Diageo plays long game

Diageo Great Britain and Britvic have launched long mixed drink menus for the on-trade for the Christmas season.

Diageo will continue to roll out its Perfect Serve spirit and mixer programme, and it has been working with Coca-Cola Enterprises to enhance the programme further and roll out PoS kits.

"Ensure you have your spirit and mixer PoS clearly visible in outlet as pictures of a great-looking Gordon's

& Schweppes Tonic and Smirnoff Vodka & Coca-Cola do drive sales," said on-trade channel director Martijn Van Buuren. "Also make sure you price the whole drink — not the spirit and the mixer separately, to ensure it's clear to consumers the total price they are going to pay."

Meanwhile Britvic is also launching its menu, which includes the PoCo LoCo (made with Southern Comfort and Britvic Pomegranate Juice), the Spiced Apple (Pepsi and Britvic Apple 55) and the Wildfire (a blend of tequila, vodka and J20 Apple & Raspberry).

"The Britvic long mixed drinks menu will create excitement in outlets by offering consumers great tasting and interesting alternatives to wine and standard spirits during the winter social season," said business unit director Paul Linthwaite. "Offering choice drives consumption of soft drinks, increases dwell time in outlets and encourages consumers to spend more."