Monty Python’s Spamalot Gets HP Saucy at Selfridges
The information in the following article comes to us courtesy of an anonymous contributor who contacted me earlier this month to inform me of a new HP Sauce promotion. I would have enjoyed passing along this information sooner, although I felt it important and appropriate to first document the closure of the Aston HP Sauce factory and to allow some time to pass before following it up with other related HP Sauce news items. I would like to thank this contributor for contacting me and for their patience while getting this story to the front page.
On Saturday, March 10th, 2007 classic HP Sauce came together with the legendary Monty Python to celebrate the self-proclaimed “first 1075 years” of “Monty Python’s Spamalot” with the introduction of 1,075 limited edition HP Spamalot Sauce bottles. This limited edition HP Sauce bottle features a unique design inspired by the hit West End show “Monty Python’s Spamalot” and is presented in a blue collectors box, each containing a numbered certificate of authenticity. The bottle was sold exclusively at Selfridges’ Oxford Street store, London.
Expecting a rush of Monty Python fans, Selfridges provided free bacon sandwiches to the queue of waiting customers before opening the doors to their flagship food hall at 9:30 AM. Once open, the limited edition HP Sauce bottles went on sale for £6.99 where they sold quickly, By 12:00 PM Selfridges had sold over 600 bottles and expectations were that they would be sold out by weekends end.
All proceeds from the sale of the HP Spamalot Sauce bottles are going to Tommy’s, the baby charity with HP donating all the product and Selfridges donating sales space & store merchandising.
Monty Python’s Spamalot Gets HP Saucy at Selfridges
The HP Spamalot Sauce limited edition follows on the heels of the hugely successful limited edition Paul Smith designed HP Sauce label introduced in September 2005. Both editions feature a specially designed box with matching certificate of authenticity.
Selfridges’ own food and restaurant directory Ewan Venters said:
“Selfridges is thrilled to be the exclusive stocklist of such an iconic product.
We are seeing a resurgence in heritage foods and HP Spamalot Sauce combines a traditional popular brand with hugely admired home-grown comedy.”
HP Sauce marketing manager Paul Harvey:
For fans of both HP Sauce and Monty Python, these special bottles are certain to be must have collectables.
We are delighted that HP Sauce can help “Monty Python’s Spamalot” celebrate 1,075 years, and with the support of Selfridges we are able to give every penny from the proceeds of the sales to Tommy’s, the baby charity.”
The advertising agency Beattie McGuinness Bungay who work with both brands was responsible for introducing the partnership between Selfridges and HP.
Founding partner of BMB Andrew McGuinness said:
Python, HP Sauce and Selfridges. Three icons in a gloriously unlikely collaboration, and thousands of pounds going to Tommy’s, the baby charity - it’s got to be a winner!”
More on Tommy’s, the baby charity:
Tommy’s, the baby charity exists to save babies’ lives because right now in the UK one in four women loses a baby during pregnancy of birth.
The charity funds research into and provides information on the causes and prevention of miscarriage, premature burth and stillbirth. By 2030 we want to halve the number of babies who die during pregnancy and birth.
More information on Tommy’s can be found at www.tommys.org or at 0870 777 7676.
Beattie McGuinness Bungay is the same advertising agency responsible for developing the new television campaign “The Sauce Of Weekend Pleasure”, which I reported on here.
