On World Chocolate Day (7 July), consumer research by global chocolate brand Ritter Sport reveals that an average of one in four people living in Edinburgh, Leeds, London and Manchester are so nuts about chocolate, they would use it as an edible body paint, while one in five would love to bathe in a bath of chocolate.
Speaking about these quirky habits of chocolate-loving city-dwellers, Senior Brand Manager, Ritter Sport UK, Josephine Skinner says: “We’re delighted to discover that people across the UK are embracing their fun-loving, adventurous sides and what's more, our research confirms that they love chocolate, including nut chocolate. So, in the lead-up to World Chocolate Day – which celebrates the arrival of chocolate in Europe – what better way to celebrate these city inhabitants’ love of it than by sampling tens of thousands of bars of our more-ish Ritter Sport nut chocolate?”
The Ritter Sport brand is famous around the world for its square format bar, which comes in many different varieties. However, the Milk Whole Hazelnut is its number-one variety worldwide, so Ritter Sport tapped into this consumer trend by treating people in Edinburgh, Leeds, London and Manchester to thousands of free bars of nut chocolate as part of a nationwide fun and lively sampling campaign.
The brand’s nut range also includes Honey Salted Almonds, Dark Whole Hazelnuts, White Whole Hazelnuts and Cashew, packed full of the best nuts and covered in 100 per cent certified sustainably sourced chocolate.
“The news of the thousands of free bars of nut chocolate being given away caught the attention of some cheeky red squirrels, and rumour had it that they planned to congregate and track down our nut chocolate bars,” explained Ms Skinner. “What ensued was high energy, fun and attention-grabbing sampling, as squirrels danced and jumped in their efforts to get their paws on those nut chocolate bars.
“And what better way for one of the world’s leading chocolate brands to join in World Chocolate Day celebrations!”
Nestlé has announced a new partnership between Carnation and the Food Network.
Running until April 2025, the campaign will see Carnation condensed milk tapping into the nostalgia of favourite childhood desserts, showcasing the product as a key ingredient in family recipes.
The integrated campaign sees a 30 second slot running across linear TV, video on demand and in selected cinemas, representing a media channel-first for the brand. The sponsorship idents will also feature in 10 second slots around programmes including repeat episodes of The Great British Bake Off, running across Discovery+ and the Food Network.
“The ‘Carnation Makes Memories’ campaign is designed to remind consumers of the joy of homemade baking. As we move into the festive season - a time of gatherings and celebrations – what better way to get creative, whipping up your favourite desserts and sweet treats,” Kelly Light, Carnation senior brand manager, said.
“Research reveals that half of UK bakers remember having Carnation as a child and 63 per cent cited it as a part of their favourite childhood desserts. We wanted to capture the emotional bond UK consumers have with the brand through collective memories of baking, making and sharing desserts.”
The short film showcases a carousel of baking memories where each dessert has been lovingly crafted with Carnation to create classic family favourites such as banoffee pie.
Dark nights may be drawing in but in the world of stylish, conscientiously sourced chocolate, GNEW has opted for new splashes of colour brand identity, not only bringing a welcome dash of vitality and exuberance to the UK’s bustling chocolate and gifting fixtures announcing the business’s new, adult-orientation.
The makeover includes an appreciation of nostalgic comfort food, ambitious flavour marriages and compelling mouthfeel and textures.
New arrivals to GNAW’s flavour stable include a New York Cheesecake bar (milk chocolate), a Raspberry Mojito (milk), a tangy Seville Orange (dark & milk), a Popcorn & Peanut (milk), an Espresso Martini (milk), a Honeycomb & Caramel (milk), a zingy Peppermint (milk & dark) and a Sticky Toffee Pudding (milk).
From GNAW’s original launch back in 2010, the artisanal business’s unflinching vision has been never to skimp either in terms of taste (best-in-class ingredients, inspirational flavour liaisons) or purpose (work exclusively with ethical Colombian cacao producers, compostable/kerbside recyclable packaging using only vegetable inks, all produced using clean, solar energy).
"Over the last 12 months the team and I have been immersing ourselves within the latest food trends, not simply within chocolate but throughout all the key lifestyle food and drink movements," said GNAW’s Managing Director, Mike Navarro. "We have always known that we made incredible chocolate but needed to reaffirm our commitment to unearth bold, unapologetic flavours that tap into happy childhood memories, comfort food yearnings and happy nostalgic moments.
"Initial feedback from both loyalist and pending retailers has been nothing short of incredible, so we simply can’t wait to see how consumers respond in the run up to the festive season and beyond!
A complaint against a Jam Shed wine point of sale display has not been upheld by the alcohol industry’s Independent Complaints Panel (ICP).
The complaint, made by a member of the public, raised concerns that the display, which featured the marketing slogan “wine for drinking, not overthinking”, may encourage irresponsible and immoderate consumption.
The Panel considered whether the point-of-sale material could encourage irresponsible or immoderate consumption, under Code rule 3.2(f) as raised by the complainant.
The Panel discussed that "overthinking" was generally perceived to have negative connotations and expressed concern that the line "wine for drinking, not overthinking" in isolation, could be misconstrued as encouragement to drink without due care and attention. However, the Panel stated that it was important to consider the line in the context of the overall impression conveyed by the marketing.
The Panel considered Jam Shed more broadly and acknowledged the company’s response that it was a well-known brand marketed on being a simple and easy choice for consumers who may find the perceived complexity of the wine category intimidating. The Panel also noted that there was nothing else on the marketing material that suggested that a consumer should drink irresponsibly or immoderately.
