Case Histories

Situation: Hacienda La Caravedo attended our U.S. Drinks Conference in 2009 with a vision: to learn how to create not just a new spirit brand, but an entirely new category in the American spirits market, Pisco. They signed us on as consultants and gave us the challenge to turn that vision into a practical reality.

Solution: Even though it is a relatively small category in the US, we had category experience having worked with BarSol, but in this case we were starting from scratch. The brand owner had purchased the oldest distillery in the Americas, decided on the name, and brought in the de facto global ambassador of Peruvian Pisco, Johnny Schuler to drive the development of the liquid. Our task was to build on this foundation and husband the resources needed to launch the brand in 2011.

Our services included:

• Plan, manage, and in many instances conduct consumer and trade market research on the category, the brand, and the drinks that Pisco Portón would use in their launch programming
• Building the brand positioning and creative briefs for agencies.
  We knew that Pisco was currently perceived as grape brandy and that was not going to cut it in the US marketplace. Armed with our experiences and the market research we developed a strategy that not only positioned Pisco Portón as a luxury brand of Pisco, but redefined the category from grape brandy to a mixable white spirit, a new and exciting alternative to Vodka, Tequila and Rum…a competitive set hundreds of times bigger than Pisco.
• Managing and implementing all aspects of the sales and marketing plan for the first year including:
  
  • Production: We led the development of the design of the bottle, cap, and label. We also managed the entire packaging production; from sourcing suppliers to managing the mold development, prototype development and approval, and ultimately the production of the final packaging elements.
  • Advertising: Managed the search for an advertising agency and worked hand in hand with the chosen agency to develop the brand communication platform and graphic look and feel.
  • Promotion: Used the brand platform to develop, design and produce all of the point of sale, training, and sampling materials with our creative team.
  • Public Relations: Led the search for a public relations company and worked with them to develop the consumer public relations direction, messaging and implementation .
  • Importation/Registration: Working with our partner, MHW, we set up the import structure and managed the registration of liquid and labels through TTB.
  • Sales: We developed the distribution strategy and then set up and managed the organizations that would handle both the distributor management for Pisco Portón and the local brand activation teams in the launch markets.
  • Distribution: We used our contacts to obtain meetings with the preferred distributor network and ultimately assisted in gaining distributor agreements with key distributor networks including Charmer Sunbelt and Glazer’s.
• We also lead the search for an international partner to drive the penetration of Pisco Portón into the Caribbean as well as Latin and South America.

Results: The brand launched to rave reviews in March 2011, just 13 months after we started the project. Initially launching in CA, NY and TX, the positive response we received led the company to expand the introduction to additional states and other countries.

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Situation: Soyuz Victan is the biggest vodka company you never heard of. It's the second largest vodka producer in the world, but with most of their business in Eastern Europe, they were an unknown entity in the West. Recognizing that while they were major players in the east - yet had little knowledge about how to expand into America - they came to Brand Action Team to help create and launch a new super premium brand in the U.S. market.

Solution: We helped the company create Silk Vodka from scratch and bring it from an opportunity scratched on a napkin in a bar to a fully supported global brand launch in just 13 months.

Our services included:

• Functioning as their de facto marketing department
• Creating and putting the U.S. operating company in place
• Developing the brand positioning from scratch and managing the process to refine it. We influenced the brand look and feel under the visual and verbal metaphor: The Silk Vodka.
• From market research to package design and points in between, Brand Action Team helped bring together the resources to work as a well-oiled, collaborative machine with egos parked at the door.
• And, in our spare time, we also served as their below-the-line agency handling promotions, merchandising, advertising, PR and interactive and field marketing

Results: Silk Vodka exceeded our sales goal of 15,000 cases in its first year, secured distribution in 28 states and successfully established itself as a brand to be reckoned with in an incredibly difficult market and, at times, indistinguishable spirits category.

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Situation: Austrian wine has been going through a renaissance in the last 20 years, but it was not widely known or recognized. While this was partly due to limited production volume in comparison to neighbors like Germany and Italy, it was also a function of varietals. Austrian producers focused on indigenous varietals such as Grüner Veltliner.

The Austrian Wine Marketing Board decided to focus on the U.S. market with a strategy of simultaneously promoting both the country and the unique varietal that defined its winemaking style of dry, high acid, food-friendly wines.

Solution: The strategy we developed built on the AWMB's focusing on Grüner, or GV or GruVee as it has been popularly named. By telling a simple story we were able to make a difficult-to-pronounce varietal from a relatively unfamiliar wine making country a very relevant "new" concept to wine drinkers in America.

Complementing the foundation of wine geeks, sommeliers and industry professionals who were aware of Austria's wine renaissance, BAT's task was to focus on an emerging target market of the wired Millennial generation. Millennials learn about wines in different ways than other generations by seeking information from peers rather than established critics.

BAT's solution was to communicate with this new generation of early adopters by conversing with them where they are already spending their time online, and providing the content needed by the new set of influencers to this group: blogs, websites and forums, and social networks.

We implemented a social media outreach program to execute many of these programs:

• Blogger outreach, including bottle samples and information distribution to leading industry wine bloggers
• Supported AWMB in recruiting attendees to importer tasting events
• Created and authored a blog, Austrianwineusa.com, and monthly newsletter surrounding Austrian wines and the blossoming wine region

Results: There has been a sea change in awareness among Millennials about "GruVee", its unique story and food friendly positioning. Austrian wines now are prominently featured not only online but also in the traditional media and wine press as hot new wines from a very cool country. They are being included on more bar and restaurant wine menus throughout the country and showing up in new shelf sets in retail stores. With an ardent enthusiasm for the "new" Austrian wines, BAT continues to work with the AWMB and influence what grapes are being introduced to eager consumers – next up is the Blaufränkisch.

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