To grab consumers’ attention, brands understand that more needs to be offered to attract both new and existing customers. One such way this can be done is through on-pack promotions; by advertising something extra on the packaging, it: adds value beyond just the product itself and drives sales through this shopper marketing tactic when done right. As such, this article will discuss and review this July’s on-pack promotions in-store at Co-op, including a range from a variety of brands. In this article, I will investigate the overall effectiveness and patterns of these promotions. Although this article focuses specifically on the on-packs offered in Co-Op, it should be clarified that some of the focus will be on the promotions themselves rather than the storefront.
Before diving deep into evaluating specific brands’ promotions, let’s summarise some of the reoccurring aspects that were observed in many of these on-pack promotions. Observing these patterns will be a better indicator of some of the wider issues brands are currently facing when creating promotions.
Of the promotions I mention within this article, many of them utilise a straightforward entry form process. Participants submit their name and other personal details to be entered into the promotion and the process usually ends there. This format for entry is quick and leaves little room for any major issues. Some brands are beginning to embellish this simple and standard format to add a bit more visual and interactive intrigue to their promotions. From simple visual effects and animations to complete AR game experiences, promotions are starting to become more interesting and engaging for participants.
Many promotions now are web-based and there’s been little effort to switch to app-based promotions despite 88% of users, according to MobiLoud, using mobile apps as opposed to websites due to the generally improved user experience apps provide. However, in terms of promotions, apps may not be the right step to take. Apps are a far longer-term commitment to a brand than websites are and users and according to Forbes’ quote of Heady, 90% of users rate having to download an app to continue their business: neutral to extremely frustrating. Although around half of users say they’ll still install the app, frustrated users are now more sensitive to roadblocks and other barriers that they may face, consumers now expect far more for their effort. Moreover, brands would still lose a large chunk of possible users by adapting an app into the process, there’s still a significant number of users that wouldn’t even bother with downloading.
There’s also a noticeable shift in mobile and desktop usage. Although mobile promotions have been happening for several years, the shift away from desktop has been noticeable–with several promotions not being formatted for desktop experiences or being completely unavailable for desktop users.
A surprising number of brands are not considering the ways they can make promotions more cohesive with the brand’s identity. As a brand, it’s important to create on the basis of adding and enhancing your identity with several different elements: promotions are no different. These promotions must be cohesive and consistent, especially if they’ve got some memorable aspects like gamified experiences.
Making sure that customers can link that experience back to the brand and thus build a relationship with the brand through time spent with them is valuable. Making your brand identifiable through promotions is just one part of building a stronger identity but is, nonetheless, important.
The UX and design of a page is often a major roadblock for users in having an enjoyable and satisfactory experience. Poor design acts as a huge pain point which may prevent more engagement from consumers. According to Spiralytics, 70% of customers abandon purchases due to bad UX which goes to show how impactful and important UX is to businesses–not just concerning promotional activities. While UX isn’t a huge issue for the brands featured in this article, there are design elements that can be confusing and contribute to a frustrating experience overall. Whilst there are occasionally workarounds implemented, this is not always the case and can completely prevent users from continuing their journey.
Currently, the promotions featured in this article are all experienced via a web browser. There are many reasons for this, web browser promotions are often quick and easy for consumers to access as well as being accessible to a lot more people. However, the loading times are much longer than application-based promotions and there’s a lot more latency and technical issues involved with web-based experiences, particularly for mobile experiences. Although these issues can be quite troubling to the user experience, users tend to interact with web-based content since it’s much more accessible both in time and storage than downloading individual apps. So despite the increased capability and performance of apps, this is the reason why many brands opt for web-based promotions instead.
That being said, when using web browsers, there are a few things to consider. Firstly, if you’re running a simple and minimal entry form for participants to fill in to join the promotion on a website, there should be very few performance issues. The issue here is the memorability of the campaign. When using a quick and simple process, as pleasing and convenient as it may be for consumers, there’s very little engagement and interactivity there, leaving low levels of memorability and may position your promotion as just one of many. Yet when we include more gamified experiences and interesting visuals like animations and effects, technical issues are more likely to occur. There’s a delicate balancing act to make your promotion easy to sign up for–but also memorable and interesting.
When we look at the highly-gamified promotional experiences in these promotions, there’s the issue of actually providing an experience that is worth following through on until the end. With short entry forms, there’s little to no issue. As simple as they may be, entering details isn’t particularly difficult or frustrating and can be done quickly. However, when a promotion is highly gamified, there needs to be an understanding of what makes gamified experiences entertaining and effective in the first place. When experiences require continuous and prolonged periods of attention but don’t do anything to keep that attention, then this is a poorly integrated gamified experience. If a gamified promotion is quite long, there needs to be some level of replayability to be an engaging experience.
Gamified aspects in branding and promotions are a uniquely useful tool for engagement, integrating these aspects is a little more difficult–particularly on a short-term basis. This is somewhat of a hurdle that brands are navigating through in their promotions, participants tend to spend short periods signing up for a promotion, so in highly-gamified promotions, disregarding any possible technical issues, it may become unappealing to consumers since highly gamified promotions require a longer process than your average promotion. This is not to say that gamified promotions are a bad idea, in fact, with the right level of gamification, there’s an added level of intrigue and memorability for a brand. Not everything needs to be ‘fun’ but being engaging is always key to running a successful promotion.
