Great promotions rarely impress as a spreadsheet. They win because the idea is clear, Ribena's “Win a donkey” is a campaign in just 3 words.
For episode 2 of “Head to Head”, we went back to 2004 and a promo that, on paper, sounds almost too daft to be award-winning.
Ribena, Shrek 2, and the promise of… a donkey.
Ribena partnered with Shrek 2 and put Donkey on-pack.
That part is standard. What made it stick was what they did next.
They didn’t just run a generic prize draw. They built a simple, repeatable idea around the character:
There was also a very memorable TV ad. Soft focus. Donkeys being cuddled. The kind of thing you can still picture years later.
The prizes alone don’t tell the full story though, the results were far more impressive.
Mike and I talk about it delivering over 20% incremental sales, and beating the target by over 22%.
This is the bit most brands miss.
A film partnership does not do the job for you. Putting a character on-pack is not a strategy.
Ribena made it work because they did three things well.
1.They picked the right character, not just the right film
Donkey was the breakout star people remembered and quoted. The promo leaned into that, properly.
2.They found a twist that people could repeat
“Win a donkey” is the whole campaign in three words.
It’s clear. It’s slightly ridiculous. It sticks in your head.
3.It matched the product and the buyer
Ribena is a family drink. Shrek is a family film. Donkey is a family-friendly character. Even the tone of the creative leaned wholesome.
Everything pointed in the same direction.
Great promotions are rarely impressive as a spreadsheet. They win because the idea is clear, the execution is joined-up, and someone had the nerve to back something slightly odd that people would actually remember.
Watch the full Head to Head episode to hear Mike’s view on why movie partnerships still work, but only when you build something distinctive around them.
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