking to raise awareness levels and drive trial of the brand with our significant marketing investment. “Raffaello was launched in 2006 and we feel the time is right to really accelerate the size of the brand, particularly as it not only lends itself perfectly to occasions such as Christmas with our seasonal SKUs, but the core range can also be given as a gift all year round, offering the ideal premium sales opportunity for retailers.” To drive trial of the brand and showcase its unique taste, sampling will form a key element of the campaign including instore activity, sampling squads in town centres nationwide and a large scale experiential sampling stunt. This will be supported with a complete shopper marketing plan including a full suite of eye-catching POS in the lead up to Christmas and throughout 2016, in order to drive year-round sales for retailers.
Ferrero will begin building distribution of Raffaello from September, with the marketing campaign kicking off from November to ensure that the product is available when consumers are actively looking for it in-store. The core all year round SKUs for Raffaello include T24, T15 and T3 with respective RRPs of €9.75, €6.29 and €1.25.
Beautiful inside and out!
Butlers Chocolates is delighted to have been selected once again to partner with the National Lottery’s Hampers, Sweets and Treats scratch card game, which will launch at the start of October. Butlers 225g Gift-wrapped Ballotin features as the chocolate prize in the game, which is on sale until the end of December and contains a decadent collection of 20 alcohol-free truffles and pralines in milk, dark and white chocolate, beautifully presented in a luxury gold box with coordinated wraparound and a gold ribbon.
The 225g Ballotin is available in a Butlers display HOD format which is sure to enhance in-store display and help drive impulse sales. The HOD holds 60 units in addition to the regular case of six units.
Butlers 225g Gift-wrapped Ballotin will be distributed by Richmond Marketing. For more details or to place an order, call 01 – 6233222 or email orders@richmondmarketing.com.
Butlers believes this is a great opportunity for retailers to maximise revenue from this popular Christmas game from the National Lottery. Not only do retailers make a margin on the ticket, but they can also make a margin on the chocolate assortment – so the brand advises stocking up on this great Irish-produced line in plenty of time to make the most of the season ahead.
A brand with The X Factor
Earlier this year Cadbury, the country’s number one chocolate brand, was unveiled as TV3’s official sponsor of The X Factor, The Xtra Factor and all X Factor related programing across the station this autumn. The significant six-figure 3solutions partnership, negotiated by Cadbury’s media agency PHD Media, includes branding on all X Factor promotions on TV3 and 3e along with digital sponsorship of TV3’s dedicated The X Factor webpage on tv3.ie and pre-rolls on all The X Factor catch up content on the 3player.
As part of the activity to promote the sponsorship, Cadbury has enlisted Louis Walsh as a Cadbury brand ambassador; a role which saw Louis boogie to Baccarra’s ‘Yes Sir, I Can Boogie’ in the second installation of Cadbury’s Irish #FreeTheJoy video, which aired as a one-off TV roadblock on Thursday, 27 August.
As part of his role Louis Walsh also features in a number of 10-second stings on TV3. The stings, produced by Cadbury’s PR agency FleishmanHilard, tell the narrative of a typical family night in with Cadbury and The X Factor that is shaken up by the arrival of Louis Walsh. A suite of product-focused animations have also been created to feature as five second stings and will appear across social media throughout the campaign.
The sponsorship on TV3 will be driven by Cadbury’s core Dairy Milk brand and its #FreeTheJoy message will be brought to life across a wide variety of platforms, reinforcing Cadbury products as an ideal treat for consumers’ big night in.” Galaxy Duet has a Cookies and Cream finger and a Caramel and Shortcake finger
Highest repeat rate within pralines
Galaxy, one of Ireland’s favourite chocolate brands, is celebrating the arrival of Galaxy Duet last month. Galaxy Duet boasts two flavours in one scrumptious standard sized bar. The Cookies and Cream flavoured finger (35g) and the Caramel and Shortcake flavoured finger (37g) can be enjoyed by Galaxy lovers separately or by combining them together to create an adventurous and unique taste sensation. Galaxy Duet has been supported by an impressive launch campaign including dedicated TV advertising and nationwide out-of-home campaign placements.
The launch also includes engaging instore POS materials and extensive consumer sampling, enhanced by a creative digital campaign. Galaxy understands innovation to be a key driver of the chocolate category and so is excited to bring Galaxy Duet to the market. To keep up-to-date with Galaxy news and competitions, and to join in the conversation, visit www.facebook.com/galaxyireland and @galaxy_ie using #DuetBFF.
