Anne Bruce
A new TV, supermarket and marketing consortium plans to turn the Channel Islands into a low cost test market for new fmcg products.
Bonsai, a collaboration between ITV1, Channel Islands retailer Le Riche, and marketing agency Fast Marketing, is targeting food and drink manufacturers working on NPD.
Fast Marketing md John Bunyard said: "The Channel Islands are beautiful from a demographic point of view, with a similar profile to London, but able to provide discrete and measurable data. They are a marketing holy grail."
The consortium has put together one-stop shop advertising packages for manufacturers planning to launch or relaunch products, costing between £50,000 to £80,000. A sharp burst of regional TV ads will be followed by intensive free sampling.
Samples will be sent through the post or handed out at Le Riche's stores the same week as the TV activity, with money-off vouchers for future purchases.
Le Riche head of marketing John Garton said: "This will give us some instore theatre and put new lines on the shelf, giving our customers the chance to try new things before anyone else."
Le Riche, which has a 35% market share in the Channel Islands, will feed EPoS data through to be analysed with new product sales rates reported back to manufacturers. Most of the activity is set to take place via its Checkers fascia.
Granada Enterprises client marketing controller for ITV sales John Creedon said: "Nine in 10 brands fail in two years. The prize here is the data which tells a supplier if it has a winner."

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