Peter Flood, owner of S2, gives his highlights of 2018 and outlook for 2019
Welcome to the first edition of our quarterly 2019 newsletter; we’re looking forward to an exciting year ahead and hope it’s a great one for all our clients and friends of S2.
2018 was a year of rapid change for S2, with the company consolidating its position as the UK’s leading independent data driven marketing agency for major consumer brands and retailers. At the request of a number of our clients, we’ve expanded our services by adding consumer research to our strategy and data insight portfolio.
Research highlights in the year include consumer focus groups and online work for Coke Freestyle, licensed pub research into the acceptability of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar and consumer research for a new range of Men’s Health foods into the Grocery sector. Spinning off the back of this research, S2 was also responsible for the data driven strategy and subsequent roll out for each brand’s route to market. For Men’s Health and Coke Freestyle, we also designed the brand packaging identity and customer website respectively. Both projects have been hugely successful with Freestyle units now appearing in major food retailers like Burger King, Nando’s and Five Guys and the Men’s Health range of grains and pulses now flying off the shelves in Tesco, Asda and Waitrose. Good examples of our omnichannel work spanning the total customer journey by integrating consumer research, data insight and brand strategy with industry leading creative design and digital execution.
Recent business wins have focused on our strengths in food and drink consumer brands and retailers.
Marston’s operate six breweries producing over 60 of the country’s best loved ales at their sites in Burton on Trent (Marston’s), Oxfordshire (Wychwood & Brakspear), Cumbria (Jennings), Hampshire (Ringwood), Bedford (Eagle) and the West Midlands (Banks’s). S2 has been retained to develop a website and mobile App providing an on and offline sales platform for the business. This sales and marketing tool will be used across both the UK and world-wide salesforce providing the latest up to date brand and product information; the objective being to enhance sales performance, optimise and prioritise sales resource and improve ROI. The site and App will go live in March 2019.
We’ve also been working on a brand strategy project for Coca-Cola on their new brand, AdeZ, which is a new range of on the go plant based drinks created as a healthy lifestyle nourishment drink. With no added sugar, AdeZ is a dairy free smoothie that caters for the health minded. Consumers are now demanding nutritious and healthy options to improve their lifestyles. According to Nielsen, the plant-based foods sector grew more than 8% in 2017 and the number of vegans in the UK soared to over 3.5 million in 2018.
E & J Gallo Winery is the largest family owned winery in the United States. A winery and distributor since 1933, its mission is to be the leading provider of California wines in select markets around the world. Offering a broad array of products that total more than 90 brands including table, sparking, luxury wines, beverage products, dessert wines and distilled spirits.
S2 was recently been appointed to work on a brand profiling and strategic positioning project, looking at consumer brand profiles, particularly in the premium and super premium sectors, that can be mapped against the UK population to size and drive the On Trade sales opportunity.
Lots to focus the mind on in 2019, I hope you have a successful 2019!
Cheers
Pete Flood