Marketing: New products – July 2006

Unconventional rum brand aims to shake up (and stir?) the market

Product name: Elements Eight
Contact details: Elements Eight Rum Company, 01753 518 156
Elements Eight is a new super-premium rum brand, targeted at drinkers of deluxe vodka and gin. The new range, comprising two rums, was launched at Bar.06 last month, and is the product of a brand new spirits company. The intention is to challenge the traditional rum category with a brand centred on the quality of the product. Accompanying this is striking, unconventional packaging, reflecting Elements Eight’s intention to “push boundaries and break outdated rules”. Both the Platinum and Gold variants have an rrp of £24.99, with the UK launch following a Caribbean-wide roll out. The brand’s name refers to the eight elements that go into producing a luxury rum.

Product name: Tariquet Colour Collection
Contact details: Château du Tariquet, +33 (0)5 62 09 87 82
Château du Tariquet’s new range of Bas-Armagnacs, the Colour Collection, challenges conventional perceptions of Armagnac. This collection is closer in packaging and presentation to malt whisky than it is to traditional Armagnac, or the brandy category in general. There is potential for great diversity in different kinds of Armagnacs, something Tariquet points out when suggesting that this range can be enjoyed, not only in the conventional role of a digestif, but as an aperitif as well. The range, all made entirely from Folle Blanche grapes, consists of an 8, 12 and a 15-year-old Armagnac. The ages are colour-coded in either orange, purple or green, with rrps ranging from E25 to E38. With no water reduction used, the Armagnacs are bottled at cask strength, at about 52% abv. A gift pack, featuring a leather zip-up cylinder, is also available.

Product name: Smirnoff Black
Contact details: Diageo GB, 0845 7515 101
Diageo has launched new packaging for premium vodka Smirnoff Black No. 55. Recognising an increasing demand for premium spirits, the new packaging has been designed to increase the perception of quality. The distinctive method of distillation is also emphasised. The use of authentic copper pot distillation makes this vodka suited to Martinis and shorter cocktails. Smirnoff Black, targeted at men aged 25 to 35, has an rrp of £15.99.

Product name: Torres
Contact details: Lorne Gray, John E Fells, 01442 870900
Torres has launched redesigned packaging for its key ranges. The intention, according to Miguel Torres Maczassek, marketing director for Torres, was “to freshen and simplify the packaging to clearly articulate our brand values in the highly competitive modern wine market”. While modernising the packaging, Torres has been careful to maintain brand recognition, as well as the heritage of the wine. The repackaged Traditional range includes Viña Sol, Sangre de Toro (with rrps of £4.99 and £5.99, respectively) – brands that have been around for 50 years and are present in over 120 markets. Torres’ rosé, De Casta (£5.49), has also had its packaging redesigned.

Product name: Coca-Cola Zero
Contact details: The Coca-Cola Company GB, 020 8237 3000
Coca-Cola GB has launched its first new cola brand in 22 years. Coca-Cola Zero will take its place alongside Coca-Cola and Diet Coke, as a third brand in the Coke portfolio. Promoted as “bloke Coke”, the new zero-sugar brand is aimed at a young male audience. After successful launches in the US and Australia, the UK will be the third market to see Coca-Cola Zero, as well as the first black can from Coca-Cola in Great Britain. The new brand is the result of years of development, with a flavour close to classic Coca-Cola, but with no sugar. The launch, with activity scheduled over four weeks, will be supported by an £8m budget.

Product name: Harveys Fino
Contact details: Beam Global UK Limited, 01403 222 600
New Harveys Fino addresses the tricky business of pairing wine with asparagus, artichoke and vinaigrette. Harveys has recently released this dry, refreshing Sherry into Tesco and Wine Rack (rrp £7.75). Harveys Fino is produced by award-winning winemaker Beltrán Domecq from Palomino grapes. With the aim of revitalising the Sherry category, Harveys Fino has been packaged with modern, art-deco labelling. Domecq explains that this fino represents “a character totally unique to our Sherry region. In Spain, fino is the most popular style of Sherry, with over 80% of total Sherry sales.” He recommends Harveys Fino, which is targeted at both the on- and off-trade, as an aperitif or as a partner to delicate dishes.