These are the brands and their respective on-pack promotions we looked into:
Hula Hoops and the other brands under KP Snacks partnered with The Hundred, including KP Nuts, Tyrells, Butterkist, Popchips, Skips, Pom-Bear, and McCoys for this promotion. It features a vibrant and eye-catching on-pack design that borders the top of the product packaging with a smaller section on the back, dedicated to the short terms and conditions. Following the instructions on the back of the pack will direct the participant to everyonein.co.uk/pitches.
The website opens with colourful designs that can also be seen on the packaging. It also features some simple animations and is followed by an entry form where the customer would have to enter their details to join the promotion. The process is straightforward and takes around one minute or so if your details are on hand.
The next promotion we feature in this month’s insights is Mentos’ “Me&You” on-pack promotion. This is a competition that features on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok under the hashtags #mentosmeandyou and #yestofresh alongside tagging the Mentos UK account on each respective social media platform. Participants can quite easily join by sharing a photo of themselves with a roll of mentos and using the hashtags and tagging @mentosuk on Instagram, #mentos_uk on TikTok, or posting directly on Mentos UK’s Facebook page. Alternatively, participants can enter directly on the Mentos website: www.mentosmeandyou.co.uk.
This competition is a great way to engage customers and get them to interact with Mentos as a brand. Getting customers to view and engage with their social media accounts is also a great way to build memorability and for the brand’s activity to get shared among the connections of the participants; perhaps gathering more traction and participants for the promotion.
This sort of promotion takes out the tediousness of filling in an entry form, setting participants into action and creating some user-generated content for the brand, building that memorability and loyalty to the brand with the increased invested effort and time. The time it takes to complete this promotion varies, but it’s uncomplicated and can be a very quick process.
The Robinsons’ “Big Fruit Hunt” is an impressive and ambitious on-pack promotion with an attached AR experience which makes the entire promotion much more memorable. The on-pack features map motifs and bold, bubbly text. On the back, there’s a QR code that takes you to thebigfruithunt.co.uk. The promotional website is a mobile-only experience and features plenty of colourful and engaging animations and visuals. Overall, the gamified features are quite minimal. The map pins the locations where you can collect points to win a prize. Participants need 4 in total for a prize. This campaign is something fresh and exciting among the current on-pack promotions. Robinsons are utilising AR in a very interactive way by encouraging participants to actively experience, and go on a journey with Robinsons in return for a prize.
This promotion was an experimental leap forward in promotions. If it were a longer or permanent fixture in the brand, I could see this being integrated even more successfully. Perhaps a continuous and ongoing feature in a rewards app or something similar would allow the promotion to be properly incorporated with the necessary features, providing a stronger impact. The time it takes to complete this promotion as a participant also greatly varies. It could take you anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes depending on your proximity to pins, but users may have to end up travelling much further which can take up quite a bit of time. If we disregard travel times, and just focus on the time spent on the app, it would take around 5 minutes.
Now we’ll take a look at the Lucozade “Starfield” promotion, “Unlock Your Universe”. Lucozade has created some very visually engaging videos, animations, and effects in marketing this promotion on the Lucozade Energy homepage and it captures your attention on the website. The on-pack design features a few visual motifs from Starfield but is well incorporated into the usual Lucozade packaging.
To enter this promotion, participants must scan the QR code on-pack which will take them to a promotional page on the Lucozade website. An entry method is an entry form. Much like the on-pack designs, the visual motifs of the website match the collaboration with Bethesda’s Starfield and XBOX very well. This promotion in particular does a good job of being cohesive with the respective brands involved.
The process is simple and takes about a minute to complete.
The Walker’s Win A Free Lunch on-pack promotion is featured across all the packaging with a sandwich design surrounding the centre but most prominently curving around the top of Walker’s logo. On the back, the QR code will take you to the promotional page where you’ll be directed to an entry form.
The standard format is still there with added sections for the barcode number and batch number of the pack, but a particular element sticks out. There’s an option to select your preference between #CrispIn or #CrispOut which is a good way to plant a small bit of interactivity and memorability in a standard form that can be tedious. Since we tend to go on auto-pilot when filling in our details, adding a more unusual option there can break up that monotony.
The process is fairly quick, only slowing down when you need to refer to the codes on the packaging. It takes about a minute and a half to finish signing up for the promotion.
The Mini Rolls’ “Golden Token” Promotion is a prize draw with a simple entry process. The packaging features a white and gold ticket motif with a QR code on the back which directs participants to the promotional website findthegoldentoken.co.uk.
The entry journey is very understated and quick in both visuals and process. However, the possible inclusion of a ‘golden ticket’ in one of the packs does add a sense of excitement and anticipation–yet the majority of participants will not experience finding a ticket and so will just experience the standard entry form process. The memorability of this promotion, in particular, is the anticipation of winning rather than anything related to the entry form process. Again, the time it takes to sign up is very minimal and takes around a minute to complete.
