On 1 February the UK crisp giant Walkers kicked off its UEFA Champions League campaign with an integrated, 12-week #WalkersUnited initiative – spanning TV work, point-of-sale assets, an on-pack competition promotion, plus a digital and an influencer activation strand – to promote a new range of sharing packs aimed at social occasions
The new sharing packs come in the four best-selling Walkers flavours; Ready Salted, Cheese & Onion, Salt & Vinegar and Prawn Cocktail.
Launched to leverage the start of the tournament’s knock-out phase, the spearhead TV spot pushes the brand’s new 175g resealable sharing pack with creative focusing on football fans gathering in various locations – from pubs to living rooms – to watch a match.
Airing for eight weeks, the ad, which was developed with creative agency Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, also features long-time brand ambassador and England striking legend Gary Lineker makes his usual Walkers ad appearance as ‘goal poacher’ who tries to take other people’s crisps but can’t abide sharing his own.
The TV commercial dovetails with an with on-pack Snap & Share promotion across the Walkers’ portfolio (not just the new share packs) inviting consumers to upload a photo of themselves with the sharing pack and tagging the images with the campaign’s #WalkersUnited hashtag in order to be in with a chance of winning Champions League related prizes (ranging from match tickets and a PS4 consoles with Pro Evolution Soccer to adidas footballs).
The objective is that this mechanic is fun and engaging and that it will capture the public’s imagination: both football lovers and non-footie consumers too.
Each promotional pack features the lower half of a football fan’s face – mouth open in a fun, cheering pose – and buyers simply need to hold the pack up to their own face, take a selfie and share it via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using #WalkersUnited.
Win @ChampionsLeague prizes every day. Snap & Share your photo with #WalkersUnited promo packs to enter. T&Cs apply: https://t.co/yDVaTRpuWj pic.twitter.com/LiAicN2NsB
— Walkers Crisps (@walkers_crisps) January 30, 2017
This on-pack promotion is being further supported by point-of-sale pieces and a digital and influencer campaign (including Lineker and Reggie Yates).
Nice work, @GaryLineker. Now your turn! Snap & Share with #WalkersUnited for a chance to win @ChampionsLeague prizes every day. pic.twitter.com/oI9qCJBDBx
— Walkers Crisps (@walkers_crisps) February 1, 2017
Nice work, @REGYATES. Now your turn! Snap & Share with #WalkersUnited for a chance to win @ChampionsLeague prizes every day. 18+, T&Cs apply pic.twitter.com/Y1cmBDxiK2
— Walkers Crisps (@walkers_crisps) February 1, 2017
According to Walkers UK brand manager John Savage, the campaign aims to highlighting the role Walkers can play in bringing people together on family and friends football watching occasions: which it also hopes will take the brand-related social conversation beyond just the football.
This social focus is reflected in the fact that PepsiCo research shows 80% of fans watching UEFA Champions League with friends & family and around 50% of them buy snacks & drinks for the occasion.
Savage states that while Walkers’ previous tournament big idea aimed to establishing the brand’s relationship with the Champions League, it is now evolving and maturing in order to ‘maximise the opportunity from the sponsorship’.
‘A year down the line it’s time for us to bring out some more engaging comms,’ he explains.
‘We’re looking to talk to a broader audience. You won’t see us going down a diehard football fan route. That’s not our role. With the new positioning, the focus is very much on the fans.’
‘Currently in the UK, one in five social occasions where snacking takes place don’t include sharing packs. We recognised this as an opportunity to drive incremental sales by introducing larger format bags of the nation’s favourite crisps, perfect for sharing. The re-sealable sticker gives shoppers the option of sharing their crisps or re-sealing them to keep them fresh and saving them for later,’ explains Savage.
‘Watching a football match with friends or family is an ideal occasion for sharing snacks, so the UEFA Champions League is the perfect match for the launch of our new re-sealable Sharing Packs. The football-themed ‘Snap & Share’ on-pack promotion was designed to appeal to fans who love the social occasion around the UCL. Featuring on brightly coloured promotional packs that will have unprecedented stand-out on shelf, shoppers will find it hard to miss.’
Activative Comment:
Back in 2015, parent company PepsiCo signed a three-year deal to sponsor the world’s top club tournament: a partnership that allows a number of its brands to make use of the relationship in their marketing.
The Walkers activity represents something of a new positioning for the crisp brand in that it puts less emphasis on current, big name players and more on the fans themselves watching the match at home.
This new approach replaces Walker’s original Champions League #GameReady concept (see case study).
The new Walkers sponsorship strategy and the objectives behind it have echoes of Carling’s approach to its Premier League partnership – which it sees a ‘a means to an end as it allows the brand to be part of the most prevalent conversation in the country – football’
The strategy is based on the belief that great sporting events always bring together – friends and families – and snacks are often a part of these social occasions and the Champions league is one of the greatest of all sporting events.
Links:
Walkers
https://www.youtube.com/user/walkerscrisps
https://twitter.com/walkers_crisps
https://www.facebook.com/walkers
https://www.instagram.com/walkers_crisps
PepsiCo
Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO
UEFA Champions League
http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/
