A good example of a more cooperative cross-category approach took place at The Loop in Dublin Airport's Terminal 1 extension in a pre-Christmas promotion which delivered 'a powerful new retail focus' for all Diageo's Baileys

liqueur flavour variants, along with luxury Baileys Truffles from LIR Chocolates.

A dedicated promotional space was made available by Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) for Diageo and LIR Chocolates which Diageo reports 'delivered a great seasonal sales surge' in the Terminal 1 extension which included free Baileys Truffles with every litre of Baileys purchased and a combined offer with gift packs. Sales teams from each brand combined forces to deliver the promotion to help drive footfall, conversion and ATV.

This collaborative promotion was a 'first' for Baileys and LIR Chocolates at The Loop at Dublin Airport and highlighted Diageo GTME's determination to support a shared approach from suppliers, retailers and airports to simultaneously help drive both the confectionery and liquor categories. It was also the first time that Dublin Airport has hosted a cross category promotion.

Caroline Lyons, Diageo GTME Marketing Manager White Spirits, Liqueurs and Rums said: ‘With over 200m adorers and adopters worldwide, Baileys is the number one liqueur in the world and, as such, provides exceptional sales opportunities. The LIR range not only shares the Baileys' brand emphasis on crafting an exceptional product from the very finest ingredients, but also projects the brand's powerful appeal as a gifting option for the shopper.

‘The synergies shared by Baileys Original Irish Cream and LIR chocolates supported both the liquor category and the confectionery category and delighted the shopper at Dublin with an innovative and exciting cross promotion. In particular, we saw the activity draw additional footfall and conversion to the benefit of both categories, particularly through the unique appeal of Baileys as a 'Christmas essential'.’

MAKING 'DEAD' SPACE WORK
Echoing a message which The Business and TREND have been promoting for many years, Lyons added: ‘To fully exploit the exceptional strengths of such an iconic brand as Baileys, travel retail needs more airport authorities to share the supportive and far-sighted approach displayed by the Dublin Airport Authority, particularly in the utilisation of concourse space.’

Stephen Cope, Managing Director of LIR said: ‘The taste of Baileys Original Irish Cream is synonymous with the great flavours of Ireland and we are delighted to offer a new expression of that taste in our product range. At LIR, we are proud to work with the Baileys brand and were confident that the activation would drive additional interest and sales in both categories.’

Last, but not least, Gerry Crawford, Head of Retail at Dublin Airport said: ‘The Baileys brand is an iconic presence across the globe but, inevitably, it has a very special resonance for shoppers here at The Loop at Dublin Airport. This cross-category promotion delivered exciting and engaging retail theatre, backed by truly exceptional products, and we were delighted to host it in our fabulous new shopping facility at The Loop.’ Diageo added that this promotion was the latest of an extensive series of activities supporting Baileys Original Irish Cream and the three flavour variants over the vital Christmas period.

MAJOR $97M GLOBAL CAMPAIGN
The company said: ‘Since the inaugural Baileys' Visibility Day (held on 19th November), the vibrantly coloured holiday season bows that adorned each bottle have spread across the world and, in total, the Christmas campaign delivered over half a million bows. Promotional activities were aimed at engaging shoppers with off-shelf visibility in high traffic areas and seasonal space with gondola end and freestanding displays as well as out-of-store sampling and on-shelf promotional material.

‘The brand was supported by a ?60m ($97m) global media campaign in domestic markets, the largest campaign ever created for the brand.