Magazin: Meagre year, abundant Christmas?

Most manufacturers prepare for the holiday season with more gift packages than last year, but the balance shifted towards cheaper solutions in this segment too. Unilever Kft. has been performing very well on the Christmas gift package market for years. According to customer operation assistant manager Adél Lichtenstein, they compile the portfolio of Christmas gift packages based on research data, their own experiences and feedback from retailer partners. This year Unilever forecasts the conquest of packages which cost less than HUF 1,000, consist of 2-3 basic products and are placed in paper gift box packaging. The price level in the medium category is HUF 2,000; premium category products are sold for more than HUF 3,000. Petra Rozgonyi, L’Oréal Magyarország Kft.’s category management stagiarie revealed that this year hair care, deodorant and men’s packages will be given more emphasis. Anikó Radosiczky, Sarantis Hungary Kft.’s marketing manager informed Trade magazin that their gift package selection was created with consumers’ price and promotion sensitivity in mind: they offer packages with a 10-percent discount, ‘one product from the two is free’ and other surprises. Viktória Etter, Coty Hungary Kft.’s PR coordinator emphasised that they did their best to make cheaper packages look as stylish as more expensive ones. Petra Lambert, Henkel’s junior brand manager told us that exciting Christmas gift packages can also be made from traditional brands, while innovations’ communicative power strengthens the selection of seasonal offers. At Unilever Christmas gift packages are compiled taking both brand and price aspects into consideration, with the most sought for Axe, Dove and Rexona products playing the main roles. This year’s novelties are Dove for Men products, which made it to gift packages for the first time this year. Unilever also prepared unique packages tailored to chains’ needs, in which we can find products that sold well in the units of the given chain. This season Sarantis Hungary Kft. comes out with more packages than last year which include a product for free. Four selections await STR8 likers and those who favour BU will find two gift packages in shops. Melinda Jáger, Beiersdorf Kft.’s trade marketing manager told Trade magazin that they prepared for Christmas with 19 nationwide and 5 chain-specific packages. Instead of added value, this year they focus on attractive prices, although in their NIVEA SOS gift package they put presents – a pair of gloves. In Schwarzkopf & Henkel gift packages shoppers can find the most popular Fa, Schauma, Gliss Kur, Syoss, Right Guard and Taft products. From their 24 package boxes and 14 packages the perfect gift can be selected for both men and women; in some of them we find different brands combined (Fa and Schauma). Three Syoss packages target women, while we can surprise men with Right Guard gift packages. L’Oréal Hungary’s Garnier and L’Oréal Paris brands will be the main stars of the company’s Christmas gift package campaign. Garnier Mineral men’s deodorants were introduced this year and they will be highlighted in gift packages too; Garnier Pure Active targets young consumers. With the L’Oréal Paris brand they followed the All Ages concept in compiling packages: Triple Active and Youth Code packages are for women, Hydra Sensitive is for men. Coty’s gift packages paired products with similar scents. As for packaging material, they used ‘windowed’ carton boxes – these protect the products, but they can be seen as well. The Playboy brand thinks of ‘Playmates’ too: women’s perfumes were introduced this autumn in three fragrances. In 2010 Coty started selling their Christmas gift packages in the bookline webshop. Unilever Kft. prepares for the holiday season with POS activities and promotions. Sarantis uses leaflets, secondary placements and gondola ends. L’Oréal’s main tool will be secondary placements. Coty will cooperate with Rossmann and use a special Christmas display, which is manufactured by STI Display. With its Milka brand, Kraft Foods is the second biggest player on the seasonal product market. This year they will enter the chocolate gift package market with a 175-g compilation of Milka chocolate Santa Claus figures of different size; Kraft Food will also put a 60-g Milka Snowman on the market. According to Nóra Gyuris, a brand manager with Kraft Foods Hungária Kft. constant innovation and the power of new products will keep up consumer interest for Milka products. She added that their Christmas campaign slogan will be ‘This year men take care of Christmas’ and its objective will be easing women’s tension and fatigue during their preparation for Christmas. chocoMe was established with the brave goal of preparing the chocolate with perfectly harmonic flavours. Chocolatier Gábor Mészáros told that their small chocolate manufacture makes products on individual demand, using only premium quality base materials and artisan craftsmanship. They use three different chocolate bases: Fortina Finest Selection dark chocolate, milk chocolate made from Arriba cocoa from Ecuador and white chocolate rich in Bourbon vanilla. The original character of these chocolates makes them a perfect gift, and with orders above 1,000 pieces boxes of unique design are used for packaging. Just like in previous years, Bahlsen offers a wide range of premium Christmas biscuits and cakes. Zsanett Koklárné Teveli, Maresi Foodbroker Kft.’s brand manager spoke of the company’s efforts to make products available in various packaging units. Their assortment is made up of 15 products, including their Base products (Akora, Contessa Minis) and the Golden Series. On demand they make individual offers, but in most cases they suggest their most successful products to all partners. Ágnes Szijjártó, Tchibo Budapest Kft.’s PR coordinator spoke to us about the popularity of pairing coffee with chocolate. In Tchibo’s premium carton box shoppers find Merci Fine Selection 250g chocolate and two packs of ground coffee: Tchibo Espresso Milano Style and Tchibo Espresso Sicilia Style. Bálint Zsinkó, Zwack Unicum Nyrt.’s trade marketing, business development and export manager revealed that with Unicum, Vilmos and Fütyülős products they will package glasses, at the same time making the packaging look even more spectacular than before. Their promotional products will not appear at the same time in different networks and they prepare with tailor made promotions in certain retail chains.