Pack it in: TV not the only medium

Some of the biggest-spending consumer brands in the UK miss out on a fundamental trick when it comes to brand marketing.

Although the spirits sector invests heavily in above-the-line advertising, it often fails to link its advertising themes with below-the-line promotions. Yet through-the-line activities immediately lead to impulse purchasing. If consumers cannot link an advertising message with the product, the compulsion to impulse buy is reduced.

This point is illustrated by the Russian vodka brand Stolichnaya, which ran a series of magazine ads featuring a Stoli butterfly tattoo on the back of a woman’s shoulder. The campaign provided the perfect opportunity for an on-pack promotion featuring temporary tattoos. This would have been a great way of providing a positive material link.

A modest investment in such packaging can reinforce other marketing, enhance the brand and impact directly on sales. It is time for professional marketers to give greater consideration to all the links in a purchasing decision and to end their preoccupation with the sex and glamour of television and display media.

Nick Hurd

Director

MW Creative

Royston

Hertfordshire