Product name: Green Point Vintage Brut Rosé 2002
Contact details: Moët Hennessy UK, 020 7245 4214
Australian sparkling wine producer Green Point launches its Vintage Brut Rosé 2002 this month. The 2002 vintage was, according to CEO and winemaker Dr Tony Jordan, the best since Green Point was started in 1986. This prestige wine is being marketed as “summer in a bottle”, well suited to sunny outdoor activities. The stainless steel crown-seal closure is aligned with Green Point’s brand values of quality, innovation and excellence. The packaging is contemporary, and looks well placed to take on the booming sparkling rosé category. Currently available from Oddbins, this sparkling wine has an rrp of £13.99.

Product name: Red Leg 2005
Contact details: Oakley Wine Agencies, 01787 220070
Red Leg 2005 is a new wine from Portugal’s Alentejo region, made from Shiraz and Aragones grapes. Recently launched, it is currently available from Morrisons (rrp £5.99). Named after the red-legged partridge that is native to the Alentejo region of Portugal, this wine is the most recent English-language label from Oakley Wine Agencies. The style of the wine, as well as the combination of Portuguese and French grape varieties, is intended to make the wine market-friendly, and appealing to UK consumers.

Product name: PAMA
Contact details: charteredbrands, 0845 634 4024
Continuing the trend towards all things pomegranate, charteredbrands has launched PAMA, the world’s first pomegranate liqueur. The brand is specifically targeted at the UK style bar market (rrp £17.99). PAMA, with an abv of 17%, is made from 100% natural pomegranate juice, premium vodka and tequila. The launch builds on charteredbrands’ established success with Pomegreat, and is marketed as an innovate addition to cocktails, such as variations on the Mojito, Cosmpolitan or Margarita. The striking, modern packaging reinforces PAMA’s targeting of style bars, and has contributed to its success in the US since its launch there last year.

Product name: Worts ‘n Ale
Contact details: Islay Ales, 0149 681 0014
A collaboration between Islay Ales and the Bruichladdich distillery has produced an ale brewed from Islay single malt for the first time. The brew was made by interrupting the whisky-making process, and using the pre-fermented wort to produce a high-alcohol ale. Brewer Paul Hathaway says, “The distillery usually gets 7% alcohol… but I managed to get a thumping 9%.” The limited edition drink (1,800 33cl bottles) will be available exclusively from Islay Ales for £3 per bottle. The ale, entitled Worts ‘n Ale, debuted at the Islay Whisky & Music Festival Feis Ile at the Bruichladdich Distillery. A donation of 25 pence from each bottle sold will go to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

Product name: Café Kiss
Contact details: Halewood International, 0151 480 8800
Halewood has plans to create a new segment in the UK’s alcoholic drinks market, with the national launch of its new product Café Kiss. After two years of consumer research, Café Kiss, an iced coffee cappuccino with Red Square vodka, is being initially launched in Tesco and Threshers, with an rrp of £1.79 for a 200ml can. The drink, described as “easy drinking”, is targeted at female consumers over 25, and has an abv of 5%. Café Kiss has received a positive response in trials in both the on- and off-trade, and the launch is supported by a bespoke sales and promotions team that has been involved in extensive sampling activity.

Product name: Gérard Bertrand Tautavel
Contact details: Thierry’s Wine Services, 01794 507100
Gérard Bertrand has recently launched a range of wines from the Côtes du Roussillon Tautavel appellation. The range, available from this month in Waitrose, Asda and Somerfield, reflects Bertrand’s dedication to revitalising this appellation, as well as his fresh approach to French wine branding. The range promotes the heritage of the appellation, instead of dumbing it down for consumers. The range starts at an rrp
of £6.99.

© db July 2006