In the last two to three years, I have noticed a trend towards packaging or seasonal products. More and more, manufacturers are looking to differentiate themselves through products dedicated to the season, and not just through promotions for which they add some bunny ears. This is a healthy approach, which also indicates the market’s maturing in the promotional offerings segment. What isn’t evolving as much as I would have liked is the promo mechanics. The volume still comes from discounts and promotional packs and gift boxes, and less from inventive concepts and cross-promo between relevant brands.

At this time, point-of-sale execution becomes the key to success. It’s a real battle for shelf space, for secondary placements, especially in the context of the limited editions I mentioned. I noticed an interesting aspect: even if traditional products (sweets, drinks, Easter food) win the battle for space, the battle for creativity is usually between other players. Products that don’t have a tradition of consumption during the Easter holidays make a greater creative effort to create a credible connection for the customer.

About creativity and predictability

Every year, Easter is very visual and less emotional, more form than substance. It’s always an explosion of colorful eggs, baskets, flowers, and especially bunnies. It is an extremely cheerful and colorful period, full of energy. However, people’s emotions during this period are different, there is a greater inclination towards family, towards quiet, towards rest, all the more so as the holidays come towards the middle of the year.

As the approach of producers is very similar, there is little differentiation. Creativity comes mostly in the packaging and the way POSMs look in stores, and less in the promotional mechanics, the diversity of offers, the style of communication.

Also, with the intensity of the buying opportunity being very high, the focus on in-store is eliminating other channels. I think the period can be exploited much better by integrating the communication media, helping the consumer to move from in-store to mobile and vice versa. Customers are using their phones more to plan their visits, and even use them in-store for decision making. That’s why mobile needs to be included in the communication mix, both to provide the information the shopper needs in making decisions, but also as a period-appropriate entertainment component.

Mechanisms, trade concepts, and, in-store activations

It is a time of indulgence, of delight, of appetite for abundance. That’s why consumers want to get more than just low prices. This has become a basic requirement, they expect to find discounts during this period. What they want is the experience, the excitement, the desire to truly enjoy the holiday through the store experience. Unfortunately, more often than not, the overcrowded store placements and the masses of people provide the opposite of what shoppers want.

Holiday seasons are good for retailtainment because there is a greater openness for shoppers to try and buy something new, something unplanned. Opportunities come from tapping into Easter customs, whether local or international, from offers or activations that allow for on-the-spot customization, from promo mechanics that involve more family members present in the shop.

Overall, I think the in-store environment has too much inertia towards the dynamics of shopper expectations and the channel’s potential for innovation.

This year, I’ve made a point out of walking around the stores even more than in previous years, because it’s an interesting year: the combination of Easter and the 1st of May. What I’ve seen so far in communication has shown that Easter has been more appreciated, the campaigns have been guided more in this direction and have included May 1st.

Successful creative campaigns from other countries

One successful international example is Carlsberg, which produced an all-chocolate bar that lasted half a day but had a huge impact.

As every year, Cadbury Creme Egg is making history, their campaign is spectacular and highly successful. A small chocolate egg, communicated spectacularly, with lots of consumer engagement, manages to sell 200 million euro worth in the 3 months it has been on the market. How does a single product, a small chocolate egg, manage to impress shoppers and become a must-have in the Easter basket? The answer comes from the way it interacts with consumers, the way it creates desirability, expectation.

The trend for retailers to use Easter as an opportunity to get closer to their customers has also been a recurring tendency. Even though it’s a great time to generate sales, retailers are looking beyond their P&L goals. So category leaders are managing to see the season for what it is: an opportunity to grow numbers, but also an opportunity to build customer loyalty through experience, not low prices and big prizes.

Even though the theme is recurring, hunting for eggs and bunnies, the way these elements are used is inspiring. Tesco has realized an egg hunt using the technology of Google Street View. Consumers would enter their street code and then start searching for eggs hidden around. When they found three, they turned into a chocolate bunny that could be picked up in the store or with the next online order, based on a secure digital coupon. In addition, Tesco hid 40 special eggs, which could be found by following clues on the retailer’s Twitter account. This time, winners received a free tablet. The prizes aren’t big, but what attracts the consumers are the experience and the novelty of the campaign.

British retailer Asda has also developed an egg hunt, but using augmented reality. This time, the game was in-store, challenging shoppers to find the three friends of Easter: the Chicken, the Lamb, and the Bunny. They were hidden in a virtual world that lay just below the Asda stores as if they were underground. In-store, shoppers downloaded the special app and scanned stickers stuck to the floor to enter the virtual world. Without realizing it, shoppers were guided through the store in search of their three friends, a great opportunity to discover news and offers.

Aldi, the biggest discounter, ran an online campaign asking consumers where the bunny would hide in the store. Based on customer suggestions, they posted daily videos of the bunny hiding in the store, along with announcements of various offers or promotions.

These are just a few successful examples that help retailers get out of the big price battle and make their shoppers loyal. I hope we will see more of these creative campaigns, which present price and offer as part of a unique concept, even in our country. For now, however, in the local market, innovation is kept at a low level, repeating the same promotional mechanics year after year.

Source: Revista Piața