Scotland might not be there – again! – but the World Cup is certain to create a host of great sales, footfall and profit-boosting opportunities for retailers who are on the ball next month.
It’s one of the biggest events on the planet and while Scotland might not be there there’s no question that the World Cup presents a huge array of opportunities.
Lucy Grogut, Lucozade Sport Brand Director at Lucozade Ribena Suntory, comments: “It’s no secret that large sporting tournaments translate into increased sales across many categories for retailers. It’s essential to prepare stores now for the busy sporting period, particularly within the categories that benefit the most.”
One of the categories most likely to benefit from sales uplifts is Soft Drinks, one of the biggest categories by volume in any c-store.
Grogut says: “Soft drinks sales typically rise by over +5% [IRI, 2014-2017] during major sporting events. Within sports drinks specifically this spike is even more pronounced, with sales of category-leading Lucozade Sport increasing by an average of +12% during sporting tournaments.”
Lucozade Sport is investing £5m this summer as part of its Made to Move campaign. The activity shows consumers through its partnership with high-profile sports personalities Harry Kane and Anthony Joshua that “nobody ever moved forward standing still”.
As well as a high-visibility TV ad, the campaign is backed by an on-pack competition giving consumers the chance to win a range of over 20,000 prizes and encouraging additional purchase.
Grogut highlights how Lucozade Sport is the best-selling brand in the segment and can generate over £1,000 [IRI, Nov 2017] a year, per store. A good range should therefore comprise multiple SKUs from the Lucozade Sport range, including Lucozade Sport Low Cal variants, to offer consumers plenty of choice.
Last year the brand also launched a new functional water, Lucozade Sport Fitwater, now the second-biggest functional water brand on the market [IRI, Dec 2017]. It’s a great addition to a store’s chiller to drive increased sales from sporty and active consumers.
- Soft drink sales spike by over 5% during major football events, with Lucozade Sport up by as much as 12%, so consider giving extra space in the chiller to the best-selling brands during the tournament.
- Stock a range of choice that includes something for all consumers.
- Make the most of the buzz around the summer of sport by promoting Lucozade Sport’s on-pack competition. Ensure shelves are full to drive visibility and use POS to disrupt purchase.
Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP) is also kicking off new activity for the World Cup with an on-pack promotion across its Coca-Cola portfolio, designed to appeal to the 14 million people expected to tune in for each game.
The new promotion sees CCEP hook up with number one sports game EA Sports FIFA 18 and will see unique codes printed on promotional packs of Coca-Cola Classic and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar until June 17. Consumers can enter the code online to unlock exclusive in-game content within FIFA 18 for the Xbox One and PlayStation4 consoles and be in with the chance of winning a rare player and Coca-Cola jersey for their team.
With research showing that more than half of the population are planning to watch this year’s World Cup, the promotion is designed to help retailers build their soft drink sales by tapping into the popularity of football and the FIFA gaming franchise.
Promotional packs will be available on Coca-Cola Classic and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar 330ml cans and 500ml PET bottles, which will also be available in a PMP format.
The promotion will be supported by a £2.5m marketing campaign that includes POS, digital, social and out-of-home advertising.
Barr Soft Drinks is taking its usual leftfield approach to the World Cup with a new ‘Bru’s On The Plane’ on-pack promotion giving Irn-Bru consumers the chance to watch a World Cup match from the Maldives.
“2018 is a massive year for football and there’s no doubt that fans will be thinking about Moscow this summer,” says Adrian Troy, Marketing Director for Barr Soft Drinks. “But only a fraction will be actually travelling to Russia to watch the matches. In true Irn-Bru style, we’re giving shoppers the chance to win a phenomenal £15,000 holiday to watch a match from the Maldives – just like a footballer might do.”
The on-pack promotion also sees thousands of runner-up prizes of Irn-Bru flip flops up for grabs to keep Scottish consumers engaged throughout the tournament as they look for winning packs.