The Hobgoblin “Beauty Lies Within” on-pack promotion features a bottle-neck hanger that stands out among the other bottles on the store shelves. It’s also a good way to add to the product’s packaging without altering the bottle’s labels, which may be difficult for brands for various reasons. Upon scanning the QR code on the bottle-neck hanger, the participant will be taken to hobgolblinbeer.co.uk. The landing page uses the same typography and images as the on-pack promotion around the neck of the bottle. After confirming their age and region, customers will have to enter some details to complete the entry form. Then, a small interactive element will begin.
By enabling your camera, your camera will show your face on your screen and by tapping the screen, cracks will appear and eventually reveal your prize if any has been won. Although playing doesn’t improve your chances of winning or come with any rewards; it does add a layer of interaction and makes this promotion and brand a bit more memorable than if it were a standard entry-form process. The process is quick and easy to follow, the added interactive element doesn’t make the process complicated or unnecessarily long. The overall copy and visuals of this promotion match the playful style and tone of the Hobgoblin brand, making this promotion all the more cohesive with the overall brand impression Hobgoblin wants to project.
The on-pack design features a bright red stripe with promotional copy within it, the stripe spans across the cardboard container, a parallel to the red stripe around the top of the coors cans. On the can itself, a QR code is featured on the ‘front’ of the can, at the base of the iconic mountain. Upon scanning the code, participants will be taken to the promotional website where the user will be prompted to input details and be engaged in an interactive game element to join the promotion. This website is formatted specifically for mobile devices but desktop users can still interact with the promotion if they wish.
The Coors' “Win A Trip To The Alps” promotion, much like the Hobgoblin promotion mentioned previously, has an interactive gamified element to it, making the experience more engaging for participants. The visual elements, animation, copy, and typography all clearly follow certain brand guidelines Coors has set out, resulting in a promotion that is cohesive with the brand identity and by extension immediately recognisable and memorable for customers as a Coors’ promotion effort. The bright and energetic visuals and animations keep the viewer engaged, Since you’re spending more time engaging with the game elements and various animated elements, you’re spending more time interacting with the Coors brand which, again, builds that memorability and relationship with the brand.
For the “Win An Escape” promotion by Corona, the on-pack promotion is highlighted with a yellow strip across the top of the packaging with a QR code and some promotional copy. The entry process follows the typical and quick entry form and detail inputs as well as a section to input your ‘win code’.
The promotion is also consistent with the general appearance of the Corona website, with clean and polished design choices and following a brand outline to create an experience parallel to the actual brand itself.
In the San Miguel “Win A Spanish Escape” promotion, the on-pack aspect is on the asymmetrical wrap-around sticker on the neck of the bottle, alongside the nutritional information and other small text, it features the promotional type and a QR code which takes participants to their promotional site winwithsanmigue.com with the usual entry form process where users input their details were necessary.
Again, there are consistent visual and design aspects on the promotional website, clearly following San Miguel’s brand guidelines, to keep a consistent brand image across the brand itself and the promotions being run.
The Budweiser “Win TVs & More” follows the same pattern as the previous alcohol brands by following a brand guideline to create cohesive branding in their promotional activities. The packaging features white promotional text on a gold rectangular strip on the front and some promotional text, accompanied by a QR code at the top of the cardboard container.
Budweiser adds a bit more intrigue to the entry process by adding some interesting interactive elements. After the participant enters their details, they’ll be asked to take a photo of their can of Budweiser. This photo will then be run through a few filters and effects as if it’s being scanned and analysed. It’s quite memorable and stands out among other brands despite not being as highly interactive as some other gamified experiences.
The Fosters “Win £1,000” promotion features a new can as the winning ‘ticket’ for lucky participants. The new ‘La-Di-Dager’ can is made of resin and is also featured on the cardboard container alongside some bright colour blocking and typography. The designs are loud and bold and resonate with the general brand outline of Fosters.
The participants will find out whether they’re to continue the promotion or not the moment they open the pack–if there’s a promotional can, then the winners will continue as instructed by the material and instructions that accompany the La-Di-Dager can. If the customer does not get a can, their journey on this promotion will come to a stop. Much like Cadbury’s Mini Rolls’ Golden Token promotion, the main appeal is the anticipation of receiving a winning pack. In this case, the promotion doesn’t move platforms unless you’re a winner.
The “Free Whopper Meal” on-pack promotion with Doritos features a small section on the top-right side of the pack which makes it more noticeable when placed among lots of other packets and still visible when it’s placed on a lower shelf. To sign up and claim the promotion, the on-pack will take you to the Burger King website where participants will be prompted to make an account and enter their offer code on the packaging.
This promotion is integrated with existing brand activities and so already follows the existing format of the platform it’s on. In this case, Burger King has a clickable section on their offer page which allows participants to enter the code from their pack of Doritos after making an account or logging in. This is a good method to get more users to register an account on your website or app and allows brands to show their other offerings and potentially reel in more customers in the process.
