MARKETING NEWS

Marnier gets it together – Grand Marnier is letting consumers do the mixing with a new campaign…Sixth french wine awards – Now in its sixth successful year, the French Wine Awards for Excellence will take place on October 13…

Marnier gets it together

Grand Marnier is letting consumers do the mixing with a new campaign. Get Togethers on a Thursday  encourages friends and work colleagues to sample Grand Marnier at 64 of the UK’s most fashionable bars by creating their own cocktails. Following an incredibly successful first three-week run of the 2005 Grand Marnier Brand Experience campaign, the events have now been expanded to new venues across the UK.

For three consecutive Thursdays at each venue, brand communicators will encourage consumers to purchase a cocktail kit including a cocktail shaker, a choice of three mixers and cocktail recipe ideas. Consumers purchasing a cocktail kit will also receive a £3-off voucher valid in Thresher and Wine Rack stores against the purchase of a bottle of Grand Marnier. Claire Mendez, brand manager, Grand Marnier, says, “By delivering such an impactful consumer experience, we’ll be able to demonstrate the versatility of Grand Marnier while driving sales and encouraging consumers to engage with the brand.”

The activity is intended to broaden the appeal of the liqueur by targeting the 25 to 35 year-old age group, to position Grand Marnier as a stylish and versatile drink, and to encourage consumers to include it in their regular drinking repertoire.

Sixth french wine awards

Now in its sixth successful year, the French Wine Awards for Excellence will take place on October 13. This year sees two new categories included: UK Supermarket Buyer of the Year, an award for a UK retailer who has organised activities to raise the profile of French wines in a supermarket environment; and The Outstanding Contribution to the UK Market, for an individual from any sector of the wine industry to reward his/her contribution to the success of French wines.

The event that recognises the outstanding efforts that the wine trade has made to promote French wines in the UK will be hosted at the Banqueting House in London.

An independent panel of industry judges, comprising members of the wine trade and press, will select the winners, who will be announced on the evening.

The closing date for all nominations is September 2, so get your thinking berets on. For further details contact Sonia Shah on

020 7312 3636.

Napa nightlife

Napa Valley Vintners are presenting consumers with a wine tasting with a difference next month when they bring Napa Valley Nightlife to London. The event, which takes place on Wednesday September 7 at the private members’ club 43 South Molton, allows young people to try Napa Valley wines in a nightclub environment.

Tickets are available on request from Madeleine Waters, 01225 832237, Madeleine@watershed-communications.com.

Singing for spain

Last month, Codorníu and Torres joined forces to co-sponsor the [José] Carreras on the Close concert at Clifton College, Bristol. The Catalan tenor and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra played to a crowd of 10,000 under clear skies, while wines from Torres and Cavas from Codorníu were available for sampling and buying. Lorne Gray, brand group manager for Torres at John E Fells, says, “The evening gave us the chance to showcase some of the very best wines and Cavas from Catalonia accompanied by the music of one of the world’s greatest tenors.” Both companies report sampling by approximately 5,000 people.

Groovy smoothies

It’s all good, clean fun at Fruitstock, Innocent Smoothies’ free summer festival. The live music line-up includes Gilles Peterson, a Hed Kandi DJ stage, Nitin Sawhney, US3, the London Gospel Choir and Nate James.

There will also be a farmers’ market, food stalls, massage, yoga and activities for kids. For those who want something a bit stronger than cranberries and raspberries, Champagne Mumm will be pouring the fizz.

Last year 80,000 innocents had fun in the sun, and this year it’s expected to be even bigger and better than before on August 6-7 at Gloucester Green in Regent’s Park, from 12-9pm on both days.

Lambrini girls wanna have fun

It’s fun in the sun for Lambrini girls as Halewood International’s Lambrini launches its Original and Cherry brands in the on-trade this summer in 275ml packaging. The move is being supported by a comprehensive £2 million marketing campaign, which includes both above-the-line advertising and a Lambrini Bikini tour of the UK’s beaches and city centres. Lambrini has seen 15% growth in the on-trade in the last 12 months.

Shot in Blackpool, the new advertising campaign is a major departure from previous campaigns as the pictures tell the story of Lambrini girls having fun in the British summer sun.

Richard Clark, head of marketing for Lambrini, comments, “Lambrini has always been a brand for girls who just wanna have fun and what better time to enjoy yourself than during what will turn out to be a sizzling summer?” The Met Office was unavailable for comment.

On-trade nights will follow the fun in the sun where bars and clubs will invite girls up on stage to show off their tans and hand out goodie bags to revellers.

Banrock sows the seeds of love

Banrock station is spending £500,000 on a summer advertising and sampling campaign. The message focuses on the environmental credentials of the brand and, in particular, the Banrock Station Good Garden at the Eden Project in Cornwall. The radio advertising on Classic FM features Banrock’s wetlands manager, Tony Sharley. He features in a variety of quintessentially English scenarios introducing various Australian animals to highlight Banrock Station’s Threatened Species Recovery Programme, which is supported by donations from every bottle of wine sold.

Sampling will take place at 14 major train stations in July and August as well as at the Eden Project through August. Consumers will be given money-off coupons, a seed mat and the opportunity to win a year’s supply of Banrock Station.

Beringer’s pink promo

Beringer Vineyards will be taking a pink sampling marquee to outdoor music concerts across the UK this summer to promote its Sparkling White Zinfandel. The marquee will visit 12 concerts performed by, among others, Ronan Keating, Will Young and Jools Holland, and expects to sample over 120,000 consumers across the summer.

The music sampling campaign forms part of a multi-million pound marketing plan for Beringer, incorporating a range of above and below-the-line activities, including competitions to win dedicated Beringer concert survival kits and tickets.

“We launched Beringer Sparkling White Zinfandel in March this year as a result of extensive consumer research into what motivates female consumers,” comments Jeremy Gibson, European brand manager for Beringer Vineyards. “We discovered that our target consumers, women aged 25 to 34, lead busy lives and spend less and less time with their friends. When they do meet up, they want to make the most of their time together and use the opportunity to celebrate.”

© db August 2005