Lion accelerates legal automation

Lion, one of Australia’s leading beverage companies, used to spend up to 18 months preparing major campaigns, navigating complex and variable regulatory requirements across states, and risking costly mistakes from manual legal reviews. As Claire Bezuidenhout, Customer Marketing Manager, explains: “We need to make sure that we are legally compliant because, at the end of the day, noncompliance has the potential for large cost and reputational implications”. Tight regulations and the scrutiny of multiple retailers created constant pressure and the risk of project delays.

• Lion managed compliance for hundreds of annual promotions in a highly regulated environment, often relying on slow, manual legal processes and lengthy approvals.

• High stakes meant any misstep could derail projects, set back timelines by months, and damage Lion’s reputation.

• Campaigns frequently required custom terms, jurisdiction-specific permits, and in-depth legal reviews - all prone to bottlenecks.

Since adopting Plexus Promotion Wizard and Advertising Wizard in 2017, Lion’s workflow has transformed:

• Nearly 1,000 promotions have been activated since 2017, with over 200 launched in 2023 alone.

• Campaign approval times slashed by up to 90%, allowing the marketing team to focus on creative execution and timely launches.

• Legal costs for trade promotion permits now cut by up to 50%, with predictable budgeting and no unexpected expenses.

• Jurisdictional compliance is now automatic - terms and conditions generation and permit applications are streamlined, drastically reducing risk.

Bezuidenhout shares:

“Some of our brands execute non-stock standard promotions. Plexus is integral in supporting us to streamline the terms and conditions, alongside the relevant comms that appear on the website”.

When a complex trademark risk threatened a key campaign delivery, the Plexus team’s quick research and counsel kept Lion’s artwork schedule on track: “If we had to make changes later it would have taken another three or four months to update the project concept from the ground up. That setback would have been critical to timelines,” says Kelsey Martin, Shopper Activation Executive.

Lion appreciates the blend of efficient automation and responsive human support. Bezuidenhout notes:

“One of the real benefits of working with Plexus is having automation to help drive smooth processes on the one hand but then when we’ve got complexity, we’re also able to speak to a person and get proper counsel. We’ve found the happy medium”.

• Trusted compliance partner enabling scalable, risk-free activations.

• “Knowing that we have a trusted partner who is looking after the compliance side is a valued safety net for us,” says Bezuidenhout.

• Martin adds: “Plexus has helped decode the legal jargon inside and out, setting us up for success by ensuring that we’re compliant across our brands, websites and partners that we work with. Using Plexus speeds up our compliance processes so we’re able to present our stakeholders with the whole picture”.

By modernising compliance with Plexus, Lion’s marketing team now activates campaigns faster, with lower risk and greater confidence, freeing them to focus on business growth, innovation, and customer engagement.