The return of big campaigns - How brands secure their supply chain for multi-million print runs during the World Cup, festivals & co.
Major sporting and entertainment events are back and with them, attention-grabbing promotions in the beverage trade. Sales volumes rise sharply in a short space of time around such events, campaigns are planned at short notice and sales windows are limited. For breweries and bottlers, such campaigns are an opportunity to significantly increase reach and volume but at the same time, the supply chain is subjected to a real stress test.
Whether campaigns are implemented successfully is not decided at the marketing stage, but early on in operational planning. Packaging in particular plays a headquarter role when it comes to bringing large print runs to market safely and efficiently.
Peak volume changes the rules of the game in production and logistics
Promotional campaigns around major international events generate volume peaks that far exceed normal production levels. At the same time, complexity increases: the number of variants increases, lead times shorten and several campaigns run in parallel.
Typical operational challenges in this phase are:
- Strongly fluctuating requirements with short lead times
- Limited set-up windows in packaging
- High pressure on material availability and line performance
- Low fault tolerance in the direction of retail
These factors do not act in isolation, but reinforce each other. Packaging solutions that work in day-to-day business quickly reach their limits under these conditions.
Multipacks: volume drivers with high requirements
Multipacks, i.e. bundled sales units of several individual containers, are the headquarter promotion format for large campaigns. They bundle sales, increase shelf impact and are logistically efficient to handle. At the same time, the requirements for stability, processing reliability and throughput are increasing, especially for very large print runs.
Automated multipack solutions made of corrugated cardboard help to maintain high line speeds and minimise waste, even with runs of millions. The decisive factor here is the combination of stable construction and machine-compatible design so that volume peaks - also known as peak volumes - do not become a production risk.
Fast motif changes without loss of efficiency
Great campaigns thrive on attention. This is often generated by changing designs, special motifs or limited editions. For production, this means frequent motif changes under high time pressure.
An efficient packaging strategy therefore relies on standardised designs in which structure and design are separated from each other. This allows new designs to be integrated quickly without extensive changeovers or interruptions to production.
Printing flexibility and short set-up times thus become a decisive factor for campaign capability.
Packaging as an additional value driver for promotions
In addition to the actual sales unit, additional packaging solutions are becoming increasingly important. Shipping packaging for promotions, special offer packs or displays must not only protect, but also convey brand messages and fit seamlessly into existing logistics processes.
Well-designed corrugated cardboard solutions fulfil several requirements at the same time:
- They protect sensitive containers during transport and handling
- They support the presentation at the point of sale
- They can be efficiently integrated into existing packaging and logistics processes
This process reliability is a key success factor, especially for time-critical campaigns.
Campaign capability is created in the packaging
Major events increase the visibility of brands but require a resilient operational basis. Whether campaigns run smoothly is decided early on in the planning of packaging and the supply chain.
Automated multipack and SRP solutions - i.e. retail-ready packaging solutions that combine transport and sales functions and can be placed directly on the shelf without repackaging - supplemented by stable shipping and promotional packaging, help breweries and bottlers to safely manage volume peaks, react flexibly to promotional requirements and guarantee delivery reliability even under extreme conditions. Packaging is thus transformed from a pure cost factor into a strategic enabler of major campaigns.
Are you planning beverage campaigns in the context of major events? On our campaign page you will find specific packaging solutions for precisely these scenarios. There we show you which multipacks, SRP formats and shipping packaging are suitable for high volumes, short promotional periods and highly frequented points of sale from festivals and sporting events to city festivals and trade fairs.
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Do you have any questions on this topic? We are happy to help.
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