KICK ENERGY DRINK LAUNCHES INTO ASDA STORES
Global Brands’ Kick Energy drink is now available in over 250 ASDA superstores UK-wide following a series of marketing tie-ins with video gaming.
The listing marks another step towards re-creating Kick Energy’s on trade sales within the off trade.
Global Brands, the drinks business that owns Kick, unveiled a £2.5m marketing campaign in 2010 that would aim to align the energy drink brand with video-gaming, a huge yet relatively untapped market.
Following several high profile gaming event sponsorships, in-outlet activity and three on-pack promotions with video game releases, Kick Energy has emerged as a challenger brand in a saturated market.
Global Brands Marketing Director, Simon Green said:
“Securing a listing in ASDA stores is a huge triumph for the Kick Energy brand. Energy drinks is one of the fastest growing subcategories of the last 12 months, and with our brand’s superior taste profile, its price point and unique marketing proposition, we know this listing will be mutually beneficial for Kick Energy and ASDA.
“The gaming industry is bigger than the movie business, but until now has remained relatively unexploited in terms of marketing and energy drinks brands.
“One out of every two adults in the UK owns a gaming console, and on average, those adults spend almost 13 hours of their week playing videogames.”
Kick Energy is the first in its category to utilise QR technology on-pack in the UK
As part of the £2.5 million marketing campaign, Global Brands is communicating Kick Energy’s revitalising properties and how they link to gamers who require high levels of concentration.
Kick Energy’s on pack promotions with gaming titles, sponsorship of the Gadget Show and GAMEfest, and national promotional tours with Kick branded vehicles, has attempted to connect with the UK’s gaming millions – and now they have an outlet from which to buy their preferred energy drink.
Global Brands has recently launched the third of Kick Energy’s gaming on pack promotions, this time with the Batman Arkham City.
Three million cans have entered the trade giving consumers the chance to win The Ultimate Hero Gadget Pack worth £2500 and other prizes.
Each can will carry a QR code, which when scanned with a smartphone QR application will take the consumer directly to the campaign’s site to enter the competition.
Kick Energy is the first in its category to utilise QR technology on-pack in the UK.
The campaign will reach around five million targeted consumers and gamers over the course of the promotion via in-outlet, online activation and event attendance.
Global Brands is also travelling the UK in the new Kick Energy and Batman branded Nissan Nivarra, and launching off trade specific POS to raise awareness of the brand and its gaming associations at point of purchase.
