Serenading Starburst and sending Skittles wild, Wrigley is in revamp mode
CONFECTIONERY manufacturer Wrigley has been adding to its Starburst and Skittles ranges and pushing the boat out with a major advertising campaign.
Quoting Nielsen research findings, Wrigley says Skittles and Starburst achieved sales worth more than £13.7m in the last two years, which means the brands now have a 10.3% share of the fruit confectionery category.
Starburst aimed to get 2014 off to a swinging start with a TV advertising campaign starring US singer Michael Bolton.
The 20 second ‘Unexplainably Juicy’ ad aired for the first time in January and will be on screens until the end of April.
At the same time Wrigley revamped Starburst’s packaging. Packs now feature what the firm describes as a bigger, bolder logo, which, it argues, will help it stand out on shelves.
The company has launched Starburst FaveReds, a mix of Strawberry, Raspberry, Cherry and Red Apple flavoured sweets.
The pack is available in a 45g stick and 192g pouch and is the first in the Starburst range to feature the new pack design.
Matt Austin, Wrigley Confectionery business unit director, said: “Like a mix tape of favourite songs, new Starburst FaveReds brings all the delicious red flavours consumers love together in one ‘Unexplainably Juicy’ pack.”
Wrigley also launched a Wild Berry mix of Skittles last month. That launch is being supported by a £10m marketing campaign that includes of in-store sampling, digital and TV advertising.
The Wild Berry pack contains a mix of Raspberry, Strawberry, Wild Cherry, Berry Punch and Melon Berry flavours. It’s available in 55g single-size bags and 174g sharing pouches.
Starburst 150g and Skittles 125g £1 price-marked packs were introduced last year.
Tom Jarratt, customer marketing director at Wrigley, said: “Every retailer should constantly review merchandising principles to make sure they’re one step ahead of the competition.
“Sugar confectionery is a highly impulsive category, meaning it is vital that retailers maximise the visibility of their display through creative point of sale and merchandising.”
