Diageo, CCE Mix Things Up In New Campaign

Curtiss Gibson
Posted: March 11, 2010

Coca-Cola Enterprises and Diageo Great Britain have launched a joint £4 million ($5.9m) campaign to boost spirit and mixer sales in the U.K. The initiative will saturate the market across all channels and will be supported by an above-the-line campaign titled “Together for a Better Summer” that is expected to reach 95% of adult consumers an average of 14 times during the summer months. The ads, which will include print, outdoor, radio and on-premise POS, will tout long mixed drinks like Smirnoff or Bell’s whisky and Coca-Cola, Gordon’s Gin and Schweppes Tonic, and Pimm’s and Schweppes Lemonade.

Over 10,000 pubs will be involved in the on-premise portion of the campaign as CCE and DGB will both participate in training and educating staff with the support of POS materials and glasses branded by both companies. The grocery channel will be the target of a cross-merchandising campaign designed to simplify the purchase of cocktail ingredients for customers, while some 3,000 stores in the convenience channel will receive similar treatment. CCE and DGB will also provide “Link Save” deals in the off-premise in an effort to encourage consumers to purchase from both categories at the same time.

“It makes sense for the leading spirit and mixer brands to work together to ensure consumers are getting the most out of their mixed drink experience. Our work with Diageo offers new opportunities across our iconic brands to inspire consumers to create their own bar-quality drinks at home,” said Craig Smith, Vice President of Marketing and Strategic Planning at CCE. The campaign not only coincides with an economic period that has spurred off-premise consumption, DGB Sales Director David Smith notes that it also times well with the World Cup (which is being played in South Africa in June), which “will encourage an increase of at-home drinks occasions.”

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