Ferrero to invest £5.8m in spring 2021 campaign with core range in focus

Ferrero UK has unveiled its spring 2021 campaign with a range of new launches and a combined £5.8 million advertising investment.

The campaign will focus on the importance of stocking the core Ferrero range alongside seasonal products to help retailers maximise sales throughout the entire season.

“Despite the context of spring 2020, having to remain away from our loved ones during the pandemic has left shoppers feeling sentimental and more appreciative than ever,” commented Levi Boorer, customer development director at Ferrero.

“While upcoming spring occasions may be enjoyed in smaller groups depending on any restrictions, people will likely be eager to make the events even more special and turn to more premium brands to add some sparkle”

Boorer said gifting has remained key even amid the challenging conditions of 2020, with shoppers spending extra to treat loved ones and themselves.

“Both Rocher and Collection are performing ahead of the category, with the former in value growth of 2.6 per cent. Our aim will be to focus on this success, with our trusted brands and products helping to ensure retailers can provide exactly what shoppers are looking for in-store as we approach Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Easter,” he added.

Kinder, the UK’s fourth biggest children’s confectionery brand within Easter, will be introducing new licenses across its range.

The Kinder Surprise 100g will see hugely popular Marvel heroes including Black Panther, Thor, Spiderman and Captain Marvel alongside a range of Disney Princesses – Rapunzel, Belle and Arial among others – featured on-pack.

The mixed cases will contain Marvel and Disney Princess toys to give retailers the chance to appeal to more shoppers.

The larger Kinder Surprise 220g eggs will receive a Minions update to celebrate the launch of Minions 2: The Rise of Gru out next summer. To drive further growth, the popular Kinder Flame eggs (150g) will carry licenses from Toy Story and Marvel.

Thorntons aims to replicate the success of its popular kids’ range, bringing back two popular designs – a unicorn egg and dinosaur egg

The brand experienced early growth of 6 per cent during spring 2020, prior to the national lockdown impacting store visits, and was the only confectionery brand in the top seven to grow in terms of both value (+6.3%) and volume (+21.2%) in that initial period.

Ferrero Rocher Golden Easter Egg and Ferrero Collection Milk Egg will both receive a makeover for 2021 to provide greater stand out on shelf, while also highlighting the quality of the products inside. The Ferrero Rocher range will be supported across multiple channels at each occasion throughout spring.

Last year saw Ferrero favourites – including Rocher, Collection, Raffaello and Thorntons – performing well, with Thorntons Classic the fastest growing boxed chocolate brand at both Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day.

Alongside this, Ferrero Rocher T16 (200g) also saw growth of 24 per cent and Ferrero Collection of 15 per cent, showing just how important it is for retailers to stock the core range.  Ferrero Rocher T24 (300g) also remains the number one boxed chocolate SKU at Valentine’s Day.

For 2021, the Thorntons Classic gift-wrapped ‘With Love’ packs will benefit from a more premium design to entice new shoppers to the brand.

“Shoppers are emotionally invested within the confectionery category as the brands help them celebrate the moments they share with loved ones. It’s because of this love that people keep coming back to purchase. Confectionery, despite the times, is resilient and still one of the few categories where shoppers are willing to spend money on products they love, especially at key seasonal trading spikes such as those throughout spring,” Boorer said.

“With our established core range, media campaigns, POS solutions and new products, we want to do all we can to support retailers during the spring occasions next year. We always strive to offer retailers and shoppers the right balance of seasonal specials, which drive awareness and interest to the category, in addition to helping drive sales all year round with the core range.”