Campaign story of the week
Sprite helps Gen Z play it cool with 'heat-sensitive' vending machine. Sprite has unveiled a vending machine in London's King's Cross Station that dispenses a can of the fizzy drink when the temperature rises, responding to "emotional heat" rather than physical warmth. It uses live data and responds to situations that cause tension among travellers passing through the station, such as cancelled or delayed trains, people blasting TikToks out loud and slow walkers. The activation is part of Sprite's “Heat happens, stay cool” campaign and aims to target Gen Z, with an influencer campaign supporting the initiative.
Mural story of the week
Issue Group has launched a new campaign to raise awareness of its poverty-fighting work and boost sales of its magazine. The campaign includes a vibrant street mural featuring a storefront decorated with Big Issue covers and aims to change the public's perception of vendors and encourage support for local vendors. The campaign also showcases Big Issue's latest digital initiative to provide vendors with personalised QR codes to boost sales. Vendor numbers have increased by 10% due to the cost-of-living crisis, prompting the organisation to take action.
Brand environmental story of the week
London-based Gipsy Hill brewery has unveiled a world-first carbon negative beer that removes more greenhouse gas from the atmosphere than it generates. The beverage is brewed using barley grown via regenerative farming and hops captured and reused from previous batches of beer. Both the Swell Lager and Trail Pale have carbon footprints of -40gCO2e and -30gCO2e per pint, respectively. The brewery said the beers mark the first time carbon offset credits weren't used to achieve carbon negativity, adding that the approach could provide a blueprint for sustainable drinks across the sector.
Partnership Story of the week
Warburtons has partnered with Morrisons to launch the 'Ask for Ellen' scheme, which offers 200,000 portions of crumpets accompanied by butter and jam for free during the summer holidays. Trailing off their previous Ask for Henry scheme where the retailer partnered with Heinz to give away a free jacket potato and beans in its cafes. Families can get a free breakfast/midday snack by ‘asking for Ellen’ in Morrisons Cafes. The initiative aims to support families through the summer holidays, with the offer available from July 17 to August 31. Customers can receive two toasted crumpets with butter and jam for free - no questions asked.
