Image: Krispy Kreme UK on Facebook

A Doughnut Slot Machine In Chapelfield?!

The 2^nd September 2016 marked a historical occasion for those of us with a sweet tooth, as it saw the opening of the first Krispy Kreme Store in Norfolk. The first customers began queueing from midnight the night before the grand opening at Intu Chapelfield in order to get their hands on the sweet treats. By 3 am there was a large group of eager doughnut fans counting down the hours to 10 am.  The store offers a large selection of the globally famous doughnuts, with inventive flavours from Strawberry Cheesecake all the way to classics like Original Glazed.

Then on the 26^th April Krispy Kreme brought a giant slot machine to Norfolk as part of their #VivaLaKreme campaign to get everyone going nuts for doughnuts. There were a variety of prizes to be won such as chocolates from American chocolate brand Hershey’s or an on-the-spot free Krispy Kreme. For the extremely lucky amongst us, there was the chance to win the grand prize, which was a year’s supply of the doughnuts. Understandably, the large amount of free treats Krispy Kreme were giving away generated a lot of excitement within Intu Chapelfield. The campaign has had a positive response nationwide and the machine has travelled all around the country, also visiting Leeds, Birmingham and London.

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When the initial interest in your shop calms down so you build a massive fruit machine #vivalakreme #Genius @intuChapelfield @krispykremeUK pic.twitter.com/VIyHPmuMwj

— Rachel Lloyd (@RachelELloyd) April 26, 2017

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The marketing campaigners are clearly drawing on research that reveals the popularity of gambling here, which has grown massively with the development of online casinos. The Gambling Commission revealed that between April 2015 and March 2016, online gambling operators generated a Gross Gambling Yield of 4.5 billion. This is not surprising because technological developments in online gambling have meant more convenient and appealing options for players. Companies such as Mobilewins even allow for deposit using Mastercard, phone bill, Skrill and SMS, among other methods, to offer their customers full flexibility and ease of access to their online games. Krispy Kreme are drawing on the thrill and excitement of a game of chance like slots, which has seen new popularity with the advent of mobile casinos, to create some buzz around heir products.

The company is not alone in this discovery and slot machines have been somewhat of a trend in promotional campaigns in 2017. The delivery start-up company Deliveroo has experienced extreme success since their launch in 2013 and recently revealed their mighty ‘Roo Machine’. It is a large scale slot machine that took over 400 hours to construct and from the 10^th May was stationed at Waterloo in London. The Roo Machine offers punters the chance to win food samples from their partner companies such as Yo!Sushi and Press. It also includes what Deliveroo has described as ‘jackpot prizes’, which allows lesser known brands to also increase brand awa. It is a win-win for customer and client; the free food generates excitement around the company and give it a positive association with the thrill of winning.

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You pull the @deliveroo #roomachine leaver and hope for the best… pic.twitter.com/ToCac24vBJ

— Pixie Goes… (@PixieGoes) June 5, 2016

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Although there are no plans for the Roo Machine to appear in Norfolk (yet!) these promotional campaigns offer fun for all the family and we have our fingers crossed for the chance to win some of these tasty treats. In the meantime, we can keep our eyes peeled for some more family-friendly slot machine promotions and continue to #vivalakreme!