Halewood Artisanal Spirits is ramping up its activation programme for its flagship brands, Whitley Neill Gin and Dead Man’s Fingers Rum, across key UK and European locations.
As reported, the campaign began earlier this year at Johannesburg O.R. Tambo International Airport in South Africa. It features a series of pop-ups and promotional events designed to engage travellers and showcase the brands’ distinctive offerings.
The summer campaign launched at London Gatwick and Manchester airports in partnership with Avolta, where travellers were invited to experience a variety of flavours through eye-catching tasting bars. The Gatwick pop-up was supported by a dynamic digital pillar, enhancing the visual appeal and drawing in consumers for tastings.
Halewood Artisanal Spirits is one of many brands to feature in Avolta and Manchester Airports Group’s (MAG) ‘Depart from the Everyday’ campaign at Manchester and Stansted airports.
As reported, the campaign is running throughout the peak summer travel period in the UK.
It aims to reach a record number of consumers through an innovative blend of playful pop-ups, exclusive offers and discounts, digital and interactive elements. Travellers can experience Whitley Neill Gin and Dead Man’s Fingers through an interactive ‘liquid luggage’ game at the interactive sampling bar available at both airports.
In August, Halewood Artisanal Spirits will make its Portugal debut. The company has secured new listings at Portugal Duty Free for four Whitley Neill and five Dead Man’s Fingers expressions. Digital promotions for both brands are running at Edinburgh and Glasgow airports.
The campaign will continue in Scandinavia at Denmark’s Billund and Aalborg ports throughout July and August, before reaching Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in August and September.
In addition, the company will be running promotions with P&O Cruises in September and at Sydney Airport with Heinemann Oceania in August and September.
All activations were designed and developed by specialist retail agency Kounter and feature bold displays reflecting both brands’ vibrant visual identities. For example, a promotion at Luton Airport sees Whitley Neill Gin bottles showcased on a classic Mini Cooper, adding a playful twist to the display.
Halewood Artisanal Spirits Global Travel Retail Director Eamon Prunty highlighted both brands’ growing popularity. “The numbers speak for themselves. Dead Man’s Fingers has developed into a much-sought-after brand which appeals to a wide range of travelling consumers, but particularly gels with the increasingly important Gen Z demographic,” he said.
“The brand has a great story to tell, its tastes are on-trend and just what we need to attract consumers looking for something different. From the start Dead Man’s Fingers Rum rejected tradition in favour of new, unusual flavours like Cornish Saffron cake and Pedro Ximénez ice cream. The brand loves to innovate, loves to disrupt and that’s just what travel retail needs.”
According to the latest IWSR data, Dead Man’s Fingers doubled its volumes in 2023 versus 2022 in global travel retail, making it the number four flavoured rum in the global channel and the eighth in the overall rum category.
Whitley Neill is the number one premium gin brand in the UK domestic market and the number one premium flavoured gin in global travel retail.
“Led by Rhubarb and Ginger, our portfolio of flavours puts Whitley Neill in a class of its own,” Prunty added. “Whitley Neill’s legacy of experimenting with exceptional flavours, sourced from all over the world to create the most distinctive and intriguing spirits, is well known.
“Plus, for those who prefer traditional gins, we also offer the premium Connoisseurs Cut London Dry Gin and Distillers Cut.”
The key driver of sales, according to Prunty, are memorable tasting activations. He concluded: “The importance of ‘liquid on lips’ in converting sales cannot be overestimated. That is why we are convinced our busiest programme ever will be a great success.
“We’ve seen global travel retail volumes double over the financial year ending June 2023 versus the previous year and we are confident this very positive upward trajectory will continue.” ✈
