Cheryl Hunter (shelflife at marklives.com)’s weekly pick of all things new — product, packaging, design, insight, food, décor and more!
- JML creates PJ Pops
- PRIMI introduces gaming
- SAB goes green for St Pats
Adult lollies
In September 2016, Pierre Jourdan wine popsicles were launched in South Africa, creating a new brand category on local shelves and achieving sales of more than R1m in the first four months from selected Pick n Pay stores only.
Created and developed by JML Consulting, the popsicles were initially launched in 26 PnP stores and, by the end of December, were available in 38 stores across Gauteng, KZN, Limpopo and the Western Cape.
According to Natasha Alomia, director of JML Consulting, the PJ Pops took 13 months of planning, conceptualising and hard work to develop: “Launching a new brand in what would be considered a luxury item category was not something we did lightly, given the current tight economic times. An extensive amount of research went into the PJ Pops as we honed the design, production and, ultimately, the end product into something which we are very pleased to report has garnered the South African public’s full support.”
Riaan van Niekerk, managing director of Clos Cabriere, says: “If anything, the success of PJPops is built on the universal basics of a partnership — common sense, a common purpose, and strong ethics.”
As with anything new, where there is no rule book to follow, the only way you learn sometimes is the hard way and Alomia says they experienced challenges and occasional setbacks but, six months post-launch, the company is currently developing three new flavours for release this year. It is also in negotiations with other retailers, both in SA and internationally, to stock the wine popsicles: “We hope to be top of mind when it comes to creating premium alcoholic and eventually non–alcoholic popsicles.”
jmlconsulting.co.za • Facebook • Twitter
cabriere.co.za • Facebook • Twitter
Playing with your food
Rising food inflation, wages and utilities are putting significant pressure on the bottom line for the SA restaurant industry, forcing businesses to innovate and adapt to drive sales and encourage footfall. One example is PRIMI.
Says Sean Holmes, marketing director at PRIMI, “As with the lifecycle of all brands, creative thinking is key in order to shift the curve and maintain relevance in an ever-evolving consumer driven market.”
In what is reportedly a first for the local restaurant industry, PRIMI has introduced an interactive mobile device game, making use of a one-click engagement platform.
Partnering with Smirnoff, it is the first game of its kind whereby patrons may win instant prizes or the grand prize of a R30 000 Smirnoff experience for the winner and friends.
“Consumers nowadays want to interact and engage in real time, and the gaming platform enables us to facilitate this interaction in-store at table level. Not only can we interact this way via the consumer’s mobile device in a fun way, but we can also reward the consumer in real time. This will be in the way of a voucher or coupon, which in turn will be received by the customer whilst at the table, enabling it to be redeemed instantly.”
PRIMI also recently underwent a massive “revitalising” exercise, including a name and logo change, the introduction of a new menu and more. With the redesign of the restaurant, each store also creates its own visual identity, including graffiti art, which embraces its local context and the personality of the restaurateur.
primi-world.co.za • Game • Facebook • Twitter
Green times
It’s that time of year when pubs and taverns all over the world create traditional green beer for St Patrick’s Day.
Tourist attraction, SAB World of Beer, will be hosting its annual beer tour linked to the Irish tradition 13–19 March. Visitors may sip on green Castle Draught in the Lion Bar — apparently it’s just a drop of food colouring that turns the beer green — and, for luck, tour-goers are encouraged to wear something green.
The Taproom will be serving traditional Irish fare.
worldofbeer.co.za • Facebook • Twitter
Shelf Life is MarkLives.com’s weekly column covering all things new. Notify us of yours at shelflife at marklives dot com. Want to sponsor Shelf Life? Contact us here.
Cheryl Hunter (@cherylhunter) has written for the South African media, marketing and advertising industries for more than 15 years. A former editor of M&M in Independent Newspapers and contributor to Bizcommunity, AdFocus, AdReview and the Ad Annual, she has also produced for various television networks and currently consults on communication strategy and media liaison.
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