UK cinema advertising contractor Pearl & Dean and dessert brand Gü have launched a unique new campaign – ‘Indulgent Cinema with Gü’ – that sees the brand promoting its luxurious sweet treats in 30 independent cinemas across the UK.

Marking the first time Gü has worked with cinemas, the brand wanted to create an association with indulgence among a premium audience. Pearl & Dean, which is celebrating its 70th birthday this year, took a bespoke approach to the brief and assembled a collective of 30 independent cinemas from across the UK to deliver a cohesive brand partnership.

Indulgent Cinema with Gü offered samples of the brand’s famed Zillionaire Cheesecake at screenings of Magic Mike’s Last Dance in its opening weekend. The sampling experience was paired with a new on-screen advertising campaign, created by Lucky Generals and media agency Goodstuff, that celebrates the delicious layers that make all of Gü’s products more indulgent than other sweet treats.

The campaign is running ahead of screenings of Magic Mike’s Last Dance and Barbie between February and September of this year. Participating exhibitors include: ARC Cinemas, The Chiswick Cinema, Edinburgh Dominion, Nova Cinema, Riverside Studios, Peckhamplex, The Light, Tivoli, Really Local Group and WTW Scott Cinemas. The activity also includes a prize draw1 where customers can win the ultimate indulgent experience with a luxurious hotel stay at Le Manoir in Oxford and a seven course dinner.

As well as the independent cinema activity, Gü will also become the headline sponsor for outdoor cinema company Pop Up Screens’ events across the summer.

Catherine Ferguson, Head of Agency Strategy at Pearl & Dean said: “We’re incredibly excited to be launching a campaign that not only delights film lovers but also finds new commercial ways to support independent cinemas. This curated and collective approach allows brands to create unique local experiences on a national scale.”

Kate Utting, UK Marketing Controller at Gü, said: “This is the first time we’ve invested in cinema as a brand and we’re delighted with the approach Pearl & Dean and Goodstuff have taken with the planning. This is an exciting opportunity for us to connect and engage with our audiences through new, unexplored channels and we’re really excited to bring an elevated snacking occasion to the big screen.’’
Mark Williams at WTW Scott Cinemas said: “At WTW we are always looking for ways to engage and thank our loyal cinema audiences and so partnering with Gü on the opening nights of these two films is a great way to achieve this”.

Tash Hall, Head of Partnerships at Goodstuff Communications said “Goodstuff are thrilled to have brought together Gü and Pearl & Dean; for a bespoke partnership in its truest form. Aligning with Gü’s new brand platform ‘There’s More to Gü’, the campaign is designed to surprise and delight cinemagoers at key moments across the year including a sampling campaign”.

About Pearl & Dean
Pearl & Dean is the UK’s best-known cinema advertising contractor. Representing a wide range of cinemas, with multiplex chains offering landmark locations throughout the UK & Ireland including Showcase, Empire, Movie House, and Omniplex sites. Its iconic theme tune, Asteroid, evokes an instant aroma of popcorn and fun.

Pearl & Dean also represents the majority of the independent exhibition sector, with a portfolio of quality circuits such as Everyman, The Light Cinemas, Scott Cinemas, Northern Morris and WTW Cinemas as well as independently operated cinemas, drive-in cinemas and outdoor experience cinemas like The Luna Cinema, each offering individuality and often a specialist audience.

Pearl & Dean’s cinemas offer a varied schedule of programming – from the latest blockbusters through to classic and art-house movies to alternative content such as live opera or concerts. All of this enables Pearl & Dean to offer advertisers precise targeting of either specific demographics or the population as a whole, in an environment where advertisers can showcase brands to a relaxed and captive audience. www.pearlanddean.com

About Goodstuff
Goodstuff is one of the UK’s leading media planning and buying agencies and currently holds Campaign’s Media Agency of the Year title. Established in 2004 as a pure communications and creative media agency, incubated by Virgin, the agency had seven successful years before scaling the business through the addition of media buying. Continuing its growth, Goodstuff was acquired by marketing and digital insights company, The Stagwell Group, adding world-class breadth and depth of data, digital, and marketing technology services to its offering. Goodstuff is consistently ranked in Campaign’s “Campaign Best Places to Work” and continues to champion invention and entrepreneurialism in media. Goodstuff.co.uk

About Gü
Gü (Gü Indulgent Foods Ltd) is a London-based premium desserts company, set up in 2003, and now owned by private equity firm Exponent. Gü’s range of chilled treats are available in all major retailers throughout the UK, with Brits consuming an average of six Gü ramekins every second, based on FY22 volume performance.

Based in West London with a brand-new manufacturing site in Bishops Stortford, the award-winning company has sales of over £70.3m, growing at over +8.0% RSV vs YA, making it the number one dessert brand in the UK. This equates to one in every five UK households having bought a Gü dessert in 2022.