The Panel considered that the brand identity provided a certain level of context to the intended meaning of the line but that there was an element of ambiguity which could have been made clearer as to the intended meaning of ‘overthinking’. On this point, the Panel warned producers that where marketing was ambiguous it could lead to an unintentional breach of the Code.
After much deliberation, the Panel concluded that while the wording was very close to the line of acceptability, the marketing material did not encourage immoderate or irresponsible consumption. Accordingly, the Panel did not find the point of sale material in breach of Code rule 3.2(f).
The Panel also considered whether the point of sale material urged a rapid or ‘down in one’ style of consumption, in breach of Code rule 3.2(g). The Panel assessed the rest of the marketing material and considered that it did not contain any cues which suggested a consumer should drink rapidly or encouraged a ‘down in one’ style of consumption. On that basis, the Panel concluded that the material did not breach Code rule 3.2(g) and accordingly did not uphold the complaint.
On being notified about the complaint, the company voluntarily removed the display and confirmed it would not use the phrase in future campaigns.
“While the Panel didn’t uphold the complaint in this instance, they still considered the wording of the point-of-sale display very close to the line of acceptability," said Chair of the Independent Complaints Panel, Rachel Childs. "It’s important for producers to be aware that ambiguous marketing could lead to unintentional breaches of the Code and I am grateful to the producer in this case for removing the campaign voluntarily which demonstrates their commitment to responsible marketing.”
Imperial Brands has announced a new pouch size for its best-selling premium Golden Virginia Original hand-rolling tobacco.
As well as the established 30g and 50g sizes, Golden Virginia Original will now for the first time also be available in a 40g pouch, on sale with an RRP of £33.70. The move is a response to continued price inflation and pressures on the cost of living, with consumers more than ever seeking both quality and value in everything they buy, and willing to try new options which they see as offering those attributes.
It follows other 40g pouch size introductions across the market in response to the financial challenges facing many individuals and households under continued difficult economic conditions.
Yawer Rasool, Consumer Marketing Director UK & Ireland at Imperial Brands, explained, “There is enormous loyalty towards the Golden Virginia Original brand, and the 40g pouch size has been introduced to provide increased options for Golden Virginia customers to enjoy their favourite rolling tobacco at a more affordable cost, without compromising on the quality they expect and are used to.
Introduced in 1877, Golden Virginia brings together 20 separate fine tobacco grades, sourced from four continents, to deliver a unique taste, and is widely recognised for its quality and value. Over more than 150 years, it has secured an enviable position in the UK and Ireland market as both a preferred choice for established hand-rolling tobacco users and for those opting for hand-rolling tobacco instead of cigarettes for the first time. Rolling papers are included with all pack sizes.
The annual Coca-Cola Christmas Truck Tour is back, bringing the magic of the season to towns and cities across Great Britain
This year, the Coca-Cola Truck Tour focuses on the ambition to make kindness travel. Echoing the wider Coca-Cola Christmas campaign message, “The World Needs More Santas”, the tour will encourage visitors to embrace their inner Santa and share an act of kindness with others during the festive season.
Promising to be bigger and better than ever before, for every person that attends the Coca-Cola Christmas Truck Tour, the equivalent of a meal will be donated on their behalf. Coca-Cola aims to donate the equivalent of up to a total of one million meals via FareShare this festive season.
“We are so grateful to Coca-Cola for their continued support for FareShare," said Kirsty Ford, Head of Fundraising at FareShare. "These invaluable donations help us get good-to-eat food to the people who need it rather than going to waste. Every day, the food we redistribute to a network of over 8,000 charities in every region helps to strengthen communities. Coca-Cola’s generous support for FareShare is instrumental in helping people affected by the cost-of-living crisis. This support means charities can unite more people through food to form connections and access essential support services. Thank you for helping FareShare make the food go further.”
This year’s Coca-Cola Christmas campaign will also see the Coca‑Cola Christmas Truck make its familiar festive appearance on TV screens in November. This year’s advert will launch with a new twist. For the first time, Coca-Cola will introduce an AI-generated interpretation of the classic advert, with a fusion of human creativity and advanced technology ushering in the start of the Christmas season.
Coca-Cola will also unveil a new festive digital AI experience, enabling people to engage in magical conversations with Santa or a snow globe avatar to create a personalised, shareable snow globe animation, based on a personal memory by scanning the QR code on a Christmas bottle or can of Coca-Cola.
Festive on-pack graphics and promotion Between 7th November and 2nd January, shoppers can enter a free prize draw via the Coca-Cola App by scanning QR codes on festive-themed cans and bottles of Coca-Cola Original Taste and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar. They will find out instantly if they’ve won one of thousands of £50 shopping vouchers*.
The limited-edition packs feature eye-catching festive designs with Santa graphics and decorations to help create a sense of Christmas magic in stores.
Convenience retailers can maximise the occasion by accessing festive Coca-Cola branded point of sale materials from My.CCEP.com now.
"Last year, soft drinks delivered its biggest ever year, with Coca-Cola the soft drink of choice for more than 10m households," said Rob Yeomans, vice-president, commercial development at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) GB.
“Coca-Cola is synonymous with Christmas thanks to the iconic campaigns and Truck Tour that consumers look forward to every year. Our new limited-edition packs and shopping voucher giveaway will help retailers build on that excitement and offer their customers a chance to win something to support with the cost of Christmas.
“Our aim is to spread Christmas spirit, and bring people together to create special Christmas celebrations at home. We’d encourage retailers to make the most of the opportunities that Christmas brings, such as by creating cross-category displays in store and using occasion led messaging at fixture, which can help double shopper engagement and increase sales.”