Spookily good treats this Halloween
Haribo Horror Mix and Haribo Trick or Treat bags are heading back into stores to provide a spookily good seasonal sales opportunity for retailers this Halloween. Harriet Scales, seasonal brand manager for Haribo comments: “Halloween is an important driver of sales for confectionery where trick or treating is without doubt the biggest purchase and usage occasion. Here value and formats are hugely important as shoppers look for multipacks of portion controlled treats that are well-liked.”
The Haribo Horror Mix features jelly and foam pieces in a selection of Halloween shapes
Supporting the Halloween occasion are Haribo Trick or Treat multipacks. Available in a 200g pack, which contains eight 25g mini bags and also in a 608g pack that includes 38 mini bags at 16g, this treat includes a selection of Halloween themed gums and jellies. Scales continues: “Parties and self-treating also have a positive impact on confectionery sales during Halloween. As Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, we expect trick or treating and parties to grow in popularity. Products that are fit for these purposes should also be a must-stock for retailers.
“Treats that are purchased for Halloween parties are usually taken out of their bags and poured into bowls; here consumers look for themed and colourful products that match the occasion.”
Suitable for Halloween party and self-treating occasions is Haribo Horror Mix. Available in a variety of pack formats, this seasonal line features jelly and foam pieces in a selection of Halloween shapes including bats, frogs, spiders and broomsticks.
For more information about Haribo’s Halloween range, contact the sales team on (0)42 933 0580.
Nuts about sport!
RTÉ and Snickers have announced Snickers and Hazelnut as sponsor of the Second Captains Live autumn series on RTÉ2, running from September to November, covering six shows in total. The sponsorship of Second Captains Live will support the recent introduction of Snickers and Hazelnut which is a new addition to the Snickers brand. With distinctive green packaging, the famous combination of peanuts, caramel and nougat has a new twist, with hazelnuts bringing a new taste experience to consumers.
As part of the sponsorship, Snickers and Hazelnut, in association with RTÉ, is creating bespoke stings which will run on RTÉ2 and video on demand. In addition, Snickers ‘You’re Not You When You’re Hungry’ core TV commercial, which has contributed in driving the brand’s global success over recent years, will run throughout the sponsorship. Online, the Snickers Twitter page, @SnickersIE, will drive conversation around the show during the autumn series.
Produced and presented by Eoin McDevitt, Ken Early, Ciarán Murphy, Simon Hick and Mark Horgan, Second Captains Live is a topical sports and entertainment show bringing sporting news and analysis to Irish audiences.
Jane Chmara, marketing manager at Mars Ireland comments: “Second Captions Live is a natural fit for Snickers and Hazelnut. We believe that the entertaining humour and sporting passion of the brand, together with Second Captains Live will deliver engaging content for viewers.”
A lesson in Excellence
Growing at +18% year-onyear, Lindt Excellence is the largest dark chocolate brand in Ireland and now over twice the size of its nearest dark chocolate competitor*. Lindt Excellence offers a wide range of classic and contemporary recipes; from Haribo Trick or Treat multipacks are available in 200g and 608g packs the iconic and refined 70% Cocoa to the fusion of flavours of Orange Intense to the more adventurous Touch of Sea Salt.
Crafted by the Lindt master chocolatiers, the brand states that the rarest and most aromatic cocoa beans are blended with the finest ingredients creating exquisite and refined chocolate of intense flavour and elegant texture. Lindt Excellence offers exciting and innovative flavours to match every palate.
This September will see the most comprehensive support plan ever put behind the Lindt Excellence brand in Ireland. A heavyweight TV campaign will run throughout September for the first time on Irish television.
Retailers will see a major in-store push with Lindt Excellence offering an array of premium point of sale solutions. The Lindt Excellence range has a RRP of €2.69.
Celebrating the breadth of flavours available in the range this September, Lindt Excellence says the brand continues its mission to introduce your shoppers to all the benefits of truly exceptional dark chocolate.
*(Source: AC Nielsen 52 weeks to 19 July MAT)
Caption: Lindt Excellence is Ireland’s largest dark chocolate
A moment of bliss
As the number one premium boxed chocolate brand, Lindt Lindor continues to outperform the market and now holds a 9.1% market share*. Lindt Lindor’s success comes not only from timeless classics such as the iconic Lindor milk truffles but through the continual innovations the company brings to the market every year. And 2015 is no different with the launch of Lindt Lindor’s newest creation, Lindor Milk Orange 200g. The limited edition Lindor Milk Orange is set to hit the shelves this autumn, joining the delectable Lindor range. Lovingly crafted by the Lindt master chocolatiers, each Lindor Milk Orange truffle is surrounded by a shell of luxurious premium chocolate that once broken, releases a smooth melting orange filling. Lindor Milk Orange 200g retails at €6.99. Lindor TV advertising returns to screens this winter as part of a huge national support campaign to drive awareness and sales.
