9 Beverage Promotions to Watch This Holiday Season and Beyond
By Hannah Hammond on Oct. 30, 2020CHICAGO —Beverage manufacturers are pushing out holiday promotions that convenience-store and other retailers can use to help grow sales.
From ugly sweater hard seltzer packs to celebrations of Mexican-American holidays, here are 9 packaged beverage promotions to know. ...
The Coca-Cola Co.
Coca-Cola, Atlanta, gave shoppers 18 years and older a free Coke Energy from participating c-stores across the United States on Oct. 30 ahead of daylight saving time on Nov. 1 to help people “power through the extra hour of this seemingly endless year.”
Customers could try Coke Energy, Coke Energy Zero Sugar, Cherry Coke Energy or Cherry Coke Energy Zero Sugar while supplies lasted.
Participating c-store retailers included: Speedway, Circle K, Casey’s, QuikTrip Corp., RaceTrac, ExtraMile, Kwik Trip, Kum & Go, Pilot Co., Love’s Travel Shops & Country Stores, Sheetz, Murphy USA, TravelCenters of America, MAPCO and GetGo.
Bud Light Seltzer
Bud Light Seltzer, from St. Louis, Mo.-based Anheuser-Busch (A-B), is launching an Ugly Sweater variety pack for the holiday season. The limited-edition pack includes four flavors: Apple Crisp, Peppermint Pattie, Gingersnap and Cranberry (which is the only flavor available year round).
The festive pack hits shelves Nov. 2 nationwide in 12-ounce slim can variety 12-packs. Each drink has 5% ABV, less than 1 gram of sugar and 100 calories.
Roar Organics
Roar Organics, Bethlehem, Pa., is launching a new social media campaign as it rolls out nationally into 7-Eleven c-stores.
The campaign encourages people to stay healthy during this challenging season by doing things like getting a flu shot and wearing a mask.
Roar Organics comes in Mango Clementine, Cucumber Watermelon, Blueberry Acai and Georgi Peach. It is made with electrolytes, antioxidants, vitamins and more, with only 2 to 3 grams of sugar and 20 calories per serving.
"Of course, we want everyone to hydrate organically with Roar," said Alexandra Galindez, president of Roar. "But more importantly, we want to do our part to help everyone stay healthy and safe. Gaining national distribution at 7-Eleven is fantastic, as it makes the brand available to many more people. But our regional presence at Wegman's in the East and Albertson-Safeway in the West, and key natural retailers such as Fresh Market, Fresh Thyme, King's, Gelson's, Bristol Farms and Mother's Market, is integral to our growth strategy."
Tecate
Tecate, owned by White Plains, N.Y.-based Heineken, is launching a holiday promotion surrounding Mexican-American family tradition. Los Posadas, a holiday tradition that has been around for more than 400 years, brings family together in the days leading up to Christmas, the company said.
Tecate is offering consumers a chance to win a $25 Uber credit to help them get home safely after enjoying “Tamales y Tecates’ at their celebrations.
“The retail promotion celebrates tamales and Tecate with a combination that is pure Mexican and maintains the so-called holiday ‘T diet’–tamales, tacos, tortas, tostadas, tortillas, tripitas and, of course, Tecate,” said Juan Carlos Montes, Tecate senior brand manager at Heineken USA.
Consumers can enter via text and winners will be awarded weekly through the eight-week program, available in select markets. The promotion leverages an incremental holiday to generate store traffic and higher basket rings, according to Heineken.
Captain Morgan
To celebrate the launch of Captain Morgan Sliced Apple Rum, Captain Morgan recruited five artists across the country to design murals in their communities, including in New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Austin and Atlanta. The murals paid tribute to some of the country’s most vibrant and iconic neighborhoods, according to the rum brand.
Captain Morgan also put together a crew of content creators across the comedy, visual effects, music and dance categories to see who could make the best ad for Captain Morgan Sliced Apple.
The drink fuses the flavor of the brand’s signature spiced rum with the juicy and crisp taste of apples, with a hint of ginger, Captain Morgan said. It is available in 750 milliliter bottles for a suggested retail price of $15.99.
Captain Morgan is owned by London-based alcohol company Diageo.
Budweiser
AB InBev’s Budweiser released limited-edition Nelly tall boy 25-ounce cans. The cans will be available in the rapper’s hometown of St. Louis and commemorate the 20th anniversary of the release of his debut album, Country Grammar.
The traditional Budweiser creed on the packaging is replaced by lyrics from Country Grammar’s title track and another quote comes from the song S.T.L, a nod to Nelly’s hometown and the brewing headquarters of A-B.
Barefoot
Barefoot wine, owned by Modesto, Calif.-based E & J Gallo Winery, partnered with Grammy-winning group the Black Eyed Peas to bring an augmented reality (AR) music experience to consumers.
With a smartphone and Barefoot products, consumers can experience an exclusive remix of the group’s latest single, “Vida Loca,” while also activating a donation to two non-profits.
When customers scan the QR code on Barefoot and Black Eyed Peas “Band Together” displays in retail locations, they’ll be able to access the campaign website. From the website, consumers can learn more about the program, enter for a chance to win a virtual meet-and-greet with the singing group and download the new Barefoot Wine AR app.
Once in the app, consumers can scan the foot logo on their Barefoot bottle, box or can and hear part of the remixed song. Adding Barefoot products to the frame will result in new parts of the song being added until the song is complete. There will also be custom animated visuals of the Black Eyed Peas with each label scan.
For every Barefoot label scanned, a $1 donation will be made to support Children of Restaurant Employees and the American Cancer Society.
Perrier
Perrier Carbonated Mineral Water, Stamford, Conn., released Perrier x Murakami, a vibrant collaboration with artist Takashi Murakami, inspired by the pop and colorful universe of the artist, according to the company.
Premium limited-edition Perrier screen-printed glass bottles featuring original artwork by Murakami were released in October at retailers around the world.
Over its 150-year history, Perrier has collaborated with many artists including Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali, Bernard Villemot and Raymond Savignac. Murakami is considered one of the most important Japanese artists of the generation, according to Perrier. He draws from traditional Japanese paintings, sci-fi, anime and more to create paintings, sculptures and films populated by repeated motifs and mutation characters of his own creation.
Dos Equis
Dos Equis, from Heineken, is encouraging college football fans to “Tailgate Anything” for the chance to win weekly tailgating-themed prizes all season.
Prizes include a 6-foot cooler, at-home pop-up bar, mini grill and more. One grand prize winner will win a tailgate tow trailer. The promotion runs through Jan. 11, 2021.
While COVID-19 makes watching football games challenging, Dos Equis is encouraging football fans and beer drinkers to get creative and “Tailgate Anything” from poker afternoons to bird watching to front porch concerts and more. Fans can enter the sweepstakes by submitting a photo of themselves tailgating with Dos Equis to www.dosequis.com/fan.