Creating The Maltesers Reindeer – A Christmas Classic!
Christmas is a time for fun, treats and chocolate!
It’s also incredibly competitive – with relatively few new concepts ever becoming consumers’ Christmas favourites.
We’re incredibly proud of the role we played in creating this brilliant Christmas tradition!
How We Got Involved …
Back in the dark, recessionary days of 2008-9, Mars’ Seasonal Team challenged us to help them disrupt the Easter self-treat category.
We kicked off an insight-led Innovation Sprint where we gathered insights, brainstormed, crafted concepts & co-created with super-consumers – and after a few weeks of intensive work, the MaltEaster Bunny was born.
Within a couple of years the Bunny is a run-away success…
Keen to replicate the process – a new Seasonal Team at Mars challenged us to help them repeat the magic at Christmas.
“BDB and I worked together in partnership to bring to market two game-changing NPDs.
Inspiring and leading cross functional workshops and enabling the distillation of fresh insights into concepts and then into compelling finished product briefs – they were a fantastic collaborator with a perfect combination of creative yet practical input.
The NPD we developed enhanced our brands and generated significant and lasting commercial success.”
Category Director, Mars Occasions
How The Maltesers Reindeer Was Born
We Defined Our Challenge
We worked closely with Mars’ team to understand their commercial challenge – but we also used insights gained from consumers to shape the creative process.
Then Brainstormed Disruptive Solutions
We didn’t just encourage the team to generate ideas that would surprise & delight consumers – we pushed them to leverage learning from the success of the Bunny – and build on the fun & excitement of the Maltesers master-brand.
We Crafted & Evolved Concepts
Amongst the huge number of ideas generated was the concept of a mischievous reindeer.
After some fast-track filtering & consumer co-creation – he quickly evolved into the MerryTeaser Reindeer.
The rest, as they say, is history!
“BDB have a rare and impressive mix of skills: they’re creative, innovative and commercially astute.
They understand the corporate culture of their clients so always find the right solutions for their innovation needs.
They’ve helped me on several occasions to launch commercially successful NPD – and are a hugely valued business partner.”
The Reindeer Family Is Still Growing!
The MerryTeaser Reindeer launched as a single SKU in 2014 – and was immediately recognised with a prestigious New Product of The Year award.
Over the years the naming & graphics have evolved to bring the Reindeer into line with its parent-brand’s look & feel – but, it’s never lost its cheeky charm!
- Within a year, Mini-Reindeer had been launched
- Shortly after it became part of a gift-pack
- In 2021 a mint variant was launched
In summary, it’s become a huge commercial success – and won a lasting place in UK consumers’ hearts.
Proven Track Record
It’s not just the Maltesers Reindeer & Bunny that keep getting more successful…
The Brand Development team have delivered five New Product of the Year winning concepts, a Nielsen Top 25 Breakthrough winner – and innumerable products that have gone on to become commercial successes.
So, as recessionary pressures grow, and the need for agility increases, wouldn’t you prefer to put your insight gathering, idea generation and proposition sharpening into the hands of a team of innovators with a proven track-record?
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