Shaken or Stirred
Although they swear there are 238 different Kahlua concoctions with which consumers can sip the night away, the marketers at Westport, CT-based Allied Domecq have set aside enough time to devote to only one of them this summer: the Kahlua rum-cola.
An energized campaign to hype the cola-enhanced drink – one part Kahlua, one part rum, four parts cola over ice, with a lime wedge – rolled out last month.
The backbone of the effort is a tie-in with cable TV network E!’s Wild On series, which hits hot spots around the world to give couch potatoes a glimpse of what they’re missing. A sweeps overlay serving up 10 trips to an upcoming Wild On show in Miami Beach and a concert with popular group Lit is a focal point, as are various cross-promotions and TV coverage.
A national Blitz Night (set into action via Chicago-based EMI) last month had Kahlua staffers invading bars and night clubs in eight major markets with premiums and exciting events. Managed bar nights continue, with the brand driving on-premise trial and call orders with the aforementioned giveaways, three million sweepstakes entry forms, branded napkins, drink twizzler umbrellas, inflatable palm trees, and table tents. “We’re creating an exciting environment for 21- to 29-year olds,” says Kahlua promotions manager Jana Gabe.
At retail, the effort will proffer self-liquidators such as hats, tank-tops, and T-shirts, backed by P-O-P including case cards, poster giveaways, pole topper displays, bottle neckers, and shelf-talkers. The campaign carries the tagline, “Anything Goes.” Online, the effort has a presence on both the E! Web site and Kahlua.com.
Westport, CT-based Tuxis Promotion Group, Kahlua’s agency of record, handles the effort, which ends in July. The brand is planning other big single-drink marketing pushes – most likely for drinks that aren’t dairy-based – for the future, says Gabe.
Coca-Cola Co., Atlanta, is teaming with Polo Jeans Co. for a summer Sprite effort targeting teens and young adults. Win Pocket Change, which breaks June 15, features an under-the-cap sweeps giving away Polo jeans with $1,000 in the pockets.
Bottles get new labels with denim, rivets, and photos of Polo models. Vending machines with customized Sprite/Polo graphics will be set up in Polo stores, and existing vending machines get signage that says, “You Could Win Pocket Change.” TV, radio, and P-O-P support. The promo runs through September.
Ben & Jerry’s Homemade, Burlington, VT, takes its spoons on the road this summer with the Stop and Taste the Ice Cream tour. The effort backs the launch of the company’s 2Twisted line, which combines popular flavors such as Cherry Garcia and Chocolate Fudge Brownie.
The May-through-August tour hits hot spots with a cone-shaped hot-air balloon, live music, contests with local celebrities, a national sweepstakes, and “urban pastures” that bring a touch of rural Vermont to urban centers. Oh, and there’s sampling, of course.
The sweeps overlay serves up such prizes as cash, a year’s supply of ice cream, hats, mugs, and coupons.
Nestle USA, Solon, OH, last month launched its second annual Real Home Cooking contest for Stouffer’s frozen entrees.
Consumers enter a recipe with one Stouffer’s UPC for a chance at a grand prize of $10,000, a Kenmore kitchen, and a spot in supermarket freezers as a Stouffer’s product. This spring, the brand launches last year’s contest winner, Grandma’s Chicken and Vegetable Rice Bake, with the winning chef’s photo on the package. Nine finalists get $1,000, a Kenmore appliance, and a trip to Stouffer’s headquarters. The contest runs through July 19 via ads and stouffers.com.
Beardstown, KY-based Heaven Hill Distilleries is continuing its push for more promotional backing in 2000 with a summer co-marketing effort for Christian Brothers brandy with Omaha Steaks, Omaha, NE.
>From July through September, brandy purchasers can mail in UPC codes for a >$20 Omaha Steaks coupon. P-O-P will include shelf tear-pads and floor >displays, as well as promotional neckers on bottles. The campaign will >carry the tagline, “Perfect Sizzle. Perfect Steak.”
Supermarket Hy-Vee, West Des Moines, IA, last month broke a chain-wide sweeps effort developed by Purchase, NY-based retail partner Pepsi-Cola Co.
Hy-Vee shoppers in all 184 stores can enter from store soda aisles for a chance to win one of five grand-prize dream kitchens worth approximately $12,500. Sears, Roebuck and Co., Hoffman Estates, IL, joins the mix by throwing in 184 Kenmore refrigerators as additional prizes, and 920 other winners receive one-year subscriptions to Midwest Living magazine.
The effort ends later this month and targets residents of Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Dakota. TLP, Inc., Dallas, put the program together.
Stagg Foods is taking a modern-day chuck wagon west of the Mississippi. The Hillsboro, OR-based company is rolling out a traveling sampling tour that will hand out one million samples of gourmet chili by the end of the year.
A trio of 35-foot-long Staggmobiles are already en route to festivals, fairs, air shows, sporting events, supermarkets, and crowded metropolitan markets in Pacific, Central, and Southwestern states. The trucks are outfitted with complete kitchens, VIP lounges, sound systems, and enough free chili to feed an army. In addition to the samples, coupons and premiums will be distributed. U.S. Marketing & Promotions, Torrance, CA, handles the sampling tour, now in its third year via Stagg parents Hormel Foods, Austin, MN.
Sixty years after its debut, cartoon franchise Tom and Jerry still has appeal with kids.
Restaurant chains Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, Anaheim, CA, have recruited the cat and mouse duo – which are owned and licensed by Atlanta-based Cartoon Network – to spice up summer kids meal promotions. Nearly four million premiums pitched to kids three and older have been produced. The campaign features four different premiums and will run through July 4 in 4,000 Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s restaurants.
Meanwhile, Cartoon Network will revive its Cartoon Cartoon tour this summer. The 13-week road show (which first ran last summer) presents Friday night viewings of unseen cartoons on a 35-foot inflatable movie screen. The tour runs from June 1 through Sept. 1, and highlights the network’s Friday night line-up of original programming. RPMC, Los Angeles, handles.
The tour begins in Houston, then heads through Birmingham, AL, Atlanta, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, Boston, Buffalo, NY, Detroit, St. Louis, Denver, San Francisco, and San Diego. Local radio stations in each market will back the event, offering one of 13 grand-prize trips for four to Universal Studios Hollywood. Local cable operators will sponsor booths at which consumers can score Cartoon Network giveaways and learn about cable offerings and service upgrades.
A companion exhibit will appear at a variety of local venues including water parks, beaches, shopping malls, and festivals on Wednesdays and Thursdays to drum up interest in the screenings. The mini-events will include the “CartoonNetwork.com Mobile,” an interactive truck featuring popular games from the net’s Web site that will let kids send e-mails to their favorite cartoon characters.
