Chile – Trade Talk

WE ASKED: “Does Chile have a clear and unique image in
the consumer’s mind? If not, how should this be developed?”

“Chile does not have a clear and unique image in the consumer’s mind in the same way that Australia, California and South Africa do. Although that is a drawback, the major plus for Chile is that there are no real negatives to influence the consumer’s decision process (unlike with numerous other countries). The Chilean government should develop Chile’s image by promoting the country as a holiday destination. Wines of Chile are doing excellent work to develop this through consumer tastings all over the UK.”
John Osborne, BDM for South America, PLB

“Consumers are aware of Chile, as a good quality, good value wine, but there are no specific icons that spring to mind. Which is why, when developing Lauca and Lauquita, we chose to use a quintessentially Chilean image of an alpaca on the label that consumers could recognise and link to the country of origin. Australia has succeeded partly because UK consumers are familiar with it – something Chile will never have as the historical links aren’t there. But it can make itself more unique by shouting about its heritage, diversity and geography.”
Elizabeth Wilson, buying & marketing director, HBJ

“The answer is probably yes. At the numerous consumer events where we exhibit with 35Þ South, the feedback we receive from consumers is always very positive. Chile provides very good wines up to the £5 mark, and is very reliable in terms of quality. Chilean wines fit comfortably with the consumer’s requirement of easy-drinking wines with an approachable style, showing good clean fruit and varietal character.”
Cliff Roberson, chairman, Buckingham Vintners

“Chile accounts for 6-7% of wine sales in the UK off-trade, which is impressive given where it was 10 years ago, but it probably is only just slipping onto the radar screen of the average consumer. This is great since, if it slips further towards the centre of that screen – as underlying growth would indicate – that percentage will continue to rise. But why? We don’t precisely know what is turning on the consumer, but it is probably not a coincidence that consumers, press, wine buyers and the trade all say a variation of ‘consistently good wines at reasonable prices’. I seem to remember that is not far off what was being said about Australia when it was in the low single-percentage points.”

Simon Farr, deputy chairman, Bibendum Wine

“Consumers’ perception of Chile is centralised around the wine. This makes using an image of Chile to define wine difficult. Elements that would help, such as culture, travel and tourism, are lagging behind Wines of Chile’s efforts in engaging the consumer. Combining tourism and wine to create awareness of geography, food and culture will help consumers define Chile.”
Paul Sullivan, marketing manager, Western Wines

“I don’t think so yet, although a lot of good work is going on with Wines of Chile to reach both trade and consumers. Our experience is that regular wine consumers are quite knowledgeable – many are aware that Chilean Sauvignon Blanc can be great value – but that’s not quite the same as having a strong and unique country image. Countries such as Australia, France, USA (California) and Spain have much stronger cultural images among UK consumers than Chile; I suspect its image is more generically South American. What to do? More of the same from Wines of Chile, but Chilean brands also need to invest more.”
Keith Lay, marketing director, Ehrmanns

“The answer is no, but it’s a gross over-simplification. Consumers willing to experiment and spend more than £6.99 will have a clearer idea of the differences between Chile and, say, Australia, not only in terms of image but wine style. But where price and product placement are paramount, brand Chile is still down and dirty with everyone else. In the absence of strong socio-cultural preconceptions about Chile as a country (Pinochet notwithstanding), there is a rare opportunity for wine to shape a country’s image. Perhaps the Chilean government should invest more time and money in working with agencies like Wines of Chile to put Chilean wine at the forefront of people’s minds?”
Laurie Webster, MD, Raisin Sauvage

db  April 2006