WKD partners with Love Island for a second year

WKD – Northern Ireland’s no.1 RTD – is getting its suitcase from the loft and checking its passport in advance of a return trip to TV’s Love Island.

With brand owner SHS Drinks announcing it has struck an exclusive deal for WKD to be the Official Alcohol Partner of  Love Island series 8, a major summer campaign of support for the UK’s favourite RTD will amplify the association with the hit ITV2 show.

Love Island is a relationship-based reality show featuring a cast of singles hoping to find love in the sun and win the hearts of the nation. The programme format has transcended from TV show to cultural phenomenon over recent years and the 2022 partnership will provide WKD with extensive co-branded opportunities and form the focal point for the brand’s marketing support this year.

Love Island series 8 will air across the summer. Comprehensive plans to leverage WKD’s Official Partner status and maximise the tie-in will comprise broadcast media, co-branded pack designs, on-pack promotions, cash and carry displays and wholesaler activation, and a huge social, digital and influencer campaign, including exclusive WKD-themed content featuring Islanders.

Meanwhile, a Love Island promotion as part of an activation in pubs and bars will feature for the first time this year as an additional strand of the campaign, further increasing awareness amongst convenience shoppers.

The 2022 association marks the second consecutive year that WKD has partnered with Love Island; last year’s link-up was so positively received by consumers and customers alike that a further deal for 2022 was sought. Last year’s series was 2021’s most-watched commercial programme for 18 to 25-year-olds (the WKD core target); the series achieved an average of 4.2m total UK viewers per episode; at its peak, 11k programme-related tweets per minute were posted.

The high-profile tie-in will see WKD on TV with ads showcasing the programme association. Airing across ITV2, ITV Hub, video-on-demand (VOD) and the official Love Island app, the broadcast elements of the campaign will reach 7.2m UK viewers.

Bringing the partnership to life at the point of purchase and generating rate of sale for stockists, two impactful co-branded initiatives will cement the sponsorship association in the eyes of the consumer:

1. A striking co-branded design will appear on limited edition WKD Pink 700ml bottles. Complemented by contrasting campaign-themed gold cap closures, the fully sleeved special edition bottles are set to be the summer’s ‘must-have’ item for fans of the show and WKD. SHS anticipates huge interest amongst shoppers keen to hunt down these Instagrammable bottles which are perfect for sharing either on social media or in a poured glass.
2. Featuring a standout design inspired by the iconic Love Island Beach Hut, a co-branded offer on all WKD 10-packs and 12-packs will create opportunities to win exclusive Love Island merchandise, including tote bags, phone cases and the show’s legendary personalised water bottles.

• Exclusively in Northern Ireland, a ‘Win a Window’ activity will engage consumers and drive sales. With a QR code entry mechanic, purchasers of WKD can win the bundle of Love Island and WKD goodies featured in participating stores’ window displays. The prize packages will include co-branded cool-bags and glassware, plus WKD inflatables, bucket-hats and sunglasses.

Social media highlights

Love Island viewers have an insatiable hunger for information and gossip about the show and participants, and WKD has a range of UK-wide initiatives to satisfy their needs:

• A WKD takeover of the Love Island app will engage with over 2m active users⁴
• A vast social media campaign will reach 7m consumers
• WKD will have special on-set access to film branded Love Island content
• Islanders will take part in #YourWKDSide activities in the Beach Hut
• WKD will feature on Love Island’s Instagram accounts, reaching 3m followers

Brendan Loughran, Head of Business Unit (Ireland) at SHS Drinks, says: “We’re really proud to be linking with Love Island for a second time; we’re the perfect couple and just meant to be together! The programme is a TV phenomenon with huge reach and fans can’t get enough of it. In a fragmented media landscape, the continued success of Love Island highlights just how much our target consumers still relish a shared media experience. Last year, Love Island attracted three times more all-important 18-25 viewers than other similar programme formats.

“Consumer and trade feedback was extremely positive last year and we’re back with an all-inclusive package deal that’s even bigger and better. Consumers in Northern Ireland are going to see WKD and Love Island brands partnered up on TV, partnered up on-shelf, partnered up in retailers’ impactful window displays and partnered up on social media.

In addition, this year we’ll be filming exclusive WKD content on location in the sun and also setting Islanders some of our very own cheeky ‘YourWKDSide’ challenges. As 2022’s winning couple, WKD and Love Island are going to serve up some sizzling summer fun to entertain, engage and engender sales growth.”