UK. Marketing initiatives at Pernod Ricard World Trade (PTWT) during the summer travel peak for leading anise brands Ricard and Pernod struck a chord with consumers. PRWT said travellers responded enthusiastically to this year’s Ricard instore promotions and online activity for Pernod.
The Ricard ‘Fraîcheur de l’été’ (Freshness of summer) instore promotion proved very effective during one of Europe’s hottest summers.
The interactive promotion was designed to highlight the refreshment which only comes from mixing one part Ricard with five parts water. A Ricard water-wall and geysers were set up in store. Customers received a “Wet n Reveal” game card with every purchase of Ricard, which they dipped into the Ricard waterwall to reveal if they had won a five-night break for two in Niagara Falls.
The top prize was won by Hakim Ouassini of Paris, on his way to Casablanca. A further one hundred runners up received a stylish Ricard cool-bag. Refreshing face spritzer gifts-with-purchase completed the programme.
After six busy weeks at Paris Orly airport, the promotion proved so successful at Brussels that it was extended for a fourth week. In August Ricard sales at Orly were +10% higher than last year, while passenger numbers at the airport were -20% down. At Brussels terminal A, Ricard volumes were up almost +20% at a time when passenger traffic was below normal levels.
Pernod went online in conjunction with three travel and leisure websites www.onlinetravel.com www.bargainholidays.com and www.ifyoudive.com during July and August to target summer holiday makers (The Moodie Report, 11 July 2003).
The website users were invited to click through to the Pernod micro-site for their chance to win a luxury trip to Paris, the home of Pernod. Additionally, UK-based travellers who booked a trip during the promotional period were invited to claim a stylish Pernod travel radio with their purchase of Pernod in duty free.
Approximately 15,000 website users clicked through to the Pernod competition pages, approximately ten times the average click-through rate from the home pages of the holiday companies.
PRWT marketing director James Clarke commented: “The summer travel peak is a key to both Ricard and Pernod sales. We are very pleased with the results of these innovative and very different brand building promotions, and will build upon what we’ve learned this year.”
