Cheryl Hunter (shelflife at marklives.com)’s weekly pick of all things new in retail — consumer products launches, retail news and FMCG campaigns!
Praiseworthy pizza
Debonairs Pizza has launched its new range of Beef Almighty pizzas with a new TVC from FCB Joburg called “Praise Singer”.
https://youtu.be/eorTE07Llr8
The ad is fresh and engaging, largely thanks to the exuberant character performance by the pizza delivery guy, who just happens to be able to sing praises, bringing the idea to life in an entertaining way.
Says Toni Joubert, Debonairs marketing executive, “As we all know, praise singers are used to announce the arrival of and sing the praises of important people. We were intrigued and excited when the agency suggested we use this practice to highlight the status of Debonairs Pizza’s new, praiseworthy, beef steak pizzas.”
Greg Cameron, creative director, adds, “What better way to present a superior product in a fresh way than by using a uniquely South African insight?”
Debonairs Pizza Beef Almighty “Praise Singer” was directed by Zwelethu Radebe and Ian Difford, from Egg Films and Hungry Films respectively, with post-production by Fuel Content. The range comprises three variants (Double Beef & Bacon, Spicy Beef, and Beef & Mushroom) and the ad is currently flighting on SABC, eTV and select DStv channels.
debonairspizza.co.za • Facebook • Twitter
fcb.co.za • Facebook • Twitter • Ramify • Instagram
eggfilms.tv • Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Ramify
Price pressure on alcopops
A recent BMi Research report shows that the flavoured alcoholic beverage category has been hard hit by limited consumer spending, with declines in volume during 2017, albeit a softer decline than that experienced in 2016 and 2015.
It is hypothesised that consumers are opting to purchase other affordable alcoholic beverages, such as homebrewed craft beer and traditional beer, which are relatively lower priced, rather than flavoured alcoholic beverages.
All regions contracted in volume, besides the Western Cape, which noted a limited increase for the base year; however. it was not sufficient to bolster category volumes into the black overall. Stiff competition among players trying to achieve sales budgets may have been a contributing factor to the conservative price increases.
The glass/other packaging format continued to dominate the flavoured alcoholic beverages category. The can packaging format showed the largest drop in volume, largely attributed to the small pack-size denominations that saw a decline in volume. It is thought that consumers have been looking for better value-for-money offerings found in larger pack sizes.
The category is expected to remain under pressure in the short-to-medium term due to the competition from other alcoholic beverages.
bmi.co.za • Facebook • Twitter
Sodastream supports Surfers against Sewage
In celebration of the UK royal couple’s wedding and their dedication to the fight against single-use plastic bottles, sparkling water brand SodaStream dressed up a set of limited-edition bottles that were auctioned as a donation to the plastic-free charity Surfers Against Sewage — a charity chosen by the royal couple.
https://youtu.be/dAvr2gmxS8w
As part of its commitment to the removal of single-use plastic from the world, SodaStream created a set of miniature hats using state-of-the-art 3D printing that is 100% recyclable. Each of the five exclusive hat designs was inspired by an iconic look previously sported by female royals. The concept was imagined by the Israeli innovation agency, Gefen Team, and developed jointly with SodaStream’s global marketing team.
The limited royal edition bottles have been auctioned and winning bids will be notified this week.
Says Hugo Tagholm, Surfers Against Sewage chief executive, “SodaStream’s commitment to eliminate plastic and promote reusable bottles is a great step in the right direction towards plastic-free coastlines, and sends a strong message to the beverage industry. This fun and quirky project to celebrate the royal wedding further highlights the importance of stopping the single-use plastic epidemic”.
sas.org.uk • Facebook • Twitter
sodastream.co.za • Facebook • Twitter • Instagram
gteam.org • Facebook
Shelf Life is MarkLives.com’s weekly column covering all things retail. 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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