Promo Review - Robinsons 'Put on a Panto at Home' campaign

At first glance Robinson’s ‘Put On A Panto At Home’ promotion feels a bit at odds for a brand that for me is associated with summer. However, maybe they’ve stumbled on a winning idea that will help them stretch the brand’s family relevance to the festive season – a key trading period for soft drinks.

This activity is much more than an on-pack promotion. The sponsorship of First Family Entertainment’s Pantomimes has allowed Robinson’s to build a great brand experience, creating interaction with consumers at a number of different levels. The pack and POS at retail are treated simply as media, directing the consumer to the ‘Put On A Panto At Home’ website. There is no transactional element involved, no codes to enter, no texts to send in order to participate.

The website is well designed and well thought through, even given some usability challenges. Consumers can access all the content they need to put on the panto of their choice. There are four classics to choose from: Peter Pan, Cinderella, Snow White and my personal favourite, Aladdin. Everything is included from printable scripts, suggestions for DIY props and cobbled-together costumes. It also includes an autocue tool to help the family with their performance; it’s easy to use and with has the additional benefit of supporting sound effects to make the final show a classic.  Is there enough fun content here to keep us coming back? All together now, Oh yes there is!…

The wider campaign includes the ‘Search For A Star’ activity, where pushy mothers and precocious child actors from six to 16 can find fame by starring in local Pantomimes. This feels like an unoriginal idea on its own, but as part of the broader campaign it complements the programme and no doubt will provide a great PR platform.

Christmas is all about family time at home, and we all know how trying that can be. Providing this type of DIY entertainment gives the whole family unit the tools to do something together and have fun doing it.

It seems even more relevant in the current economic climate. This summer families have opted for the ‘stay-cation’, this Christmas could see home-grown Pantos providing competition for the traditional game of family charades. For Robinson’s it gives them a platform to connect with the Christmas period through a very British tradition. For retail, it appeals as a truly different idea to excite the category, and hopefully Robinson’s broader retail plan will capitalise on this.

My only criticism would be that it would benefit from a transactional element somewhere in the campaign, to ensure that it did drive sales and to appeal to a potentially broader audience that might not be as creatively minded as this idea demands. A ‘Win Panto Tickets’ element may be too obvious, but it feels that this angle could have provided an even more robust campaign.

Overall, a very good campaign, I can sense the collective voice of the British public in their living rooms screaming He’s behind you in unison on December 25th!

8/10

Darren Smith, Director, BD Network