LAST Christmas was a good one for spirits, with 92m individual bottles sold in the 12-week run-up as measured by Nielsen. That was a 4.1% increase on the previous year. But spending wasn’t steady throughout the period. TNS identified a busy two weeks at the start of December, a lull in the two weeks before Christmas and then a surge over New Year, says global spirits giant Diageo.
Johnnie Walker Red was withdrawn from the UK market by its then owner, Distillers Company Limited, in the 1980s after a dispute with the European Commission over separate pricing terms and conditions for Britain and other markets. It went on to cement its position as the planet’s biggest-selling whisky. But although it eventually returned to UK sale it hasn’t, until now, been supported as it is in many other whisky markets.
But Christmas 2013 will mark the beginning of an attempt by today’s owner Diageo both to re-establish Johnnie Walker Red in the UK and to have it play a part in recruiting a new generation to Scotland’s national drink. A £7.2m marketing campaign, called Where Flavour is King, aims to move British whisky culture closer to those parts of the world where a dram is a cool option for young urban adults. The campaign includes a cinematic TV ad. There’s also a new Johnnie Walker Red bottle design, based on the classic combination of tall rectangular shape and angled label but now the bottle has chamfered edges. Diageo’s also promoting a signature serve, called Johnnie Red & Ginger, complete with special branded glassware, in the on-trade.
In more general terms the Diageo Christmas push, like those of many other spirits firms, stresses premiumisation.
“It is critical for retailers to maximise their sales both in the run-up to Christmas and also in the trading period between Christmas and New Year,” said Faith Holland, category development manager at drinks giant Diageo. “Evidence suggests that shoppers are increasingly looking for a more inspirational drinking experience at home, and are buying alcohol for gifting purposes over the Christmas period.”
So she stresses the importance of premium products over the party season. And from Diageo’s range she tips Smirnoff’s new, Smirnoff Gold, Baileys new Belgian chocolate flavour, Chocolat Luxe and fruit-flavoured vodka, Cîroc Red Berry, as suitable products for the adventurous consumer who wants to impress friends and guests.
Smirnoff Gold is a blend of Smirnoff vodka with a hint of natural cinnamon flavouring, and garnished with edible 23 carat gold leaf. It’s available in all channels and the launch is being supported by a £4.5m marketing campaign
Baileys Chocolat Luxe will be supported by a £7m marketing campaign that includes TV advertising, sampling and in-store activity.
Cîroc Red Berry is a new flavoured product from vodka brand Cîroc and is made exclusively from French grapes. Nick Temperley, head of reserve brands at Diageo GB, said: “Since its launch, Cîroc has been hugely successful in the US and UK on-trade market, and is now also the fastest growing luxury vodka brand in the UK convenience sector.”
