NPD and Media

PICKS OF THE WEEK – MARS WRIGLEY

MARS BAR SET TO BE CERTIFIED CARBON NEUTRAL BY 2023

The bars will also be trialled in fully recyclable paper packaging starting in 2022.

Mars bars sold in the UK and Ireland will be certified as carbon neutral by 1 January 2023.

Mars Wrigley says the move will make the Mars bar, which has annual sales of more than 200 million bars in the UK, the first carbon neutral chocolate bar to appear on British and Irish shelves that is produced by a top five confectionery company.

The confectionery giant aims to reduce the Mars bar carbon footprint by more than 20% in the UK and Ireland by 2023 by supercharging its efforts to sustainably transform supply chain agricultural practices, including using satellite data to geomap cocoa farms, and accelerated partnerships with suppliers to produce dairy more sustainably.

In addition, the Mars bar will be trialled in fully recyclable paper packaging starting in 2022.

Any emissions that cannot be eliminated will be offset by carbon removal credits based on climate solutions like reforestation and land restoration.

The greenhouse gas reductions and high-quality offsets used for Mars bar to go carbon neutral in 2023 are expected to be roughly equivalent to charging more than 13 billion smartphones.

Mars Wrigley will work with an independent auditor to certify the Mars bar as carbon neutral and will be adhering to the PAS 2060 standard for carbon neutrality, which is widely considered to be the leading standard of carbon neutral specification.

Adam Grant, Mars Wrigley UK General Manager, said: “At Mars, we believe that actions speak louder than words and, to create a world tomorrow where our planet is healthy, we are clear that bold action must be taken today. Our pledge to deliver a certified carbon neutral Mars bar in the UK and Ireland by 1 January 2023, supported by significant reductions in the near term, is the kind of immediate climate protection intervention needed to deliver a sustainable tomorrow.”

PICKS OF THE WEEK – CHICAGO TOWN

CHICAGO TOWN LAUNCHES £2.5M CAMPAIGN

The multi-media campaign will run until the end of November.

Chicago Town has invested £2.5m in a multimedia campaign that showcases its range of pizzas and toppings. The move comes after a successful period for the £134m brand, which has maintained its lead in the frozen pizza category.

The campaign will appear across TV, social, digital and out-of-home, including bus supers, rail transitions, bus stop wraps, and flyposting.

Notably, the campaign will have a high impact presence at London Waterloo national rail station, which comprises of heavy brand engagement, such as sampling opportunities.

The brand will launch a 96-sheet special build billboard campaign to promote its Loaded Cheese, Cheesy Stuffed Crust Takeaway pizzas. The ad champions the brand’s generous toppings and has been designed to appear as though the huge billboard has dropped as a result of having so much cheese on the pizza.

Rachel Bradshaw, Marketing Manager from Dr Oetker, said: “We know that pizza fans love our delicious flavour and value our generous toppings. This new campaign will encourage even more pizza moments while showcasing our fully loaded taste credentials.

“We’re really excited to have extended into out of home formats to increase the reach and the impact of our existing masterbrand campaign.”

The multi-media campaign will run until the end of November.

PICKS OF THE WEEK – KP SNACKS

KP NUTS UNVEILS NEW MOVEMBER CAMPAIGN

The campaign aims to get more people talking about testicular cancer.

KP Snacks has launched a new campaign, as part of its continued partnership with health charity Movember, to get more people talking about testicular cancer.

The Queen of Drag and winner of season one of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, The Vivienne, will act as KP’s campaign ambassador, featuring in scroll-stopping video content to encourage those with testicles to check their nuts.

Social content sees The Vivienne bursting into a changing room of footballers, telling them it’s time to check their nuts for signs of anything unusual. The content is humorous, before sharing self-examination guidance, with the main message being “Whoever you are, if you have ‘em, check ‘em”.

Testicular cancer is the number one cancer among people with testicles, with around 70,000 people diagnosed each year, yet 62% of those who are most at risk don’t know how to check themselves.

