Wine, Wimbledon and summer

According to research analyst Mintel, wine now has the highest penetration of any alcoholic drink. But success can be a double-edged sword and its growing popularity has made it more of a commodity than a luxury.

Commoditisation invariably brings discounting and the wine market is no different. The price of wine has been falling and Mintel believes that scope for further growth could be slow. At the same time, brands such as Jacob's Creek, Hardys and Blossom Hill have been investing in marketing to take full advantage of the product's growing popularity.

Now Diageo brand Blossom Hill is undertaking one of its largest promotional campaigns in the UK to date as it aims to become one of the top drinks brands in the market. In addition, it is planning a series of new varieties and a draught version. All of this activity is geared towards taking the top spot away from market leader Jacob's Creek.

Footballing failure

Earlier this year Blossom Hill appointed Pulse with a brief to take the brand forward in its on and off-trade channels. Although the brand had done plenty of off-trade marketing, it had yet to create marketing to build in the on-trade element. Another factor was England's failure to qualify for Euro 2008, which left room for non-lager beverages to take up some of the marketing spotlight.

But the most important development was Blossom Hill's four-year deal to sponsor the Wimbledon tennis tournament, signed in late 2007. Blossom Hill brand manager Lisa Everingham explains: "Last year we couldn't do a lot of work around Wimbledon because it was too late in the day.

"This time as a brand we wanted to bring Wimbledon to life and show our brand in terms of vibrancy across the trade. It is always about maximum visibility across the trade sector."

Pulse took the brief, immediately looked at the target market and realised that, with an England-free Euro 2008, there was potential to go beyond Wimbledon. Gemma Cox, account director with Pulse, says: "It was basically, 'OK, we've got this great deal with Wimbledon, lets make a campaign around that.' But we pushed that back and said, 'Yes, it's a great sponsorship deal, but we want something that will last the whole summer.'"

Everingham agrees. "The main thing was to create a carefree summer campaign. Wimbledon is the start of summer but we've got more that runs beyond that."

Garden party

The brief was aimed at "Rachel", Blossom Hill's target customer. Aged 35 to 55, she works hard, is perhaps a mum, and enjoys spending time socialising with friends. The agency understood that while the Wimbledon connection lent Blossom Hill added kudos, it was important that the promotion itself would be open and accessible.

The result is Blossom Hill's "Win a Garden Party" campaign being launched in June. The brand is giving away 10 garden parties each week in both the on and off-trade markets. In the off-trade, this will be communicated via POS and on-pack. The redemption mechanism runs through SMS and uses a sweepstake mechanism. "The garden party is a kit," says Everingham. "You can have it at home, and all you have to do is get the people to turn up."

The on-trade version will be slightly different. Instead of using a straightforward text and win mechanism, it invites consumers to text in pictures of them drinking at the bar where they have bought the drink. The party is then held in the bar in question, allowing the venues to benefit from the promotion as much as the consumers.

Everingham says the SMS element to support the on-trade was very important. "This is the first time we've used SMS, so it's cutting edge for us," she jokes. "But it's taking ideas from the other FMCG sectors."

The promotion is also backed up in the on-trade with a series of promotional materials. These include an Astroturf bar runner, a branded chalk board, banners, coasters, fridge vinyls, window posters and bunting. There will also be a joint promotion with Smooth FM during Wimbledon fortnight, offering free tickets and merchandise.

The Wimbledon logo is included in the material, which features people drinking al fresco - the aim being to draw attention to the tennis alignment without tying the campaign to it. As such, it will run beyond the tournament and through the summer.

Responsible drinking

In the case of Blossom Hill, Cox says the agency had to adhere to the Diageo Marketing Code, which is strict in how it allows its brands to market themselves and covers themes such as drinking and driving and placing emphasis on alcohol content. In terms of promotions, rule 11 states that brands should encourage responsible consumption and not support promotions that contravene this.

Just as the issue of binge drinking has affected the drinks industry, regulatory issues have affected consumer promotions across the board. For example, Cadbury Mini Rolls and the Walkers crisps Brit Trips campaigns made it clear consumers did not need to consume masses of product before they were able to claim a prize.

With the current drinks market in a state of flux following England's failure to qualify for Euro 2008 and the growing popularity of wine, Blossom Hill could be on to a winner with "Win a Garden Party". No doubt it will be hoping that we won't have another rainy Wimbledon.

FACT FILE
Campaign: Win a Garden Party
Live from: 1 June to 4 August
Brief: To support Wimbledon sponsorship and gain market share
Redemption mechanism: SMS

IN MY VIEW

I was in a cheery mood when I reviewed this promotion. British Summer Time has arrived, the evenings are getting lighter and we're all awaiting the first glimmer of sunshine. And what a summer it will be ... the Olympics, Glastonbury, Test cricket, Wimbledon and, of course, the McGann family BBQ.

Blossom Hill is seeking to capitalise on this seasonal goodwill though promotional association, enhancing light-hearted get-togethers. It's a tipple for the female masses and I suspect it now flourishes in the territory formerly held by Blue Nun. As such, it treads a tricky path between universally appealing and unfortunately bland.

On this occasion the brand might have just pulled it off, at least in the on-trade. Brahm's insight into the pub sector endorses its approach to drive visibility and perfect serve. The final lunge to the bar can shape many purchase decisions and the bunting and fridge vinyls should help support impulse buy and encourage fridge chilling.

Which brings me to the promotion - a chance to win your own spectacular garden party. The text mechanic is a good choice for participation in bars and simply sending off a photo should encourage widespread entry. It plants Blossom Hill in the middle of having fun with friends. Entries will be quick and easy to judge - an important consideration with weekly competitions.

Unfortunately, I'm dubious as to the clarity and appeal of the prize. A "spectacular" garden party to me suggests a jaunt to Buck Palace, a vol-au-vent with HRH and a fly-past by the Red Arrows. I suspect the reality to be a little more grounded. Perhaps a PVC travel rug and some of those cheese-and-pineapple cocktail treats last seen in the 80s? I would have welcomed more visual impact from the creative and something clearly aspirational within the party reward. Gourmet food, a live band, a comedian, or something.

But perhaps I'm missing the point. Time with friends is increasingly scarce and we should applaud Blossom Hill for pursuing added value activity rather than buy-two-glasses-and-get-the-bottle-free.

6/10.