MARKETING/BRAND BUILDER: Asbach’s back

Expect to see Asbach German brandy making its presence felt in the UK soon. Hall & Bramley are on the case for this ‘quirky and unusual’ brand

It’s the type of test that tycoon Alan Sugar might set a team of confident candidates on The Apprentice: “I want you to develop a sales strategy for a German brandy brand. Go, you’ve got two days.” In reality, Hall & Bramley, a subsidiary of Halewood International, has a matter of months, not only to come up with a plan of attack, but to put it in place for
Rhine-based brandy Asbach. Unfortunately, the marketing budget is “limited”. Nevertheless, Hall & Bramley’s Nick Milne is convinced the brand will succeed in the UK market.

Why? Halewood/Hall & Bramley has the contacts and expertise, Milne the experience, and Asbach the story and quality to entice. Already Asbach has a listing with WaverleyTBS for the on-trade and the Thresher Group for the retail sector. Priced at £17.99 in the off-trade, Milne describes Asbach as “at the top of the pure grape brandy market but below more expensive Cognacs”.

He wants to get it into the multiples and believes they will be interested. “I see a change in attitude among the supermarkets,” he says. “They are more interested in niche brands. They will take and trial them in limited distribution in specific regions where they believe the product will appeal.”

He says consumers are “as willing to experiment”, although the brand already has some recognition in the UK, especially among people “who have been in the forces”.

Essentially, it is a “quirky and unusual brand” according to Milne, with a history dating back to 1892, when founder Hugo Asbach left France and set up a company in Rüdesheim on the Rhine with the aim to create a product to rival Cognac and cater for German tastes.

Over 100 years later the brand is creeping onto back bars in Britain, sold as “a speciality drink”, according to Milne. In this environment Asbach has been “gradually rolled out, and is now ready for the multiples. It is a dual approach; the on-trade is important but the off-trade is massively important for the movement of consumers.”

There’s certainly an entrepreneurial history to Asbach. The brandy coined the word “Weinbrand” when competitors were calling their German grape-based spirits Cognac. This meant that a ban on the use of the term in 1919 for German products had little effect on Asbach.

50-year-old planned
Also, in Germany, the brandy is associated with pioneering television advertising and promotional campaigns. It’s also worth noting that the core brand called Asbach Uralt was soon followed by Asbach Privatbrand for family members and business associates. Asbach Selection was introduced in 1989 and a vintage version in 2000, called Jahrgangsbrand. The company is also planning to launch a 50-year-old variety.

Presently it is available in 40 countries. “It is especially strong in the duty-free channel,” says Robert Bastong, international sales director.

As for its future in the UK market, Milne is highly confident of Asbach’s ability to do well. “You will see Asbach on a major retailer’s shelf in 2007, there is no doubt about it,” he says. Alan Sugar would no doubt approve.

© db January 2007