The beverage sector’s in a troublesome spot proper now. Within the U.Ok., clients are consuming much less and spending much less, a mixture that’s dragging on the efficiency of corporations like Diageo, which simply misplaced its CEO. Discovering new clients is an crucial.
Heineken U.Ok. has discovered a method round that drawback — it’s been utilizing a mix of contextual concentrating on and a spotlight metrics to diversify its media plans, incorporating in any other case missed show stock into campaigns.
In line with the brewer’s entrepreneurs, the strategy led to a 17% leap in model consciousness throughout an preliminary check with its premium cider model Outdated Mout, staged final summer season. The agency is about to roll out the contextual consideration answer throughout its portfolio within the second half of the yr.
It’s the most recent signal that manufacturers are weaving contextual concentrating on into the media planning course of to be able to get media {dollars} (or on this case, media kilos) working more durable — fairly than simply it as a meal alternative for the third social gathering cookie. Manufacturers like pet meals advertiser Lily’s Kitchen, for instance, had beforehand used consideration metrics to watch marketing campaign efficiency.
The check, staged with contextual advert tech agency GumGum, coincided with the primary marketing campaign in two years for Outdated Mout — an opportunity for a model refresh, but additionally a tough problem. The summer season months, which historically increase cider gross sales, additionally carry rivals to market like wasps drawn to a countryside picnic.
“We wish to be lively round then, as a result of it’s in all probability probably the most worthwhile time of the yr,” mentioned Dan Glynn, media shopping for lead at The Heineken Firm, who didn’t present the marketing campaign’s price range or monetary specifics. “The problem is that it turns into actually saturated.”
The advertiser is not any stranger to dabbling in consideration, having staged assessments final yr to measure how eye-catching its Cruzcampo digital advertisements have been, relative to rivals’ efforts. On this event, it used GumGum’s “Mindset Graph” instrument, which assigned consideration scores to media stock utilizing predictive fashions based mostly on a 35,000 robust eye-tracking survey panel. Mixed with contextual knowledge, it offers advertisers a means of backing up hunches within the media planning course of.
“We’re in a position to construct out predictive fashions based mostly on trade class, based mostly on artistic … the place we imagine the very best stage of consideration might be garnered based mostly on context,” mentioned Pete Wallace, basic supervisor for EMEA at GumGum.
By uncovering under-used media stock — on this case, excessive influence digital show items on the open net — Heineken was in a position to attain cider shoppers the place its rivals weren’t and wring extra juice out its price range. “We have been in a position to extra successfully optimize and drive efficiency,” mentioned Glynn.
One instance of that new provide was journey media. Beforehand missed by the model, Heineken’s work with GumGum led it to purchase extra media towards journey web sites and higher attain its viewers of feminine millennial drinkers.
“The open net remains to be one of many greatest untapped alternatives, and we wish to guarantee that we’re getting all the things we will out of that,” mentioned Glynn.
Heineken’s model uplift research carried out confirmed consciousness of Outdated Mout elevated 17% and psychological availability amongst feminine drinkers, one of many key goal audiences for the marketing campaign, rose 23%.
The marketing campaign contributed to a robust yr for the cider model. Regardless of a muted industrial atmosphere for brewers, Outdated Mout’s revenues within the U.Ok. grew over 10% all through 2024, in accordance with Heineken’s newest annual outcomes, launched in April.
The corporate is at present rolling out the answer on campaigns for portfolio merchandise like Inch’s Cider, Cruzcampo and Birra Moretti, and on Foster’s, Strongbow and the mainline Heineken manufacturers in campaigns launching within the third and fourth quarters of this yr. Though Dentsu handles Heineken’s above-the-line media shopping for (together with linear and streaming TV and out-of-home), the brewer labored straight with GumGum on the instrument.
Media companies PHD, Havas Media Community and Mindshare have every since begun utilizing the instrument with U.Ok. purchasers.
Chris Appleton, head of programmatic at PHD Media U.Ok., mentioned the company had used the instrument to “floor affinities that may assist inform future activation — like discovering that the viewers for one among our FMCG purchasers was over-indexing in PC gaming and journey.” He didn’t identify the purchasers PHD had examined the answer with, however added: “These insights will permit us to fulfill shoppers in surprising, high-engagement arenas.”
There’s a artistic profit right here, too.
“A lot of our purchasers can’t make mid-flight artistic modifications — it’s simply not possible. However utilizing this instrument throughout planning lets us be extra proactive,” mentioned Jacob Kiernan, programmatic account director, Havas Media Group UK. “We are able to launch with extra related artistic, matched to the viewers’s mindset, which finally helps seize extra consideration.”
In Heineken’s case, that’s meant bringing GumGum into conversations with its artistic companies, together with St Luke’s and Fortunate Generals, enabling them to drum up artistic property that correctly swimsuit new media environments the model is unearthing.
“Having the ability to add knowledge to artistic is such a brand new mind-set for that a part of the trade, but it surely’s changing into increasingly more prevalent,” mentioned Glynn.
