Last of Summer
August 2025
Summer is drawing to a close and we had a busy month with Bank Holidays and good weather galore over August. Strangely there was not a huge amount of innovative activations in store to support this, nor have we seen the anticipated ‘back to school’ content in store from brands.
However, we have managed to capture some incredible promotions focussing on travel as people begin to get the holiday blues. Along with some very innovative POS using unexpected materials.
A Saucy Signature
“This promotion was well crafted as it perfectly combined brand heritage with consumer excitement. Celebrating 30 years by offering luxury trips to Italy tied in beautifully with the product’s roots. The signature label mechanic was simple yet engaging, making shoppers feel part of a special milestone while adding genuine reward appeal.” – GC View
To celebrate its 30th anniversary, Lloyd Grossman is running a promotion with four luxury holidays for two to Italy to win. Consumers can win by finding a special label featuring Lloyd’s signature on promotional jars. In addition to the instant wins, there is an extra draw, with a chance to win another fantastic trip for two to Rome.
New Flavours Touchdown
“It’s exciting to see a major UK brand partner with a top American athletics giant. McCoy’s taps into the NFL’s growing UK fanbase with football-inspired limited-edition flavours and a sweepstakes offering the ultimate American football fan experience: a trip to one of the biggest athletic events in the world!” – GC View
As part of its official partnership with the NFL, McCoy’s has launched a major promotion alongside two new limited-edition, American-inspired flavours: Blazin’ Buffalo Chicken Wings and Secret Burger Sauce. The campaign offers a grand prize of an all-expenses-paid trip to Super Bowl LX in California. In addition, fans have the chance to win other exciting prizes, including tickets to the 2025 NFL London Games, official NFL merchandise, and various cash prizes.
Wood you Believe it?
“Amazing to see some truly fresh innovation in store with some brilliant POS from Corona. The use of wood and potential permanence of the fixtures has incredible standout amongst a sea of cardboard and digital fixtures. Maybe this is the start of a new POS revolution, only time will tell.” – GC View
A standout feature of Corona’s ongoing summer promotion is the innovative use of wooden fixtures to create impactful in-store displays. A prime example was recently observed in a Sainsbury’s store, where the brand deployed a cohesive suite of wooden point-of-sale materials, including FSDUs, pallet displays, and headers.
An Extra Dimension to Display
“In what is a super competitive environment, 3D POS headers cut through visual noise by creating a strong brand physical presence, and excel at anchoring shopper attention at critical decision points. What brand doesn’t want stronger recall, higher conversion, and justification for premium positioning!” – GC View
A notable trend is emerging in Sainsbury’s chilled aisles is the increasing use of 3D point-of-sale headers. Brands are leveraging these designs to create a dynamic presence, boosting their visibility and impact in a busy retail space.
Add Some Sparkle
“The custom shape neck collar and QR code in the shape of a diamond is a clear visual communicator, further emphasising what this campaign is about. A great device to grab the attention in the crucial consumer gaze time. The prize pool perfectly matches the brand, bottle design, and consumer.” – GC View
Freixenet is hosting a free-to-enter prize draw with a chance to ‘Win a diamond’ (the grand prize being £5,000 to spend on luxury jewellery). There are also 49 other prizes available, including jewellery vouchers, spa days for two, and cases of Freixenet’s sparkling wine.
A Bear-y Good Cause
“This is an excellent example of cause-related marketing. This long-standing collaboration has raised millions for BBC Children in Need. It’s a win-win-win, boosting brand image for Asda and Unilever while providing vital funds for the charity through everyday shopping.” – GC View
Asda and Unilever have teamed up to support BBC Children in Need. The partnership features a “You buy, we donate” scheme in Asda stores, where 10% of the sale from popular Unilever brands is given directly to Children in Need. This runs alongside Asda’s 25 years of support for the charity, which includes selling official merchandise and hosting nationwide in-store fundraising events.
Spooky Season so Soon?
“While this looks like a standard instant win from M&Ms there is some interesting detail in that Tesco and Sainsbury’s shoppers have the chance to win additional prizes. The promotion is also open to the UK and ROI for a wider reach and a wrap up draw provides multiple chances to win. This, along with the fantastic prize pool, is bound to help increase sales.” – GC View
Kicking off the Halloween season early, M&M’s on-pack promotion offers thousands of instant-win prizes, headlined by multiple trips to Disneyland Paris. The campaign also features exclusive retailer tailormades, with Sainsbury’s shoppers having the chance to win a VIP trip to M&M’s London Flagship Store, while Tesco customers can win an extra Disneyland holiday and thousands of gift cards.