*(Source: AC Nielsen 52 weeks to 19 July MAT)
New innovations such as the Lindt Lindor Milk Orange help the Lindor brand to outperform the market
Moving with the times
Loved by consumers since 1935, the KitKat brand, with its trademark red wrapper and chocolate fingers, has not just stood the test of time over the past 80 years but has never stopped moving with it. Today, KitKat is the leading brand in Nestlé’s confectionery portfolio, experiencing +11.3% value growth which is not surprising given that 55% of Irish households purchase the KitKat brand on average five times per year.
KitKat is synonymous with being the perfect snack to eat whilst having a break and KitKat’s ‘Celebrate the Breaks’ campaign, launched earlier this year, recognises that no two individuals are the same, so why should their breaks be? The campaign kicked off with the launch of over 400 limited edition packs as, for the first time in the brand’s history, the KitKat name was replaced on the front of pack with one of 72 different types of break. The campaign’s promotional hashtag #mybreak was also moulded into the actual chocolate ofthe KitKat bars, thus extending the reach of the campaign even further and ensuring no consumer could miss it. Following this is another major initiative for the brand with the recently announced launch of new KitKat Snap & Share. Available in two flavour variants: Milk Chocolate and Cookies & Cream, these 170g sharing blocks each have an RRP of €3.63*. Sharing blocks have emerged as a key growth area for the category, driven by the trend for consumers to choose confectionery that they can share. Nestlé is the fastest growing manufacturer in this format and is set to continue to build on this with this latest initiative.
The two new products are expected to generate incremental sales for both the brand and the total confectionery category by tapping into a number of consumption opportunities. Firstly, the bars are designed so consumers can ‘Snap & Share’ them with friends and family, thus tapping into the major consumer trend for sharing confectionery. Secondly, sharing blocks are known to have a younger audience compared to chocolate in general and are therefore expected to introduce KitKat to an even wider audience. Take-home confectionery continues to gain share in 2015 growing at +3.6% YOY. Pre-planned snacking and value seeking are habits now ingrained in Irish shopper behaviour.
KitKat is also launching a limited edition four finger Mocha variant, with each bar consisting of the combination of four crispy wafer fingers covered in coffee-flavoured milk chocolate.
The mocha flavour is designed to appeal to consumers who are keen to have a new, different and more exciting flavour twist from their favourite chocoloate bars.
Q&A With . . .Simon Demery, General Sales Manaer, Swizzels Ireland
Q Swizzels has been very busy on the innovation front over the past few months. How do you approach innovation?
As a brand, we are great believers in innovation and new product development. We keep a close eye on trends within the sugar confectionery category which allows us to develop and release products in line with both current and up-and-coming trends. Before we launch a product, it is thoroughly researched with consumers to ensure it exceeds their expectations. We have a loyal group of ‘Swizzels Taste Buddies’ who are happy to share their views on our products and to help us make our packaging as impactful as possible.As well as this, we launched the search for an official sweet taster to join the Swizzels team earlier this year.
The winning entrant was Áine Hickey from Tipperary who wowed us with her enthusiasm. She couldn’t have been a better candidate for the job, as her family ran a sweet shop during her childhood and she was a master sweet taster back then! Over the next year, Áine will liaise with our dedicated NPD team whose mission is to come up with the new flavour and texture combinations.
Q: Any new product launches we should be looking out for over the next few months?
Swizzels has lots in store over the coming months, especially as we near Halloween and Christmas. We were also delighted to extend the Squashies range earlier this year. With the success we’ve had with Drumstick Squashies, we have been able to extend this to include a Bubblegum flavour as well as Sour Cherry and Apple flavour.
We are constantly working on new products and with Halloween only around the corner, we are striving to offer added value to our Halloween range for 2015 as we know households are still budget conscious. Our top selling products include the Loadsa range including Loadsa Lollies, Loadsa Chews and Loadsa Sweets as well as the new and improved Party Mix tub which includes a host of our most popular goodies including classic Love Hearts, Double Lollies, Refreshers, Fruity Pops and Fizzers.
Q What have been your best performing innovations and why?
Last month, we launched Swizzels Bon Bons, our take on an old classic which sees already popular flavours such as Drumsticks and Refreshers transformed into a appeal to consumers who are keen to have a new, different, more exciting flavour twist from their favourite chocolate bars. It fits with the consumer trend towards café culture, and the growth in popularity of coffee-shop coffees with all their different varieties of coffee now on offer. The mild coffee flavour is attractive to a broad audience of both males and females, with younger consumers also enjoying this sweeter coffee flavour.
