Louise Marsland (@Louise_Marsland)’s pick of new product, packaging and design launches this week:
- Jack Daniels fashion gear now available in SA;
- Stimorol steps up activation for students;
- Energizer promotion gives back; and
- Danone teaches kids about nutrition and design.
Fashionable Jack Daniels
If you’re a fan of Jack Daniels Whiskey, you may also be a fan of its fashion line — now available in South Africa through its online store on the Jack Daniels Facebook page.
Up until now, the only place to get hold of the Jack Daniel’s fashion wear or collectable items was in Lynchburg Tennessee! Located on the local Jack Daniel’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/JackDanielsSA, the retail store — called The Jack Daniel’s Hardware Store — is the first of its kind within the South African liquor market.
The store sports a range of branded men’s and women’s fashion clothing and other specialty items, from custom-built jukeboxes to the classic Jack Daniel’s T-shirt. It also boasts free delivery to anywhere in SA.
JD marketing manager in SA, Dino D’Araujo, says the store provides a range of high end clothing and memorabilia.
“JD merchandise seems to have acquired a cult-like status with our fans and we’re excited to finally be offering items previously unattainable. We also plan to add a whiskey collection in the near future, which will enable our customers to purchase rare Jack Daniel’s bottles and gift packs.”
Jack Daniels South Africa has 80 000 Facebook fans and this number is expected to grow with the addition of the option to purchase the bespoke branded gear.
Stimorol slides on to campus
Those of you who were at the University of Cape Town (UCT) will no doubt remember the famous Jameson Hall stairs with groans, after having had to trek up them a million times to lectures. That’s why Stimorol’s most recent activation on the ‘Jammie’ stairs was a sure-fire hit with students.
The brand erected a slide to help students get to the bottom of the long stairs in a fun way, part of Stimorol’s sampling campaign to students, #SeeWhatUnfolds to “liberate fun”.
The campaign activation’s main aim was to lift the moods of students, what with exams approaching, and students were offered a taste of Stimorol chewing gum to assist with their “mind shift”, a ride down the slide, a helium balloon and the chance to have their pic taken in a special enlarged frame with Stimorol brand ambassadors.
A sassy activation from Stimorol.
Energizing Christmas charity
Christmas has come early for Energizer consumers as the brand rewards customers with its new on-pack/in-store promotion — and passes on the Christmas cheer to children’s charities.
The promotion, ‘Make the festive season last longer’, rewards consumers with daily prizes while collecting gifts for various children’s charities at five shopping malls.
Energizer community members and local shoppers across SA are being encouraged to share the festive spirit by either buying gifts off the children’s wish lists or by sharing the festive spirit through giving gifts of their choice to the children from these charities.
The campaign will run through October until December 2013, when Energizer and the various participating malls will host parties for underprivileged children, where the gifts will be shared.
The extended holiday cheer campaign, including on pack stickers, social media, radio, mall and point-of-sale activations, will run through October, November and December 2013.
“We believe everyone has the power to make a positive impact,” says Rashmi Vadivelu, brand manager, Energizer South Africa.
Danone moulds learners
Danone received 3000 entries from schools for its design and model-building competition as part of the Danone NutriDay School Programme nationwide educational initiative. The initiative targets schools across the country and teaches students and parents how to lead a healthy lifestyle through the consumption of dairy regularly.
This is the second year the competition has run, and learners had to build a 3D model out of empty NutriDay yogurt containers. Cash prizes were on offer for the winning team, school and teachers.
A rhino sculpture made by Maclaren College in Cosmo City was the eventual winner.
“The aim of this year’s competition was to give students the opportunity to let their imaginations run wild. We understand the integral role that creativity plays in the physical, social and emotional development of children worldwide — and adding our message of the importance of dairy consumption makes for a great combination. The entries we received this year were original, imaginative and of an exceptional standard,” explains Kirsten Reynolds, brand marketing manager, Danone South Africa.
The 2013 NutriDay programme was rolled out in 1000 schools nationwide — 600 in Gauteng, 200 in KwaZulu-Natal and 200 in the Western Cape. For schools that aren’t part of the official schools programme, but would like to have access to the educational material, it can be downloaded at: www.danone.co.za/?q=con,93,NutriDay+is+going+to+school.
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. Want to sponsor Shelf Life? Contact us here.
Louise 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 South Africa’s industry trendwatching portal, TREND. at www.trendlives.info, in partnership with MarkLives.com.