Cocktails and gifting will be key to driving incremental sales during the Christmas period, with Absolut, Malfy, Malibu, Altos and Jameson highlighted as this year’s big bets
Stubbornly high inflation rates and the cost-of-living crisis are factors likely to impact this year’s festive season. However, Pernod Ricard UK remains positive and believes Premium+ Spirits provide convenience retailers with the opportunity to win big, saying that driving Premium+ Spirits will be more important than ever this Christmas There is good reason to take a chance on the category as its resilience during the current economic turbulence has been strong, delivering consistent double-digit value growth.
Pernod Ricard UK continues to significantly outperform the market, growing value sales +7.2 per cent and market share by +2.7 per cent. Conviviality, celebration, and treating friends and family will remain key over the festive period with shoppers expected to move away from more extravagant gifts. With 80 per cent of shoppers agreeing that food and drink are a good option as an affordable gift, Premium+ Spirits will play an even more important role in the gifting space as they are viewed as an affordable option.
Pernod Ricard UK is urging convenience retailers to plan for two key occasions this Christmas, gifting and hosting. Retailers are being advised to cater for those looking to spread the cost of Christmas across more months by providing gifting options as early as October. Secondly, more at-home celebrations are expected as shoppers host more affordable occasions for their friends and family.
Pernod Ricard is placing its bets on five of its leading spirit brands – Absolut, Malfy, Malibu, Altos and Jameson – and with searches for cocktail inspiration up +555 per cent, will be supporting retailers with their cocktail knowledge to help upsell basic household cocktail ingredients to shoppers.
“We’re hugely excited for Christmas 2023 as its time for Premium Spirits to reclaim the occasion after beer dominated during last year’s football World Cup," said Chris Shead, Off-Trade Channel Director. "In the current economic climate, we are anticipating a significant shift to the Off-Trade as consumers choose to host at home and manage budgets. This presents a huge opportunity for our customers and winning in cocktails remains the key to success. For the convenience channel, Premium+ Spirits offer a point of difference, as the larger supermarkets are increasingly challenged by discounters.”
Convenience retailers can capitalise on the opportunity presented by Premium+ Spirits by helping shoppers host memorable occasions by promoting cocktails that are easy to recreate at home. To support retailers do this, Pernod Ricard UK has put together a Top Five Festive Serves list that can easily be created using basic ingredients and cocktail equipment at home. Neck tags will also be provided across its range to drive shoppers to a dedicated YouTube channel hosting cocktail inspiration and "How To" Guides for those looking for support when recreating festive classics at home, such as the Absolut Espresso Martini and the Absolut Wild Berri Bramble. Pernod Ricard UK will also be offering a gift with purchase (a cocktail jigger) across its Absolut range with 500 kits up for grabs.
Top 5 Festive Serves
The No.2 Christmas Cocktail – Absolut Espresso Martini: 50ml Absolut Vodka, 25ml Kahlúa, 25ml Espresso – add ice, shake well
The spritz is the fastest growing cocktail in the UK – Malfy Gin Rosa Spritz: 35ml Malfy Gin Rosa, 50ml San Pellegrino Aranciata Rossa, 50ml Prosecco – build over ice
The most searched for cocktail of 2023 – Altos Classic Margarita: 50ml Altos Olmeca Plata, 12.5ml Triple Sec, 15ml Agave Syrup, 25ml Fresh Lime Juice – shake well with ice and strain
The most searched for Whiskey cocktail – Jameson Old Fashioned: 50ml Jameson Black Barrel, 5ml Sugar Syrup, Angostura Bitters – stir ingredients over ice
Gordon’s has unveiled a new ATL campaign, “Mix It Up”. The ad, which shows consumers choosing to pace their consumption by switching between Gordon’s Pink and Gordon’s Pink 0.0%, has been created to empower consumers to moderate their consumption in a way that works for them.
Mix It Up is the first Gordon’s campaign to bring both Gordon’s Pink and Gordon’s Pink alcohol-free variants together in one advert. With 36 per cent of drinkers currently pacing their consumption with soft drinks and 49 per cent of alcohol-free occasions also featuring alcohol, the campaign offers those looking to moderate an option that doesn’t compromise on taste.
