Pimm's gears up for second Christmas

For the second year running, Diageo is to market Pimm's Winter with a teapot serve as the trade approaches the Christmas period.

Pubs are being encouraged once again to serve the seasonal Pimm's brand extension, a brandy-based liqueur, warm with apple juice, in teapots complete with tea cosies.

Activity supporting the brand over the winter months will include a travelling Pimm's Winter giant teapot at a series of regional events and new point of sale (PoS) material being made available to the on-trade.

The teapot has been developed so that it can be warmed with the Pimm's Winter inside in the microwave.

To support the on-premise activity, Pimm's Winter will be served from a giant three metre-high orange branded teapot at 17 key regional winter events in Greater London and the South West.

Pimm's Winter was launched into the on-trade in late 2005, with Diageo looking for ways of extending the brand's appeal outside of the summer with a serve to compare to Pimm's and lemonade in branded pitcher jugs. Diageo invested £1.2m in marketing the concept in the run-up to Christmas 2007.

It is consistent with Diageo's general approach of late of making its brands appeal more throughout the year. The spirits giant recently unveiled category research claiming that extending seasonality could add an incremental value of £50m to the spirits category.

Pimm's brand manager Lizzie Penny said: "Our aim with the Pimm's Winter teapot is to help licensees pick up on missed profit opportunities in the winter months by providing a seasonal, fun serve.

"Spirits such as Pimm's Winter have an important role to play in helping licensees to make the most of seasonal opportunities."