TV Night In

Those old enough to remember Opportunity Knocks will know that Saturday and Sunday nights have always been about someone desperately grinning into the camera in a bid to gain viewer votes. The only difference today seems to be how much these shows leak into spin-off shows, media and formats. At the moment, ITV1’s The X Factor runs for three-and-a-half hours across two nights every week and has a heavy web presence, plus a seemingly endless supply of judge bickering to fill the tabloid front pages.

It’s no different on the other side, either, where BBC’s Saturday night Strictly Come Dancing spills over daily onto BBC2 with the Strictly - It takes 2 just in case we can’t wait for the next dose of dance.

While this may not be fantastic news for those who aren’t fans, it’s great for c-stores as the general population looks for snacks to accompany the hours of TV viewing. But retailers need to be canny about how and when they service the customers who watch these kind of shows.

For Paul Cheema, of Malcolm’s Stores in Coventry, this means if you can’t beat them, join them. The store boasts a 42in screen which is switched to The X Factor when it’s on in a bid to keep customers in the store for as long as possible.

“A couple of years ago we realised there was a decline in the number of customers when The X Factor was on,” Paul explains, “especially as it got closer to the final. We realised if we switched the programme on in the shop people would realise they weren’t going to miss anything. We’re not trying to get them to watch the whole thing here, but they’re not going to dash off either and they won’t be put off coming.”

Interestingly, he says that the two nights the programme is on attract a slightly different crowd, with slightly different needs. “On Saturday night it’s beers and crisps, then they go over to a friend’s house to watch it. On Sunday it’s family time and there are lots of confectionery sales and frozen gateaux - it’s about treating.”

Paul says the key to catering to both crowds is taking care of the details: “You need 100% availability and we make sure that all the checkouts are manned. Then it’s about cross-category selling, but you need to get it right. It’s no good siting the Maltesers with beer - it won’t sell. You want confectionery with wine and crisps with beers. You need to target each group.”

Dennis Williams of Broadway Stores, Edinburgh, agrees that these type of shows offer c-stores an enormous opportunity: “For 20-odd million people to be watching two programmes over three hours on a Saturday night is pretty incredible. It’s a no-brainer to target them.”

The store has a four-metre bay dedicated to Big Night In which, says Dennis, is well worth the space. “Space is at a premium for all retailers, but this is a must at the end of the day. All the research is pointing to the fact that money is tight and people are staying in more. That means there is more money there for us. It’s a fantastic opportunity.”

However, he points out that more help from suppliers wouldn’t go amiss. “Some of the suppliers could be supplying more theatre - they’re missing a massive opportunity.”

Some have realised the opportunity that these type of mass-interest shows afford, however. Pepsico and Britvic have put a cross-branding promotion with Pepsi Max and Walkers Extra Crunchy at the heart of their partnership with The X Factor Live Final. Cross-merchandised POS for retailers is available to highlight the partnership, and an on-pack promotion gives consumers the chance to win tickets to the show’s final in Manchester every hour for eight weeks. Last year’s live final held at Wembley Arena was the most watched TV show of the year.

The linking of the two brands is a smart move, with research showing that crisps and snacks are consumed with soft drinks 57% of the time. However, they are only bought together 13% of the time, which means there is a major potential for manufacturers and retailers (source: Pepsico/Kantar Worldpanel).

Says Pepsico wholesale director Kieran South: “Cross-merchandising yields substantial rewards for retailers and manufacturers alike, growing the category and increasing basket spend by offering consumers convenience and value for money.”

The company previously linked Pepsi Max and Doritos in a Fire and Ice promotion last October, which led to link-purchasing of the brands doubling during the four-week promotion and, says South, led to the Pepsi brand achieving its highest market share in more than three years (source: Nielsen Scantrack).

Britvic soft drinks marketing director Jonathan Gatward says that it has strong expectations for the current pairing: “This is the third time Britvic and Pepsico have paired up and we have established a strong track record of success in cross-promotions.”

He says to replicate the success of previous years retailers need to use the bespoke merchandising units as well as creating secondary displays in high footfall areas. The promotion is available across 150g bags and pricemarked packs of Walkers Extra Crunchy and 2ltr, 600ml and 500ml bottles and 8x330ml cans of Pepsi Max, Pepsi and Diet Pepsi.

In November, Walkers Extra Crunchy will be back on TV until mid-December with a repeat of last year’s ad campaign featuring Lionel Richie and Gary Lineker.