Q: How can retailers engage consumers instore and drive sales within their confectionery category?
Stocking a variety of formats is crucial as is stocking price-marked items together. Retailers need to cater for a wide range of consumers and occasions and so understanding the shopper mission is particularly important. Larger bags are perfect for sharingoccasions and big nights in, so stocking these bags in high-visibility locations, and alongside drinks and snacks for a similar occasion will help drive sales.
We are also seeing strong growth in seasonal sales in smaller stores. Retailers can maximise the sales opportunity by doing creative displays and keeping the shopping experience fun. As many Halloween purchases are made at the last minute, it is important to have the right range and to keep stocked right up to the day of Halloween. Swizzels has a strong range for Halloween and the individually wrapped products are perfect for Halloween parties and trick or treaters.
From a category perspective, gums and jellies is consistently the biggest category within kids’ sugar confectionery, and one of the only categories to see ongoing long-term growth. A strong gums offering is key and a brand such as Squashies is a high rate of sale item. Nestlé launched Aero Mousse in a single impulse bar and a sharing block earlier this year will also join Aero Mousse which launched in a single impulse bar and a sharing block earlier this year. Each bar consists of bubbly Aero 55% of Irish households purchase the KitKat brand on average five times per year.
Rowntrees also saw some new launches earlier in the summer with its limited edition Fruit Pastilles Berries and Cream single and a permanent Berries and Cream sharing bag. Each pack contains a mix of strawberry and cream, raspberry and cream, and blackberry and cream sweets. Rowntrees is the number one sugar singles brand in Ireland.
*(RRP – Pricing is at the sole discretion of the retailer and the retailer is responsible for determining consumer prices.
Nestlé Ireland may only recommend resale prices and the retailer remains at all times free to follow or not follow such recommendations).
(Source: All data Nielsen MAT 12 July 2015)
Halloween hits!
Iconic confectionery brand and giant of the Halloween season, Swizzels, is preparing for a sellout spooky season with an extensive range of sweet treats that will be ideal for all Halloween sharing occasions.
To build on the hugely successful Halloween period in 2014, Swizzels is offering the topselling variety range of Swizzels favourites – Lots of Lollies, Bumper Bag, and Chew Crew (210g). These variety packs were among the topselling Swizzels products of 2014, which the brand believes makes them an essential part of your range this Halloween season. The individually wrapped sweets will be an ideal choice to offer trick or treaters or to serve at parties.
Swizzels is also offering its Loadsa range this Halloween including Loadsa Lollies, Loadsa Chews and Loadsa Sweets, flashed plus 40% extra free. The newly designed bags are sure to stand out on shelf and are ideal for this time of year – offering variety and value for money. Swizzels also offers its Party Tub (650g) which includes a host of its most popular goodies including classic Love Hearts, Double Lollies, Refreshers, Fruity Pops and Fizzers which will be ideal for all spooky occasions and the Monster Mix (413g) features trick or treating favourites sure to delight whichever ghosts and ghouls come knocking upon doorsteps this Halloween.
Simon Demery, general sales manager at Swizzels Ireland said: “Halloween is a key retail period for Swizzels and 2015 will be no exception. We know that consumers are spending more on Halloween with themed confectionery and costumes leading the way. This year, we come prepared with an extensive range of products available to satisfy all trick or treaters or Halloween party guests. Our variety bags and Party Tubs are guaranteed to please everyone with a sweet tooth this Halloween season.”
Swizzels is the UK’s largest family-owned independent sugar confectionery business that makes a range of well-known products including Love Hearts, New Refreshers, Drumstick Lollies, Rainbow Drops, Double Lollies and Fruity Pops. Swizzels as been operating in Ireland for the past 30 years with a sales, marketing and distribution function in Tallaght. The company’s range of iconic products also includes the recently launched Squashies range.
Drumsticks and Refreshers have built up a very loyal fan base over the last 60 years, and with 120 million drumsticks enjoyed across Ireland and the UK every year, we were confident there would be an appetite among consumers for their favourite flavours presented in a new format. The bon bon market is seeing strong growth and the launch of Drumstick and Refreshers Bon Bons will further drive category growth, the initial reaction from consumers and sales have been extremely encouraging.
We’ve already seen this when we first introduced Squashies in 2014 and we have since added two new flavours to the range to join the already existing flavours. Squashies are now available in Bubblegum flavour and Sour Cherry and Apple flavour which have so far proven to be widely appealing across our customer base and are becoming a consumer favourite.
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