The new TVC invites viewers to join an evening out with a group of friends. As the group begin to drink their Gordon’s & Tonic, the screen splits in two to visually demonstrate how they choose to pace their night by switching between Gordon’s Pink and Gordon’s Pink 0.0%.
In addition to the new TVC, a suite of assets have been created to bring the campaign to life across social and digital channels. Whilst in the same universe as the commercial, the social content hero’s Gordon’s long-term partner Maya Jama who brings to life how she chooses to mix it up for followers.
“When creating this campaign, we wanted to demonstrate that moderation didn’t have to be a binary decision between having something alcoholic or alcohol free,” said Tayara Sousa Linke, Global Head of Marketing. “We know that this perceived choice impacts people’s decision to moderate, so, through Mix It Up, we wanted to highlight that it is possible to seamlessly switch between the two and enjoy the same great taste of Gordon’s Pink whilst moderating with Gordon’s Pink Alcohol Free.”
The new creative will run across BVOD, Social and Digital channels in GB.
Irish Whiskey brand Jameson has been the English Football League's (EFL) main spirits sponsor for two seasons and is deeply entrenched in all aspects of the league, including player sponsorships. It has now signed up with Admiral to celebrate both brands' association with the beautiful game. They have worked closely together to create a full retro-inspired tracksuit in Jameson’s signature green, featuring key elements from Admiral’s world-famous designs for team performance wear, to create a slouchy royal green trackie ready prepped for pubs, presents, party games and freezing cold five-a-sides this Christmas.
“Jameson shares a history rich with the beautiful game, so teaming up with an iconic heritage brand like Admiral felt like a natural fit, with the results speaking for themselves,” said Josh McCarthy, Brand Director for Pernod Ricard UK. “A classic tracksuit, from two classic brands, to look sharp after the match when buying your mates a round of Jameson, Ginger and Lime. Nostalgia is everywhere at the moment and growing up in Leicester, there was no shortage of Admiral tops in the park and at the local football clubs.”
Theo Hamburger, Head of Sales & Marketing, Admiral, said: “Our partnership with Jameson has flourished on the pitch through our range of football shirts, and we’re excited to elevate that collaboration with a new lifestyle collection. Jameson’s commitment to football over the years perfectly mirrors Admiral’s mission to be at the heart of football culture. Both brands share a rich heritage and history, making this collection a true reflection of the vibrant footballing spirit we aim to celebrate.
The collection will be available on Jameson’s website from 1 November.
An eye-catching design created by a customer is bringing a unique appeal to a new limited-edition range of king-size slim papers from the iconic Rizla brand.
The Super Thin Silver papers from the UK’s favourite rolling papers brand* come in three exciting and colourful designs, which form a complete image when placed together.
The final design - featuring an interpretation of Michelangelo’s sculpture David, with each version having a differing vibrant and colourful background - was chosen from more than 580 entries submitted via Instagram for a global competition which reached an audience of more than 2 million people.
The new papers provide retailers with an additional sales opportunity – and further demonstrate how the iconic Rizla brand continues to deliver strong visual appeal backed by unrivalled product quality.
Each bright and colourful pack contains 32 king size papers and is available to buy at an MRRP of just £0.99**.
They represent the latest chapter in Rizla’s unique journey which, for more than two centuries, has seen the brand pioneer major developments in this category – from the world’s first hand-rolling machine to the launch of rolling papers with gum, and papers with cut corners.
Rizla King Size papers were created and introduced to the market in the 1970s and are now the paper of choice for millions of customers worldwide. Indeed, many people now simply refer to Rizla when discussing or buying rolling papers in general.
Yawer Rasool, Consumer Marketing Director UK & Ireland at Imperial Brands, explained: “King size slim papers seem to have lost none of their popularity with customers and that was one of the reasons we decided to add new limited-edition papers to the line-up – and ask our customers to come up with an eye-catching new design which would work with our established brand look.
