Blog: STRONGBOW ‘CarnEvil’ Returns to Generate ‘Spooktacular’ Halloween Sales

With Halloween now the second biggest UK party occasion, after New Year’s Eve[1], Strongbow is continuing to help licensees capitalise on the celebration with the return of its CarnEvil campaign
Synonymous with Halloween, the UK’s leading cider brand’s CarnEvil campaign in 2017 resulted in sales uplift of +18% across the Strongbow portfolio compared to the average during the Halloween period[2]
Customers are looking for ‘experiences’ when they visit the on trade. One of the key drivers identified in The Greenpaper by HEINEKEN, ‘Let’s Get Together’, demonstrates that licensees should be capitalising on existing events to drive footfall and maximise sales
Halloween parties are a great way to do this and will, on average, deliver an incremental £452 more profit than a usual Friday or Saturday night[3]

This Halloween, Strongbow is activating in pubs and bars across the UK to drive sales and make it a frightful night to remember. Building on its hugely successful campaign last year, which saw outlets achieve sales uplifts of 18% across Strongbow brands[4], the UK’s leading cider brand[5] synonymous with Halloween, will be encouraging pubs and bars to ditch the norm and embrace the strange.

Running from 22nd October to 5th November, the CarnEvil campaign will once again help licensees create their own Halloween celebrations with an online asset library and themed POS support kits, including petrifying posters, staff fancy dress and devilish drip mats. The campaign taps into the huge number of customers that want to dress up with a range of creepy eye patches to giveaway. Halloween revellers will be in with a 1 in 4 chance of winning a CarnEvil eye patch, simply by purchasing a pint of Strongbow Original or Dark Fruit.

Recent independent data has shown that pubs and bars stocking both Strongbow Original and Strongbow Dark Fruit together, will experience a rate of sale increase of a staggering 44% - the equivalent of selling an additional 62 pints a week[6]. The CarnEvil promotion offers operators further opportunity to boost their cider sales with the nation’s two favourite ciders accounting for 35% value and 39% volume of the total cider market and together drive the category[6].

Customers are also increasingly looking for ‘experiences’ when they visit the on trade. One of the key drivers identified in The Greenpaper, ‘Let’s Get Together’, shows that Licensees should be capitalising on existing events and creating new occasions throughout the year to drive footfall and maximise sales.

Halloween parties are a great way to do this and will, on average, deliver an incremental £452 more profit than a usual Friday or Saturday night[7]. So, with one in every five 18-34 year olds going out on Halloween, this age group represents a valuable opportunity, as they also spend 30% more than the average late night customer[8].

For those outlets that really like to get involved in the festivities there’s a £2,500 prize for the best dressed pub team. Simply upload your best Halloween costume photo using #StrongbowHalloween and comment with your pub’s name and location.

Jerry Shedden, On-Trade Category & Trade Marketing Director, HEINEKEN, said; “Strongbow’s eye-catching Halloween activity from over the years has helped get more people through licensees’ doors on 31st October. As the second busiest party night of the year, consumers will be planning now for places to socialise with friends and with Strongbow’s CarnEvil activations, licensees can be confident in their offering, tapping into the latest trends and data helping their pub or bar stand out from the crowd.”

For licensees interested in receiving their own kit, you simply need to buy three kegs of Strongbow Original or Strongbow Dark Fruit to qualify. Online support for licensees will be available at www.strongbow.com/assetlibrary including POS downloads, How to Guides and assets for use on social media channels.