Spectacle and gifts for the end of the year from Zwack

If over 40 per cent of the annual sales of a company are generated in the October-December period, trade marketing and marketing professionals have to consider very carefully what and how they are going to offer consumers and retailers in this period. In recent years, Christmas promotions have been organised by Zwack using the concept of integrated communication. The world of Jenő Rejtő appeared on promotional packaging, in TV spots and other advertisements. This year, Zwack has decided to emphasise the function of Unicum and Unicum Next as gifts. Presentation boxes have been designed to make Unicum an ideal gift not only for close friends and family but for other acquaintances as well. Zwack has been focusing on channel specific trade marketing planning and execution of campaigns for years. A few years ago, they had an even larger number of special presentation boxes, allowing almost all chains to offer a unique product. However, the five types of promotional packaging used at the moment should be adequate to create diversity. Zwack does not use POS materials. Instead, they focus on secondary placements. They use three types of displays, including a “theatre display”. It is a 2.8 meters tall metal structure, shaped like an advertising pillar which can accommodate a huge quantity of Unicum and Unicum Next. There is an LCD display on one side with its “colour” changing in regular intervals of time, always new films for customers. The floor area occupied by the display is small, but its antiquated appearance allows it to stand out from its modern surroundings. It has been received very positively by store staff and consumers as well. When retail chains insist on getting an almost surreal discount and refuse to allow secondary placements to be installed in the absence of such a discount, no matter how spectacular these might be, Zwack will not insist on using these either. At the time when this article is being written, it is still a secret what the “big shot” of Zwack will be for the Christmas season. As Bálint Zsinkó has put it, they are going to disperse tailor made bombs in most chains, creating a fireworks for Christmas. “Big surprise” promotions are going to be co-ordinated with the media as well. Hostesses will not be employed this year. Special and traditional trade marketing ideas are conceived at Zwack by having management and the heads of marketing, trade marketing and sales meet two or three times a year. Ideas submitted are reviewed by controlling to see if these are financially feasible and later passed on to team members for implementation. In analysing the impact of promotions, it is very difficult to tell what was it that generated the growth in sales. Packaging? Gifts? Displays?