Jenny Blanco Barcia, KP Marketing Manager, said: “We are extremely proud to be working alongside Movember for another year. KP is the UK’s most well-known and best loved nut brand, and we want to use our brand awareness to help raise awareness of testicular cancer and get people talking as there can be a stigma attached to talking about it.

“The Vivienne’s sense of humour and appearances on Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK makes her the perfect ambassador to tell people ‘Whoever you are, if you’ve got testicles, check them’ as if caught early, there is a 95% chance of survival. The campaign aims to educate those with testicles on the importance of checking their nuts, and we encourage our consumers and retail partners to do just that.”

PICKS OF THE WEEK – COCA-COLA EUROPACIFIC PARTNERS

COKE KICKS-OFF CHRISTMAS WITH NEW ON-PACK PROMO

Twenty-seven million festive-themed sharing packs of Coca-Cola Original Taste andCoca-Cola Zero Sugar are rolling out now.

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) kicks off its annual Coca-Cola Christmas countdown this month with the launch of a brand new on-pack promotion.

Twenty-seven million festive-themed sharing packs of Coca-Cola Original Taste and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar are rolling out now, featuring the strapline ‘win a meal, give a meal’.

Shoppers can scan QR codes on-pack for the chance to win e-vouchers from Love2Shop. And for every entry, Coca-Cola will donate a meal to its long-term charity partner, FareShare, a charity set up to fight hunger and food waste by redistributing surplus food to frontline charities.

The festive pack designs and promotion will run across sharing formats including large PET bottles and multi-packs of cans.

Martin Attock, Vice-President Commercial Development at CCEP GB said: “Coca-Cola’s brand purpose is about bringing people together and making a difference, and this promotion does exactly that.

“We know that a third of shoppers are already planning a bigger Christmas than usual as they reunite with family and friends, and with 130 years of heritage at Christmas time, Coca-Cola is the brand to help them make it happen. At the same time, we know there are people for whom Christmas is a particularly difficult time, and we want to support them too.

“Last Christmas CCEP’s soft drinks were the biggest contributor of soft drinks growth (54% category growth) with Coca-Cola Trademark taking the spot as the No.1 soft drink brand, making it a must-stock brand alongside other CCEP festive favourites including Schweppes and Appletiser.”

PICKS OF THE WEEK

TWISTED VODKA

Smirnoff has extended its range with a Mango & Passionfruit Twist vodka. The 700ml bottle will be available exclusively from Tesco and Booker wholesalers from 3 November, before rolling out to other markets from March 2022. It retails at £16.50 and £15.99 for a price-marked pack.

VALUE TOBACCO

JTI is introducing a new Sterling Essential 50g format to tap into the demand for value roll-yourown products. The new format has an RSP of just £21.20. The company has pledged to maintain low prices across its entire Sterling Essential range, following the Budget last week.

CHEESE ALTERNATIVE

Boursin has unveiled its first plant-based alternative to cheese, Boursin Plant-BasedGarlic & Herbs. The Vegan Certified launch offers a combination of intense garlic, fragrant parsley and chives in a plant-based recipe made from sunflower oil.

RUM EXPANSION

Halewood Artisanal Spirits has added two new core variants to its Dead Man’s Fingers range. Dead Man’s Fingers Black Rum (70cl, ABV 40%) is available to all channels. Dead Man’s Fingers White Rum (70cl, ABV 37.5%) is exclusively available via Tesco/ Booker until 1 January.

GREEN WINE

Campo Viejo has updated its bottle design and packaging to make them more sustainable. Labels will change from adhesive labels to recyclable FSC-certified PET paper, and a reduction in the label size and redesign of graphics will use less inks and paper.

PINT OF CIDER

British cider brand, Crumpton Oaks, is launching a four-pack pint can to broaden its consumer base, attract new shoppers to the cider category and reinforce its quality and value proposition. The new offering launches in a £4 price-marked pack of four 568ml cans.