NPD and Media

PICKS OF THE WEEK – BATCHELORS PEAS

BATCHELORS PEAS RENEWS RUGBY LEAGUE PARTNERSHIPS

The brand is set to feature on matchday programmes, pitch perimeter boards, and on official competition backdrops.

Batchelors Peas has renewed its Rugby League partnerships, seeing the brand drive category awareness through press competitions, on-pack promotions, and digital support.

Following the renewal, the company became official partner of the Betfred Super League and Official Partner of the Challenge Cup for the seventh consecutive season and official partner of the England Rugby League team for the fifth year.

Betfred Super League fans will notice the brand featured on all matchday programmes, on pitch perimeter boards and on all official competition backdrops at more than 180 games.

Princes Marketing Director, Dean Towey, said: “We arrive again at the start of another exciting Rugby League season and Batchelors Peas is pleased to extend its partnerships for 2022. “We’re a brand which promotes families and friends spending time together and we’re looking forward to engaging again with fans up and down the country at match day events and with competitions throughout the season.”

The campaign continues to increase usage and drive purchase of mushy and marrowfat peas among existing and new consumers through the promotion of the products as the ‘ideal’ accompaniment for fish and chips, and other family favourite meals.

The 2022 season kicks off on 10 February 2022 with a match between St Helens and Catalan Dragons at 8pm.

BABYBEL PARTNERSHIP WITH COMIC RELIEF CONTINUES

Promotional packs will feature fun and inspiring ways for consumers up and down the country to raise money for the charity.

Babybel has announced it is again supporting major UK charity Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day campaign, marking the continuation of their established 22-year relationship.

The partnership will see Babybel donating 5p to Comic Relief for every limited-edition promotional pack sold. The money raised will be used to support vital life changing work in the UK and around the world, which includes tackling homelessness, domestic abuse, poverty, and mental health problems.

The packs feature fun and inspiring ways for consumers to raise money for the charity.

Babybel’s fundraising activity with Red Nose Day is set to drive further consumer engagement and will be maximised through significant marketing investment including TV, video-on-demand, social and fun-filled influencer collaborations.

The brand is urging retailers to stock up on promotional packs and drive visibility in-store to maximise the opportunity.

Ollie Richmond, Brand Manager at Babybel, said: “At Babybel we’re calling the UK public to ‘Join The Goodness’ and become a hero by fundraising for Comic Relief.

“We’re extremely proud of our long-standing relationship which has raised over £1.5m for this brilliant charity to date and we really hope that this year’s campaign, through the support of our retail partners, will result in even more money going to this worthy cause.”

The limited-edition Red Nose Day Babybel packs are available to retailers from 18 February and will be available in all major supermarkets and convenience stores across the country while stocks last.

COKE ZERO TARGETS GAMERS

Gaming fans can scan QR codes on promotional packs for a chance to access instant wins and to enter weekly prize draws.

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) has announced a new on-pack promotion for its Coca- Cola Zero Sugar range that taps into young adults’ passion for gaming.

From 14 February until 25 April, gaming fans can scan QR codes on promotional packs of Coca- Cola Zero Sugar for a chance to access instant wins and to enter weekly prize draws. Prizes up for grabs including Xbox Game Passes for PC and exclusive Coke-branded HyperX headsets.

The promotion will run across the Coca-Cola Zero Sugar range, including the cherry- and vanilla-flavoured variants, and will include both on-the-go and take-home pack formats.

The on-pack promotion will be supported by a multi-million-pound marketing campaign entitled ‘Real Thrills, Real Magic’ which includes paid social media, out-of-home advertising, in-store activation and digital advertising – along with a new online advert featuring the League of Legends video game team.

Convenience retailers can request POS materials via My.CCEP.com.

Martin Attock, Vice President of Commercial Development at CCEP GB, said: “There are more than 35 million gamers in the UK, 71% of whom regularly consume soft drinks while they play, so bringing together GB’s fastest-growing cola brand in retail with a huge part of the entertainment industry is a perfect partnership.

“We’d therefore encourage retailers to get behind this campaign in-store to benefit from the growth momentum behind the Coca-Cola Zero Sugar brand.”

JOIN THE CLUB

McVitie’s Club has introduced a Salted Caramel variant, available now in packs of seven or eight individually-wrapped bars, with an RSP of £1 to £1.70. The biscuits consist of a light, golden-baked bar, layered with a salted caramel-flavoured cream and coated in milk chocolate.

SOUR THEN SWEET

Sour Patch Kids has launched a new Watermelon flavour. Each jelly sweet is watermelon-flavoured with a coating of sour sugar. Like the other variants, the flavour changes from sour to sweet. It is available in shelfready cases of 10 with an RSP of £1.32 per 140g bag.

INFUSED WATER

Britvic is adding a Blood Orange & Mango flavour to its Aqua Libra range of infused sparkling waters, available from 10 February in 330ml cans with a £1 RSP. The launch aims to support retailers in offering shoppers more choice within the flavoured water segment.

PEACE POP

Ben & Jerry’s has launched Salted Caramel Brownie Peace Pop, which consists of a sweet cream ice cream with a thick brownie sauce centre covered in a gooey Salted Caramel coating and popped on a stick. Multipacks are available now, with an RSP of £4.

BN IS BACK

McVitie’s BN biscuit brand is back after a four-year absence. Two formats are available: fullsized biscuits in packs of 16 and mini-sized in packs of five. Fullsized biscuits come in chocolate or vanilla flavours and the smaller size in chocolate or strawberry. RSP is £1 for all formats.

PMP SNACKS

Pladis is adding Jacob’s Mini Cheddars Sticks Grilled Cheddar and Sizzling Steak (75g) to its £1 price-marked pack range. The range currently includes Original, Smoky BBQ, Red Leicester, Nacho Cheese & Jalapeno and Ploughman’s Cheshire Cheese Mini Cheddars.