Taking the form of a totally integrated trade and consumer communication programme, the pre-Christmas campaign will focus heavily on driving the brand’s ‘seriously easy going’ positioning, and will be comprised of heavyweight national television advertising; a major national programme of highly engaging ‘street theatre’; extensive consumer sampling and a full national and regional consumer PR programme – all of which reinforce the status of Malibu as a ‘must stock’ brand.

The pre-Christmas national television campaign, which will be seen by almost 3 million Malibu target consumers, features a brand new execution called ‘Doctor’. “Serving to underpin the brands ‘seriously easy going’ approach to life, the advertising, set in the Caribbean, successfully uses the culture, values and attitudes of the Caribbean people to parody western behaviour and more specifically the fact that we (western cultures) take life far too seriously”, says Jeremy Hill, Senior Brand Manger at ADUK. “Doctor is a classic example of this and the arduous task we face when getting an appointment to see our doctor! Building on the success of previous Malibu advertising, this latest execution reinforces the brands ‘less serious’ personality whilst providing consumers with not only a source of light relief, but also a reminder of the dangers of being too serious”, Hill continues. Commencing on November 4th, the campaign will run nationally throughout November and December on ITV, Channel 4 and Satellite TV.

Designed to directly support the TV, and bring Malibu’s ‘seriously easy going’ positioning to life, a nationwide campaign to ‘Fight Seriousness’ will also be launched by ADUK. Taking the form of the Malibu ‘Anti Serious Squad’ (A.S.S.), Malibu’s ‘more laid-back approach to life’, will become reality for thousands of consumers who are caught perpetrating acts of seriousness on the streets of major towns and cities during November and December. Linked directly to a major on trade sampling programme, the ‘A.S.S.’ will drive consumers to selected young persons venues where a sampling programme featuring Malibu and cranberry juice will take place. The sampling campaign will be supported by in-outlet POS designed to build awareness of the dangers of seriousness and drive trial of the new, more versatile drink format.

“Mixability is a key component in our plans moving forward” continues Hill. “63% of all Malibu is currently consumed with cola which exacerbates the products sweetness, restricting the occasions when the brand might be consumed. Evidence generated by a series of taste tests has led us to believe that by extending the usage base for the brand into juices such as cranberry we can increase purchase frequency and, in turn, retailer profits. Malibu and cranberry juice will therefore play a major role in our support programme this Christmas”.

Malibu is a unique brand with high penetration amongst 18-24 year old young women and extensive distribution across the UK, particularly in the On-trade where it is the number three** speciality spirit brand. “When we acquired Malibu, it was delivering a mixed volume performance. However, by working closely with key customers we have been able to sustain Malibu’s annual volume growth in the Off-trade at 6%*, whilst reducing the brands decline in On-trade from 5% to 2%**. This is significant given that the On- trade accounts for nearly 60% of Malibu’s volume.”

“We aim to further improve the brands performance over the next few months by really bringing the brand to life and actively engaging with our consumers in a way that makes Malibu more relevant to them” Hill continues.

“Extensive pre-Christmas investment behind Malibu will drive significant consumer pull-through during this crucial trading period. My advice to licensees is – don’t just stock Malibu - make the brand work for you by putting it on optic, and promoting it with cranberry juice so you can maximise the sales and profit opportunities that Malibu offers,” concludes Hill.

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* AC Nielsen MAT July/August 02
** AC Nielsen MAT June/July 02