“The Instagram competition was hugely popular and drew a vast range of entries, meaning our judges had a really tough time picking a winner to be used on the new packs.
“In the end they went for a novel design where each pack works individually but also in combination with the other two to form a larger image. The design truly reflects the unique image of the Rizla brand, delivering the iconic look and feel which continues to appeal to millions of smokers worldwide. We believe the trio of designs will definitely catch the eye of customers to pick up a pack – or even all three!”
ADRIATICO is once again disrupting the amaretto category by expanding its portfolio, this time in the world of rum. ADRIATICO Amaretto today announces the launch of ADRIATICO Roasted Amaretto Planteray Rum Cask, a new limited edition amaretto made up of only 2,600 bottles, in collaboration with the prestigious rum producer.
This is the fourth limited edition ADRIATICO Amaretto release following the successful Heaven Hill Bourbon Cask, Caroni Rum Cask and Bonollo Grappa Cask expressions. The new limited edition expression ages ADRIATICO Roasted Amaretto for eight months in ex-Planteray Fijian Rum casks, creating an intense amaretto with nuances of classic rum flavours.
As part of the collaboration, Maison Ferrand, producers of Planteray Rum, have also used ADRIATICO Amaretto casks to age their Barbados Single Cask Rum from 2017. This will be the first time that a rum has been matured in an ex-amaretto cask and approximately 1,500 bottles will be released.
"It was essential to have a very intense rum to complement the intensity of the amaretto," said Fannie Thibaud, Head of Creation and Experimentation at Maison Ferrand. "Amaretto is quite sweet, so we needed a rum that was more tannic and structured to achieve a nicely balanced palate. Additionally, the almond and sweet orange notes pair perfectly with the coffee and toasted flavours of the Fiji rum, with slightly animalistic notes that further enhance the marriage of these spirits.”
Jean-Robert Bellanger, Co-Founder of ADRIATICO Amaretto, says: “We are thrilled to collaborate with such a famous rum producer for our fourth limited edition expression. Planteray is a leader in the rum category, producing original blends and single-cask rums from around the world. We found that the Planteray Fijian Rum Casks enhanced ADRIATICO Roasted Amaretto beautifully. We decided to trade our ADRIATICO Roasted Amaretto casks with the founder of Planteray, Alexandre Gabriel, so that he could age his Barbados Single Cask Rum in our Amaretto casks and so that we could use his rum casks to age our Amaretto, creating a fantastic limited edition rum and amaretto. The result is a cosy amaretto with hints of spices and strength.”
Gordon’s is today unveiling its new ATL campaign, "Mix It Up". The ad, which shows consumers choosing to pace their consumption by switching between Gordon’s Pink and Gordon’s Pink 0.0%, has been created to empower consumers to moderate their consumption in a way that works for them.
Mix It Up is the first Gordon’s campaign to bring both Gordon’s Pink and Gordon’s Pink alcohol-free variants together in one advert. With 36 per cent of drinkers currently pacing their consumption with soft drinks and 49 per cent of alcohol-free occasions also featuring alcohol, the campaign offers those looking to moderate an option that doesn’t compromise on taste.
The new TVC invites viewers to join an evening out with a group of friends. As the group begin to drink their Gordon’s & Tonic, the screen splits in two to visually demonstrate how they choose to pace their night by switching between Gordon’s Pink and Gordon’s Pink 0.0%.
In addition to the new TVC, a suite of assets have been created to bring the campaign to life across social and digital channels. Whilst in the same universe as the commercial, the social content hero’s Gordon's long-term partner Maya Jama who brings to life how she chooses to mix it up for followers.
“When creating this campaign, we wanted to demonstrate that moderation didn’t have to be a binary decision between having something alcoholic or alcohol free," said Tayara Sousa Linke, Global Head of Marketing. "We know that this perceived choice impacts people’s decision to moderate, so, through Mix It Up, we wanted to highlight that it is possible to seamlessly switch between the two and enjoy the same great taste of Gordon’s Pink whilst moderating with Gordon’s Pink Alcohol Free.”
The new creative will run across BVOD, Social and Digital channels in GB.