HEINEKEN UK is rolling out a frightfully fun marketing campaign this October for Strongbow, the UK’s number one Draught Cider brand at Halloween¹. The ‘Spine-chilling Refreshment’ campaign will focus on Strongbow Dark Fruit, helping operators maximise category sales in the build up to spooky season.
While it’s true that Cider is synonymous with the summer months, pub gardens, and warmer weather – when category sales peak – there is a huge opportunity for operators to tap into even as we approach the colder months. Worth £2bn in value sales and continuing to grow², Cider is incredibly important in the UK On-Trade, and the category performs well all year round. Strongbow continues to lead the way, claiming almost a 20% share of volumes sold over the past 12 months³.
Despite there being room for growth outside of summer, Halloween represents a key trading period, and in the weeks leading up to Halloween last year Strongbow Original was the On-Trade’s largest Draught Cider, with the Strongbow Dark Fruit variant selling the most from a flavoured perspective⁴. The ‘Spine-chilling Refreshment’ campaign will reaffirm consumers’ affinity with the brand, with multiple high-impact activations designed to maximise its visibility and drive footfall to pubs and bars in the coming weeks.
Strongbow has outlined its Top Five Fang-Tastic Tips for leveraging the opportunity at Halloween this October:
1. Host a haunted bash
Hosting a Halloween-themed party is an effective way for pub and bar operators to drive footfall, boost sales, and create memorable experiences for customers. Adding interactive elements such as quizzes, bingo and Halloween-themed games keeps the energy high throughout the night and encourages guests to post on their social media. With Halloween taking place on a Friday this year, operators should consider hosting events across the weekend to maximise engagement and footfall, rather than limiting festivities to one night.
2. Utilise smart promotions
Operators can maximise the impact of Halloween celebrations by introducing limited-edition initiatives to boost customer engagement and draw in new business. For example, offer pre-booking incentives to encourage early reservations, extend happy hour periods to increase dwell time and spend, and implement targeted promotions on select food and beverage items to drive sales.
3. Bring the celebrations to life in-venue
To bring the Halloween celebrations to life in-venue, operators should use eye-catching PoS as a simple but scarily effective way to engage customers and promote their offering. Pubs and bars across the UK will have access to ‘Spine-chilling Refreshment’ PoS kits including posters, window clings, tent cards, bunting and tap hangers, via HEINEKEN’s eazle® platform. Operators signed up to eazle® can benefit from a full calendar of activations from HEINEKEN’s full portfolio of brands, allowing them to track the performance of those activations in their outlet to deliver long-term growth.
4. Keep goblets full with a varied range
To meet customers’ varied preferences, it is important that operators stock a wide range of alcoholic and No-and-Low Alcohol products across different categories. Research reveals that 83%⁵ of pub-goers are open to enjoying cider during colder months when properly engaged. The key drivers for Cider consumption over the winter months are price promotions (34%), seasonal winter flavours (31%), and dark fruit varieties (26%)⁶ and operators should therefore place special consideration on drink offerings that align with seasonal consumer preferences. This includes curating and promoting menus that feature popular autumnal flavours such as berry-infused ciders, spiced rum, and warming cocktails.
5. Focus on teamwork and collaboration
Encouraging team members to participate through light fancy dress or themed face paint helps create a festive and engaging atmosphere for customers. Ensuring staff are well-briefed on promotional offers and seasonal drink recommendations, will enable them to deliver confident, consistent service and enhance the overall experience. This combination of visual engagement and operational readiness can significantly boost both customer satisfaction and sales.
As part of the Spine-chilling Refreshment campaign, Strongbow is rolling out social media promotions, influencer collaboration, and D2C e-mail marketing campaigns, as well as a partnership with Greene King. Throughout the month of October, the partnership will see Strongbow give away up to 10,000 free pints to Greene King customers. Guests can scan the QR code in-venue or on social ads to receive an instant digital voucher, allowing them to cash in a free pint in participating Greene King sites.
Rachel Holms, Cider Brand Director at HEINEKEN UK, comments: “Halloween fell on a Thursday last year, and we saw an uplift in sales of +£154 per outlet vs the average Thursday across the rest of the year, as well as an average sales increase of +47.6% vs the year before. With Halloween falling on a Friday this year, operators have a prime opportunity to boost their sales, and our Spine-chilling Refreshment campaign aims to help them do just that.
“For us, it’s all about making the Strongbow brand show up where it has a right to play, adding tangible value to the On-Trade. Operators should feel encouraged to get involved and have fun, by hosting themed events and extending operating hours to boost customer engagement and drive incremental sales.”
The ‘Spine-chilling Refreshment’ campaign’s launch marks the continuation of the Strongbow brand’s evolution, following its 2023 rebrand. With the launch of Strongbow Strawberry across the On-Trade earlier this year, alongside investment in activations around key cultural moments and eye-catching PoS kits, HEINEKEN UK has attracted a new generation to this much-loved and trusted brand – supercharging its growth in the channel this Halloween and beyond.
By stocking Strongbow’s full flavour range, operators can tap into key calendar occasions and maintain strong sales momentum from summer through to Christmas.
To learn more about how Strongbow can support your venue throughout the year, visit https://www.eazle.co.uk/huk/en/
1 CGA by NIQ GB Value Sales 4 weeks to 02.11.24
2 CGA by NIQ GB Value Sales MAT TY to 12.07.25
3 CGA by NIQ GB Volume Sales MAT TY to 12.07.25
4 CGA by NIQ GB Value Sales 4 weeks to 02.11.24
5 KAM Heineken Summer Cider, May 2023, N=299 UK adults who typically drink cider in a pub or bar over the summer months (June – August)
6 KAM Heineken Summer Cider, May 2023, N=299 UK adults who typically drink cider in a pub or bar over the summer months (June – August)
