Halewood Artisanal Spirits is ramping up a powerful activation programme for its Whitley Neill Gin and Dead Man’s Fingers brands.
The programme, which rolled out earlier this year with pop-ups in key European locations and at Johannesburg’s O. R. Tambo International Airport, centres on attention-catching tasting bars, digital screens and striking merchandising units promoting both Whitley Neill and Dead Man’s Fingers across various space options.
Travellers can enjoy special tastings of Whitley Neill’s various flavours, including best-selling Rhubarb & Ginger, Raspberry and Pineapple, while Dead Mans’ Fingers is introducing travelling consumers to its unique range including Spiced Rum and newcomer Blue Raspberry Tequila Liqueur.
The summer season kicked off with incredibly successful pop-ups at London Gatwick and Manchester airports. At London Gatwick, the pop-up campaign was backed by an eye-catching interchanging digital pillar and – as always – travellers at both airports were invited to taste a variety of flavours from both brands.
At Stansted Airport, Halewood Artisanal’ Spirits’ partnership with Avolta and MAG Group is highlighted under a new ‘Depart from the Everyday’ summer concept with World Duty Free. The campaign, running in September, is expected to reach unprecedented numbers for one of Halewood’s activations via customer relationship management (CRM).
‘Depart from the Everyday’ targets indulgent escapists who straddle the real and digital worlds and prioritise certain indulgences like luxurious getaways. It aims to transport consumers away from the mundanity of their everyday lives to a fun-filled world as World Duty Free, and its partners, celebrate the new age of travel with a highlight on ‘liquid luggage’ through a digital and interactive bar.
The Dead Man’s Fingers and Whitley Neill Gin campaign will continue in Scandinavia in Denmark’s Billund and Aalborg ports in July and August and will be extended to Schiphol, Amsterdam, in August and September.
The brands are also featuring for the first time with Portugal Duty Free, with new listings for four Whitley Neill SKU’s and five Dead Man’s Fingers flavours. As part of this agreement, Halewood Artisanal Spirits we will be activating in Lisbon in August. The company will also run activations with P&O Cruises in September and go as far afield as Sydney Australia with Heinemann for August and September, while stand-out digital promotions will keep brand awareness front of mind in Edinburgh and Glasgow airports.
All activations are developed for Halewood by specialist retail agency Kounter to feature bold impactful displays echoing the colours of the two brands. The partners’ mission is to deliver engaging and fun spaces, attracting travellers across their airport journey and encouraging tastings.
This includes ringing the changes now and again with something a little different. At Luton airport, for example, a two month promotion features a classic Mini with the bonnet used to merchandise Whitley Neill gin litre bottles in various flavours at £19.99 each.
Halewood Artisanal Sprits Global Travel Retail Director Eamon Prunty noted the increasing popularity of both the Whitley Neill Gin and Dead Man’s Fingers brands. According to the latest IWSR data, Dead Man’s Fingers doubled its volumes in 2023 versus 2022 in global travel retail, making it the #4 bestselling flavoured rum in the global channel and the 8th in the overall rum category.
“The numbers speak for themselves,” Prunty said. “Dead Man’s Fingers has developed into a much sought after brand which appeals to a wide range of travelling consumers, but particularly jells with the increasingly important Gen Z demographic.”
“The brand has a great story to tell, its tastes are on-trend and just what we need to attract consumers who are looking for something different. From the start Dead Man’s Fingers Rum rejected tradition in favour of new, unusual flavours like Cornish Saffron cake and Pedro Ximénez ice cream. The brand loves to innovate, loves to disrupt and that’s just what travel retail needs.”
At the same time, Prunty points out that Whitley Neill is the number one premium gin brand in the UK domestic market and the #1 premium flavoured gin in global travel retail.
“Led by Rhubarb and Ginger, our portfolio of flavours puts Whitley Neill in a class of its own,” he said. “Whitley Neill’s legacy of experimenting with exceptional flavours, sourced from all over the world to create the most distinctive and intriguing spirits, is well known. Plus, for those who prefer traditional gins, we also offer the premium Connoisseurs Cut London Dry Gin and Distillers Cut.”
According to Prunty, the key driver of sales is tasting activations. “The importance of ‘liquid on lips’ in converting sales cannot be overestimated,” he said. “That is why we are convinced our busiest programme ever will be a great success. We’ve seen global travel retail volumes double over the financial year ending June 2023 versus the previous year and we are confident this very positive upward trajectory will continue.”