Game on

Not every night in front of the box involves TV or DVD. When it comes to square-eyed customers with a major snacking habit, you could do worse than look at the gamers. According to research released in 2011 by the IAB Games Steering Group in partnership with Kantar Media, more than 27.6 million adults play games, or 77% of people over the age of 25. And if you think all that video gaming was confined to men, think again. The split is pretty even at 49% women vs 51% male.

The nature of gaming these days means that a gaming night might mean a night in with mates at home or even other players around the globe (81% of games console players play socially with friends or family). Snacking while gaming is pretty normal so it’s not really that surprising that food manufacturers have tapped into this huge demographic with promotions.

Mountain Dew Energy has introduced limited-edition Game Fuel and is running a promotion with game Halo 4, which launches in November this year. The promotion gives consumers the chance to win one of four all-expenses-paid, behind-the-scenes trips for two to meet the Halo 4 developers in Seattle, USA. In addition, 40 consumers have the opportunity to win copies of Halo 4 each day, with a further 200 winning Spartan costumes for their Xbox 360 Avatar. The give-away runs across 500ml and 1ltr packs of Mountain Dew Energy and Game Fuel, and targets 15- to 24-year-olds.

Last year, Kepak brand Rustlers also realised the potential of the enormous gaming community with an on-pack promotion tied into the release of the games Deus Ex and Batman Arkham City. This year it has teamed up with the Hitman series to give consumers the chance to win a holiday in Las Vegas. The on-pack promotion ties in with the release of the fifth in the Hitman series, Hitman: Absolution, set for release next month. Special packs of Rustlers featuring the promotion will be available from the end of this month.

WKD marketing director Debs Carter says that gaming is another example of how varied nights in have become. “At home, guys get the chance to focus on the things that are dear to them viewing the latest DVD releases, gaming, gadgets, new technology, music and watching sport together on TV. Some 49% of WKD consumers meet up at least once a week with friends for a night in, with Fridays - as the launch pad for the weekend - being the most popular day for such events.”

Carter says that the coming months are particularly important for the trend. “With people monitoring their leisure spending in the run up to Christmas, at home socialising could take on even greater prominence this autumn.”

The brand is targeting these kind of nights with a £4.99 pricemarked 4x275ml packs for the convenience market. The packs of WKD Blue, Iron Brew and Purple carry a ‘Only £4.99 Result!’ logo.

Carter says that these types of packs drive purchase on at-home occasions: “There is strong evidence that pricemarked packs help drive impulse purchases and we know that 58% of WKD 275ml four-pack purchase occasions are for entertaining at home.”

She says that it’s the unplanned big nights in where c-stores can really reap rewards, by making sure they have a chilled offering ready to go. “Being known as the outlet in the local community that delivers on this will set retailers apart from the competition. We know that 80% of WKD consumers prefer to buy chilled. Industry research shows that chilled availability increases sales of RTDs by at least 10%.”

Merrydown head of brand marketing Amanda Grabham says that for all alcohol chilled is the key to this market. “Making a purchase from the alcohol fixture and/or the chiller will be on the agenda for most people shopping for a night in. Given the growth rates we have seen in bottled cider over the past couple of years, along with research showing that cider drinkers spend an average £21 a month on purchasing alcohol to drink at home, establishing a cider range including brands particularly suited to the night in occasion will pay dividends.”

Over the past 12 months, glass bottled cider sales in the impulse sector have grown by more than a quarter and now generate £67m-worth of annual sales through impulse sales (Nielsen Scantrack). Some 60% is consumed by the over-35 age group, with two-thirds of drinkers aged over 35 drinking mostly at home or at a friend’s house.

Grabham says: “The cider range aimed at night-in purchase needs to include brands which appeal to the over 25s who will be looking for quality cues such as the taste profile of the product and the story behind the brand - a role which is fulfilled by heritage ciders such as Merrydown, Westons, Thatchers and Aspall.”

For the spirits industry this type of occasion is no less important, according to Bacardi Brown-Forman trade marketing manager Crispin Stephens: “All the data is saying that younger consumers are spending less, so we have to make Jack Daniel’s available to these consumers in an affordable way. There hasn’t been enough creativity in spirits from this point of view.”

The brand recently introduced a 35cl pack with free tumbler (rrp £12.99 rrp) with 45,000 units going into managed convenience. “It’s these kind of packs that offer a real opportunity in convenience,” says Stephens. “The beauty of Jack and Coke is that it’s simple to make at home.”

Also new from the brand is Tennessee Honey. The new variant is being backed by an integrated campaign in cinemas and outdoor, which will include TV advertising in December.