Pernod Ricard promises ‘significant investment’ for festive marketing
Pernod Ricard says it is putting “significant investment” behind attempts to top previous festive marketing for Jameson, Ballantine’s, Chivas Regal and Brancott Estate brands as it looks to its flagship brands to push up Christmas sales.
A sizeable chunk of the brand’s marketing outlay this quarter will go into the global activations for all three brands. Pernod Ricard usually accelerates ad spend ahead of Christmas and says this year will see more budget allocated to digital channels.
Patrick Venning, marketing director for Pernod Ricard UK, says: “It is vital that we invest to create engaging and inspiring marketing campaigns like this for our brands, as we are absolutely committed to driving growth within the premium wine and spirits categories for our customers. Consumers vote with their feet and our marketing campaigns aim to drive demand and awareness in and outside the realms of the store or venue.
Building festive demand outside the realms of the store or venue
Jameson is realising the objective through its latest attempt to move beyond the traditional stamping grounds for Irish whiskey. The brand hopes a positioning shaped around the craft of the liquid goes some way to making it seen more as whisky and not only appealing to drinkers after an Irish whiskey taste.
The “Jameson Works” portal is at the centre of the plan, allowing creatives to seek out funding to support their work. The most popular and interesting participants will be selected over the next 12 months to produce original pieces of work. Whether established or emerging, the aim is to foster a community of 25-to-34 year old males who represent the pioneering spirit of the brand.
It is departure from Jameson’s more provenance-led brand strategy, which had helped it become the toast of Pernod Ricard’s portfolio. Global sales of the brand jumped 13% year-on-year in the nine months to March as the whiskey benefited from strong demand in the US and Western Europe.
“Consumers vote with their feet and our marketing campaigns aim to drive demand and awareness in and outside the realms of the store or venue.”
Ballantine’s and Chivas Regal are also launching global campaigns to boost spirit sales in the run up to Christmas. Ballantine’s is telling a humorous, alternative account of its 200-year history, detailing what could have happened if founder George Ballantine had pursued a career other than whiskey distilling such as Ballantine’s Finest Pickled Eggs or QR code bottles. Throughout the video, social and online content aspects of the brand’s true heritage are revealed.
Meanwhile, Chivas Regal has roped in Hollywood star Chiwetel Ejiofor to help search for social entrepreneurs. The campaign debuted last week.
It is not just spirits where Pernod Ricard sees growth coming from this Christmas. Brancott Estate is running a TV ad promoting its Sauvignon Gris variant with the “Brancott Estate Pioneers” strapline. Starting with the brand’s beginnings in 1975, the ad shows how the brand has continued to push winemaking boundaries over the years leading up to its last variant.
Digital and in-store activity link to the food, wine, lifestyle and entertainment to showcase the different occasions for wine at a time when the category is coming under threat from beer brewers.
Pernod Ricard rival Diageo will reveal its Christmas plans later this week.
