Louise Marsland’s (@Louise_Marsland) pick of new product, packaging and design launches.
A limited edition superdrink from Appletiser; Rebranding of the Nerds on a street corner near you; a new skintone range to dream of; and Provantage launches a specialist activation division.
Appletiser’s Limited Edition
Superfoods are a trend and Appletiser has introduced a limited edition variant combination of apple and the so-called superfood, pomegranate.The Appletiser Pomegranate Limited Edition will be available at select upscale retail outlets only for the summer.
Appletiser South Africa also commissioned local fashion designer Suzanne Heyns to design a unique outfit to capture the “allure and exclusivity” of the new drink. Fans of Appletiser Pomegranate Limited Edition stand the chance of winning a designer outfit via an SMS competition, details of which can be found on swing tags on each bottle.
Said Appletiser global brand marketing manager, Andrea Shuttleworth: “Life is made up of small luxuries and how we capitalise on those brief moments of indulgence goes some way in defining our lives. With the introduction of Appletiser Pomegranate Limited Edition we are inviting audiences in South Africa to indulge in the finer things in life – and to make them last.”
The new drink will be available in a glass 750ml bottle and will retail at R25.99.
The pomegranate is apparently also a symbol for seduction, temptation and beauty. Who knew?! Here’s to a seductive summer!
Dial a new Nerd
The nerds have left ‘old school’ behind. Gone is the cheesy cartoon nerd in the logo, replaced by an updated font and the tagline ‘Simplifying technology’. Dial a Nerd’s new, streamlined logo aims to reflect the company’s changing role in the local IT landscape.
“Dial a Nerd was founded in 1998 to cater for the needs of home users who didn’t have the time to figure out technology issues, and at the time it was essential to portray a non-threatening image of a young company trying to have fun while providing an important service,” explained MD Roberto Caprio.
The nerd character was created with this objective in mind and has been a prominent feature of the brand, but it was time for a change as the company has evolved into a “mature, professional company” which provides proactive and skilled IT support services to SMEs. It now has a presence in retail outlets around South Africa, as well as strategic locations from which it deploys consultants and technicians.
“While we won’t forget our loyal following of home based customers, we also want to illustrate this evolution through a more professional and less cartoonish image. The majority of our customers have progressively shifted from home users to professionals, educational institutions and medium sized businesses. Today, as when we started, our objective is to simplify technology for those that need to use it.”
The stuff dreams are made of
Lancome has introduced a new skincare product to correct skin tone problems in women, giving them ‘the skin tone of their dreams’. The new DreamTone range targeted at three different skin types, from fair to dark, contains “pigmentation correctors” designed to treat blemishes, redness and correct colour irregularities.
It claims to combine cutting-edge research and brand studies of women around the world and their skin care requirements. The new skincare range contains proprietary triple action technology tailored to the different pigmentation profiles of women to meet their specific needs, such as: dark spots, unevenness and irregularities in specific skin tones.
According to Lancôme publicity material, “a shared core, common to all three formulas, is the unique combination of three complementary ingredients, designed to carry both melanocyte and melanotope”.
“This original approach aims not only to target the excess of melanin synthesis but also to restore the epidermal homeostasis, the dermal epidermal junction, reshape the architecture of the dermis and fight against inflammation and oxidative stress.”
There you have it!
Provantage goes ProActive
Provantage has rebranded its core activation unit as a specialist brand activation company called ProActive under the leadership of Vaughan Berry.
The company has been in the news lately for its transit television offerings at airports and transit hubs, but activations have been at the core of the company’s offering since 2003.By creating a specialist unit, they aim to give the activations unit its own identity and clear market positioning within the company.
Berry says ProActive offers a total turnkey brand activation solution for complete campaign management and control.
“Our campaigns speak directly to the consumer in a familiar environment where they can touch, hear, see and even smell the brand. It brings the brand to life and makes the experience memorable. This ultimately ensures that awareness is generated around a brand, which in turn keeps it top of mind and builds loyalty. At the point of purchase, it is brand perception and unique selling points that will drive a consumer to choose one brand over another. ProActive stimulates this brand loyalty and ultimately connects people to brands, converting shoppers to customers.”
The new brand portfolio includes the following activation platforms: road shows, instore brand ambassadors, airports, route to market (shelf merchandising, mystery shopping, point of sale), street teams, campus activations, ‘after dark’ (clubs and pubs), commuter transport nodes, malls and expos, and large scale activations.
– Shelf Life by Louise Marsland is a weekly column on MarkLives. Tweet new product, packaging and design launches to @louise_marsland or email her at louise.marsland at gmail.com.
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Louise Marsland has written about the FMCG, media, marketing and advertising industry for 18 years of her 25 year media career as a former Editor of magazines AdVantage, Marketing Mix and Progressive Retailing; as well as websites Bizcommunity.com and FMCGFiles. She currently edits the weekly Wednesday Media & Marketing Page for The New Age newspaper; and is the co-founder and Publishing Editor of SA’s newly launched industry trendwatching portal, TREND. at www.trendlives.info, in partnership with MarkLives.com.
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