Magners cider is to go on sale through Facebook next week days after fellow drinks producer Diageo came under fire for strengthening its links with the social network.
The C&C Group cider claimed it would become the first alcoholic drink brand to be sold through the site when the Magners Facebook store (www.facebook.com/magnerscider) opens for business on Monday selling a limited-edition run of Magners Specials gift packs.
The packs, which will be available only through Facebook and cost £10 including UK delivery, will include a bottle of each of the three flavours the range launched in August pear and ginger, spiced apple & honey and spiced apple & rhubarb plus a bottle opener and a booklet. The ciders carry a £2.25 price tag in-store.
Magners, which has more than 60,000 Facebook fans, claimed the activity would primarily raise awareness of Specials, but said Facebook could grow as a sales channel. "F-commerce is in the very early stages, so at the moment it is simply a great way to increase offline sales by driving trial," said marketing head Kirsty Hunter. "In years to come, however, we may see more consumers making their purchases in this way."
The Magners announcement comes days after Diageo revealed it was ramping up its Facebook activity with a deal it predicted would "drive unprecedented levels of integration and experimentation between the two companies". The news prompted health and alcohol campaigners to warn the deal would fuel underage drinking by exposing young people to alcohol marketing.
Magners said a three-tier system, including an age gate that meant no-one with a profile age of under 18 could view the page and a payment portal that would only accept payment by credit card, would ensure no alcohol was sold to under-18s on Facebook.
The brand is also launching a national press and food magazine campaign using smartphone image recognition app Aurasma, which will activate interactive content when users place their phone over the advertisement.
The C&C Group cider claimed it would become the first alcoholic drink brand to be sold through the site when the Magners Facebook store (www.facebook.com/magnerscider) opens for business on Monday selling a limited-edition run of Magners Specials gift packs.
The packs, which will be available only through Facebook and cost £10 including UK delivery, will include a bottle of each of the three flavours the range launched in August pear and ginger, spiced apple & honey and spiced apple & rhubarb plus a bottle opener and a booklet. The ciders carry a £2.25 price tag in-store.
Magners, which has more than 60,000 Facebook fans, claimed the activity would primarily raise awareness of Specials, but said Facebook could grow as a sales channel. "F-commerce is in the very early stages, so at the moment it is simply a great way to increase offline sales by driving trial," said marketing head Kirsty Hunter. "In years to come, however, we may see more consumers making their purchases in this way."
The Magners announcement comes days after Diageo revealed it was ramping up its Facebook activity with a deal it predicted would "drive unprecedented levels of integration and experimentation between the two companies". The news prompted health and alcohol campaigners to warn the deal would fuel underage drinking by exposing young people to alcohol marketing.
Magners said a three-tier system, including an age gate that meant no-one with a profile age of under 18 could view the page and a payment portal that would only accept payment by credit card, would ensure no alcohol was sold to under-18s on Facebook.
The brand is also launching a national press and food magazine campaign using smartphone image recognition app Aurasma, which will activate interactive content when users place their phone over the advertisement.
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