Carbonated drinks dressed up to party

Guests spend more time in a club or restaurant than they do in stores. Price sensitivity is reduced, but being trendy is more important. This allows communication to become more imaginative and diverse. – Price sensitivity is not such a primary factor in the HoReCa channel and the choice of brands is far more limited than in retail stores. Other categories naturally mean competition for carbonated drinks in this sector as well and the main trends are similar to those in the retail market – says Ibolya Szabó, PR and communications director of Coca-Cola Magyarország. – Cheaper products are not popular in the HoReCa sector, as most consumers want to appear as trendy and well off, when other people see them and are willing to pay the price for this. Though most promotions take place in the retail sector, HoReCa is more suitable for brand building, as we have much more time to communicate with consumers in HoReCa units. We pay special attention to our brands being visible in restaurants (using all kinds of POS tools). We use all sorts of consumer activities to persuade guests to choose our brand – she adds. Quality is also a primary consideration, especially the right temperature. This is why coolers which serve visibility as well, are used so frequently. Coca-Cola Magyarország entered a new market in the spring with the introduction of Burn. Burn focuses on the two sales channels where energy is most needed: clubs and petrol stations. Coca-Cola has also introduced a 0.25 litre, innovative party bottle this year, which has free space to accommodate a short drink. A new flavour, Bitter Rosso has also been added to the Kinley assortment, which is only available in HoReCa units. According to Ibolya Szabó, their most important innovation in the HoReCa channel is the introduction of the new 0,2 litre glass bottles, which represent the highest quality. – Usually, one of the leading brands enjoy total or partial exclusivity in HoReCa units – points out Ákos Somogyi, trade marketing manager of FÁÜ Zrt. – Though carbonated soft drinks are still enormously popular, the possibility of significant expansion lays in other alcohol-free categories. As a result of the „health & wellness” trend, demand for low calorie products is growing dynamically – sums up his experience Ákos Somogyi. It is also characteristic of the HoReCa channel that manufacturers use higher quality and smaller size packaging than in the retail channels. As FÁÜ Zrt. is a distributor of several international brands, covering all categories of alcohol-free drinks, they are able to provide a comprehensive service to their partners. They also market Lay’s and Cheetos snacks, which allows more complex promotions to be used. Their innovations this year include Harmatvíz and the sugar-free Pepsi Max, which have received exceptional marketing support. The 2007 Pepsi Max promotional campaign is focused on nightlife and uses attractive hostesses. Another notable campaign in the summer of 2007 was the consumer promotion based on the pop group, The Black Eyed Peas.