Memories are made of this

Peter Ferguson explains why the Champagne business is about remembering the good times. This makes Lanson an ideal sponsor for Liverpool FC. Robyn Lewis reports

IT DOESN’T take a detailed knowledge of Proust and the concept of memory recall to appreciate that the mere mention of Champagne will bring positive vibes pouring back – hot summer weddings, anniversaries, new arrivals, even the odd departure.

It does take some imagination, however, to envisage those Champagne memories being of football terraces or perhaps the average weekly supper at home in front of the TV.  But if Peter Ferguson, vice president of MCD, distributors of Lanson Champagne in the UK, has his way, that’s exactly how it will be.

"The consumer profile of Champagne has changed so much in the last 15 years," says Ferguson. "Champagne was once very much in the confines of a certain sector of society and, although it would be wrong to suggest Champagne would ever be an everyday drink, we do try and put across the idea that it isn’t just for christenings, weddings and birthdays.

Champagne isn’t just this monolithic wine that is just one style.  There are a multitude of opportunities to drink Champagne because you can put it with different food styles and different activities," he argues.

"There has never been a time when Champagne was more accessible to more members of the public than now.  I mean now you can actually buy a good bottle of Champagne for between £12 and £15 and a very good bottle for between £15 and £20.

That, in relation to what people might spend down the pub on a round of drinks, is not out of reach. Also, people now entertain at home far, far more than ever before, and I’ve found – and it isn’t as if I’m in a rarefied area of society at all – that when you go round to people’s houses for dinner or a party or whatever, it’s not uncommon to be offered a glass of Champagne."

Ferguson has been busy promoting this idea with a range of intensive PR activities including on-trade tastings, supplying Wimbledon, Henley Arts Festival, the Royal Albert Hall and, in a break from tradition, football clubs.

Lanson, with its distinguished Champagne pedigree – founded in 1760, holding royal warrants in several European countries and regularly winning trophies from international wine and spirit challenges for all the range – might not be a drink you’d automatically expect to find on the terraces of Liverpool football club.

"The sponsorship of certain premiership football clubs has really come about through Monsieur Mora," says Ferguson (the Mora family bought the Lanson Champagne house in the early 1990s).  "He is an absolute football fanatic. He loves it.

The Liverpool connection came about because of Gerard Houlier, who is a personal friend of Monsieur Mora, but we also sponsor Manchester United, Fulham and other clubs across Europe.

The profile that some of these premiership teams can us give is significant. Football is the sport for everyman now, and the number of people who not only support football but the number that are entertained in corporate boxes, means that it is very good business for us," Ferguson explains.

But isn’t he afraid that the association could do more to damage the image of a luxury product than it will to boost sales? "For me there is no better way to sell a brand than associating ourselves with these different events," he says.

"We’ve enjoyed a momentum of sales growth over the last few years even though we’ve done no advertising.  The last big ad campaign we did was in the early ‘90s [the "Why Not?" campaign]. 

 The methods we’ve employed, up until now, have been more to do with the quality and competitive price of the Champagne, rather than advertising campaigns or even the quick fix price promotion, which some brands rely on."

Ferguson is on record as saying he has serious reservations about heavy price promotions and, "he’ll say it again", he is worried about the long term effects on a brand.  This is not only because it squeezes margins but also because he feels that the cost to the perceived value of a brand is irrevocable.

"I’m a firm believer in the fact that the best way to sell Champagne is through word of mouth recommendation.  I remember a piece of advice that I was given when I first started in the Champagne business.

I was told that the great secret to selling Champagne was to remember that you were selling memories. What people want from Champagne is for it to recreate a good memory from a good time they’ve had, be it at the races or Henley regatta, whatever.

Champagne really helps to boost that feel good factor and enhance a good memory."