BAT engages consumers in ‘New Categories’ at FRA

By Charlotte Turner |

BAT Global Travel Retail (GTR), in partnership with Gebr. Heinemann and Frankfurt Media, has opened an ‘Inspiration Store’ featuring leading vaping brand, Vuse, delivering an immersive experience for customers at Frankfurt airport Terminal 1.

 

The new pop-up, which aims to engage and educate consumers in ‘New Categories’, sees BAT create a digital consumer journey for the first time with the Vuse brand, conveying the bold message that the product contains 99%* less toxicants than cigarettes.

 

The store is managed by a dedicated team of brand ambassadors trained to engage with consumers, in addition to an innovative sensorial flavour experience, according to BAT.

 

At a sensory bar, scent cards for each flavour, as well as drinks that match the flavour, are offered to consumers to help them gain a better understanding of the products on offer. In addition, customers are able to personalise their Vuse ePod 2 device, with an engraving machine on-site.

 

The pop-up currently showcases VUSE, the number 1* global vaping brand, conveying a bold message that the product contains 99%** less toxicants than traditional cigarette smoke.

The pop-up conveys a bold message that the Vuse products contains 99%* less toxicants than traditional cigarettes.

 

Informed by insights and learnings from previous activations, BAT hopes that the activity at Frankfurt Airport will attract new adult smokers and nicotine consumers to its ‘New Categories’, which include Vapour, Tobacco Heating and Modern Oral Products.

 

Tony Clayton, BAT’s Head of Customer Management for GTR

Tony Clayton, BAT’s Head of Customer Management for GTR.

Customers can also educate themselves through interactive digital touchpoints, including tablet devices brimming with information on the brands available, whilst helping them to identify their preferences.

 

Tony Clayton, BAT’s Head of Customer Management for GTR said: “This pop-up store is part of our digital activation strategy which will help accelerate BAT’s New Categories growth and digital transformation.

 

“We believe that these creative, digitalised activations will help us engage with and educate adult smokers and nicotine consumers on our innovative products.”

 

The new semi-permanent pop-up is likely to remain in place until the end of next year, giving BAT the opportunity to introduce new elements.

 

“Through this store, we want to elevate the whole travel retail experience to a new level, most importantly ensuring that adult smokers are aware of what we call ‘New Category’ products and creating a platform for adult smokers to learn about these products and make their informed choices,” added Clayton.

 

“With our activations around the world, we are facilitating conversations and educating adult consumers in all locations about the reduced-risk potential of our products compared with cigarettes.”

 

The store is manned by a dedicated team of brand ambassadors trained to engage with consumers, in addition to a ‘sensorial flavour experience’, according to BAT.

The store is managed by a dedicated team of brand ambassadors trained to engage with consumers, in addition to a sensorial flavour experience, according to BAT.

 

According to Niels Altmann, Head of Buying Tobacco at Gebr. Heinemann, the global share of Next-Generation Products will more than double in the next five years and become a mature market segment.

 

He believes that consumer activation is key in order to educate shoppers about these innovations. “With its ‘New Categories’ pop-up debut in Frankfurt Airport, BAT is truly breaking new ground in this,” said Altmann.

 

“As a long-standing partner, we at Gebr. Heinemann, also through our joint venture FAR, Frankfurt Airport Retail, are very happy to be part of this launch. The dwell time at this international hub makes it a perfect place for showcasing, engaging and educating travelling consumers and reaching new target groups in GTR.”

 

Frankfurt Media, Sales Director Peer Schmitz-Kuo, adds: “With this convincing brand-appearance we combine for BAT two strengths of Frankfurt Airport: The distinct retail know-how of Frankfurt Airport Retail with direct shopping at the promotion-booth and the long-time experience of Media Frankfurt in custom-made airport advertising and in engaging promotions.

 

“In order to exploit our excellent media reach at this highly frequented area in the immediate vicinity of the duty free shop, we also transformed the nearby elevator shaft with a sensational Vuse motive, by which we attract a lot more attention from passengers in the international area at Terminal 1.”

 

*These products are not risk free and contain nicotine, an addictive substance. Comparison of smoke from a scientific standard reference cigarette (approx. 9mg tar) and emissions from Vuse ePod, ePod 2and ePen, in terms of the average of the 9 harmful components the World Health Organization recommends to reduce in cigarette smoke.

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