Promotion of The Month
Celebrating promotions that redefine industry standards with their innovation and impact—whether it’s through disruptive in-store presence, gripping on-pack promotions, immersive retail experiences, or seamless collaborations with influencers. Join us as we unveil January’s award-winning promotion by Cat Among The Pigeons, including a detailed interview with company founder, Paul McGann.
Think Your Promotion Has What It Takes? To enter your campaign for Promotion of the Month, please contact news@promomarketing.info
Promotion of The Month
Celebrating promotions that redefine industry standards with their innovation and impact—whether it’s through disruptive in-store presence, gripping on-pack promotions, immersive retail experiences, or seamless collaborations with influencers. Join us as we unveil January’s award-winning promotion by Cat Among The Pigeons, including a detailed interview with company founder, Paul McGann.
Think Your Promotion Has What It Takes? To enter your campaign for Promotion of the Month, please contact news@promomarketing.info
Horlicks Happy Place
Horlicks Happy Place
Campaign Summary
Horlicks, a 150-year-old brand has long been associated with providing a good night’s sleep, but recognised that not all consumers, especially younger generations, were relying on Horlicks solely for a bedtime beverage. Instead, they sought wellness solutions that could be incorporated into more moments of their busy daily lives.
Cat Among The Pigeons supported this repositioning by strategically partnering with Fearne Cotton ‘Happy Place’, whose app and wellness content resonates with Millennials seeking comprehensive well-being experiences.
The further opportunity to win personalised Wellness Weekends, such as Yoga Retreats, Luxury Spa Weekends, and Glamping Breaks, reflects the diverse nature of wellbeing and encourages consumers to choose prize experiences that resonate with their unique well-being goals.
The promotion is supported by a comprehensive shopper marketing campaign including digital advertising screens, in-home sampling, category aisle fins and retailer magazine to drive awareness of the on-pack offer.
Cat Among the Pigeons is a terrific name, where did it come from?
I’ve been working in the industry for over 30 years and have always thought that actually, for an industry that prides itself on creativity, often the agency names are the dullest part of their output. As a disruptive agency we wanted to do something that stood out and was instantly memorable. We loved Cat Among the Pigeons which emotively says what we do and also feels a bit like a band name as well!
Why was wellness chosen as the central theme for this campaign?
Horlicks has symbolised getting a good night’s sleep in the UK for decades, so in a way, wellness has long been part of Horlicks. But we recognised that consumption habits are evolving among younger shoppers. Not everyone is turning to a milky or malted drink in the evening to relax before bed. So we wanted to open up the moments that Horlicks could be enjoyed during a busy day. Whether that’s a mid-morning break, a lunch time meal replacement, or a five-minute decompression away from the laptop.
Working with a brand that’s 150 years old. That’s quite a challenge.
I think it brings home the point that you really are just a guardian of these brands. Whether you’re on the client side or on the agency side, your connection with the brand may be relatively brief, but your duty is to leave it healthier and pass it on to the to the next owner in good shape.
“You really are just a guardian of these brands… Your connection with the brand may be relatively brief, but your duty is to pass it on to the next owner in good shape”.
What were the key promotional mechanics involved in this campaign?
There are 1 of 10 Wellness Weekends to be won. And the idea here is that you can take a moment with Horlicks, but wouldn’t it be great to take a longer break if you could, with a friend or a partner perhaps? So we’ve curated these fabulous spa breaks, foodie escapes, and the like—so the winners can pick their favourite. Everyone that participates in the prize draw can also claim three months subscription to Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place app. As part of the brand partnership, we were able to offer that FREE for three months, saving almost £15. What we’re trying to do is add lots and lots of value to buying a Horlicks. For a new audience, there is always a risk of buying a product you haven’t tried before. So much of what we do at Cat Among The Pigeons is about de-risking trial purchases.
Why do you think Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place is right for this campaign?
With this campaign, we wanted to appeal to 30s and 40s predominantly and introduce Horlicks to a new generation. Millennials have grown up with Fearne through radio and television and know her whilst Happy Place brings great content and wide appeal to the Horlicks campaign. I think they are well aligned in terms of proposition and audience appeal and that is why we partnered with Happy Place.
Are there any trends in the marketing industry that have caught your eye recently?
Well, it’s incredibly complex and cluttered, isn’t it? What we’re really pleased about is the growth in on-pack promotions. I’m seeing lots and lots of FMCG brands taking their first foray into running an on-pack promotion, whereas previously they might not have considered it feasible. By layering in promotions that shoppers and consumers see added value in, they may be happier to pay a premium over an own label substitute. It’s a fabulous way to differentiate, to add value and to attract new audiences. So long may that continue!
“Going back a few decades, you went to the gym and did the F plan diet, it was all very simple. Now there seems to be hundreds of options and that’s why we wanted to let people self-navigate”.
Have you noticed any changes in the way wellness is being defined compared to the past?
I was reading the Sunday supplements at the weekend and they’re full of inspiration in terms of what you should be doing with your body–whether that’s nutrition, gym, meditation, mindfulness or sleep. It’s definitely a burgeoning area and I think a lot of it has been influencer led. Going back a few decades, you went to the gym and did the F plan diet, it was all very simple. Now there seems to be hundreds of options and that’s why we wanted to let people self-navigate. Find your happy place is a personal direction. You can go in and explore and access content and video that is right for you.
How did the concept of finding your happy place influence the on-pack messaging and layout?
We design lots of promotional packs at Cat Among The Pigeons. Often we’re given an allocated space. It might be 20% of the pack and we’re fairly restricted with what we can do, but Horlicks gave us the freedom to create a limited edition promotional pack. So we commissioned a bespoke, I’m going to say zen -like illustration for the front, which is complimented with colour psychology. Tapping into calming and relaxing tones across the whole range, which I think embodies finding your happy place.
How did you come across Fearne Cotton’s ‘Happy Place’ festival, podcast, and wellness app?
Originally, we introduced the tagline ‘Find Your Happy Place’ as part of a digital advertising campaign aimed at creating breakaway moments through the day that resonate with Horlicks. As we got deeper into the creative development, we discovered Fearne Cotton’s ‘Happy Place’, which is a festival, it’s also a podcast and a wellness app. It created lots of opportunities for a brand partnership with an influencer that has absolute credibility in this space. We approached the happy place team and were able to negotiate brand partnership with them to feature the festivals, social channels and app in the wider Horlicks campaign.
