It’s time to couple up
the benefits of partnership on-pack promotions
They say a problem shared is a problem halved. I also think that an opportunity shared is an opportunity maximised. Especially when it comes to on-pack promotions.
On-pack promotions effectively deliver against a whole host of objectives – increasing sales, frequency, engagement and driving customer retention. What most people don’t say or understand if they don’t work, live and breathe promotional marketing is that, whilst ROI can be much higher than many forms of marketing, on or off-pack added value promotions can be tricky to get right and costly to set up and implement. The chain of events that go into delivering a promotion seamlessly with impact and standout while also being legally compliant and believable can be challenging. How do I now deliver this successfully for my brand, within budget, and meet the above objectives?
Let’s start with the basics
The appeal and size of the prize – value, number and frequency
The ease of entry, the chances of winning
The way it’s communicated throughout the shopper journey
Getting these three things right can have a huge impact on how successful the campaign is. And, to do all the above to best effect, we either need to have a massive budget, or be clever with what we do have.
I don’t have a big budget, what can I do?
Let’s face it, not all activations have budgets to match those of the big players. Some briefs are driven out of a tactical need to address a time related problem or opportunity. Some briefs are given to support bigger strategic activity, but don’t have the budgets to match. Some are made bespoke to activate in one key account, therefore investment is tailored to match. But despite the cost to plan, set up, change the packaging, juggle volumes, sell-in and all that other good stuff, on-pack promotions can reap rewards within a smaller budget. Especially when you bring the right partner on the journey with you.
Give me an example
There are many. Cadbury and the Premiership, Mr Kipling and Roald Dahl, Just Eat and Love Island. But we’re not always talking partners in terms of licensing, sponsorship or huge equity. Clearly they can reap huge rewards but brands often need bigger budgets to match. Partners who are simply aligned to the brand and audience can also be perfect to build a promotional prize fund, bolster the chances of winning, and amplify a promotion’s communication strategy.
Last year, we partnered Naked Noodle with lastminute.com in their on-pack promotion ‘Escape the Ordinary’ to win Far East Holidays and travel luxuries. Not only did lastminute.com supply our holiday prizes, we also offer £30 off a lastminute.com holiday booking with every promotional pot.
We also worked with Soreen and leading bike brand Lapierre in a most recent on-pack ‘Win Bikes Everyday’. Lapierre offered a brand new top of the range bike every day, plus every pack also carried £50 off Lapierre bikes.
What do promoters and partners get out of it?
For promoters, partner involvement can deliver more chances of winning and amplify prize funds without increasing the budget. Both the above promotions deliver millions of pounds of added value. For partners, promoters can reach new audiences and provide another awareness platform. For both parties, their brand and campaign benefits from increased awareness opportunities and positive associations with the other brand. This can also help engage the trade and build commercial relationships.
Of course, there can be pitfalls and things to watch out for e.g. drawing up clear contracts, agreeing sign-off processes, discussing conflicts of interest, IP restrictions etc. But where there’s a will there’s a way. And whilst the promotion might be a little more challenging to set up, it’s less likely to be as costly and more likely to be successful. So next time you’re wondering if you can afford to run an on-pack within budget, remember that partners can have benefits.
