Blossom Hill launch TV campaign

Blossom Hill is launching a television advertising campaign to target a new, older consumer base, primarily emphasising taste.

The campaign, which starts tonight (21 June) during the final episode of Desperate Housewives, is the result of extensive research by brand owner Percy Fox. The majority of Blossom Hill’s sales have been of the entry-level range, but these have been declining relative to the more premium tier. Brand manager Helen Wright says that "the consumer trend we saw was a move to varietal, which at the right price point is more profitable for us and the trade."

As part of Diageo, Percy Fox has access to the drinks giant’s marketing tools, with the added advantage that these tools are primarily used in the spirits market, giving Blossom Hill an advantage in the wine category.

The result of this research is a new, hypothetical target consumer called Rachel. While the brand does not want to lose its core consumer base of BC1/C2, 25-34 year-old females, Rachel is a female ABC1, aged between 35 and 55. Rachel has children, and regularly drinks wine, but is more concerned with fruity taste than knowing details about the winemaking or provenance of a wine. She drinks wine socially, but also enjoys wine to turn household tasks into quality time.

This imaginary consumer apparently buys based on brand and varietal. The new campaign will highlight the four existing varietals in the range: Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, which have an RRP of £4.99. The adverts focus almost entirely on taste, featuring the slogan "Blossom Hill. Deliciously Fruity Wine".

The adverts (with a £1 million budget) are just part of this new positioning, which includes a redesign of the packaging, as well as slight modification to the wine itself. It was during consumer research at the design-stage that it became clear that the target consumer is not concerned with provenance or a complicated winemaking message.

The three words that have been chosen to summarise the new positioning is: carefree, colourful and convivial. Wright hopes that the new campaign will run parallel with current food trends toward the "simple and premium".
Read more about the strategy in the July issue of the drinks business.

© db 21st June 2006