Top marketing moves in drinks: December

Ian MacLeod distillers ad campaign lights up Edinburgh

Edinburgh’s iconic Dome building was the screen of choice Scottish spirits group Ian Macleod used to launch its first TV advertisement for Edinburgh Gin. The advert, which debuted on Channel 4 in-between bouts of reality show First Dates, highlights Edinburgh Gin’s popular rhubarb and ginger-flavoured expression, as well as encouraging viewers to try the full range of spirits and liqueurs made by the brand. There are 18 expressions in total – including Lemon & Jasmine, Bramble & Honey and a number of London Dry gins.

Set to the classic Frankie Valli song The Night, and opening on a blossoming flower bed, the scene “transforms into an urban party surrounded by a forest of rhubarb”, then shifts to Edinburgh’s skyline before emerging from a Rhubarb & Ginger gin and tonic.

The advert was projected against The Dome in Edinburgh city centre at 6pm in early December, before appearing during the ad break of Channel Four’s First Dates that evening. “We work wonders with our gin,” said Neil Mowat, UK marketing director of Ian Macleod Distillers. “We always add creativity and original thinking to the mix,” he said. “Inventiveness is essential to Edinburgh Gin – and that’s the story our new advertising campaign sets out to tell.”

US brewery forced to pull ‘horny reindeer’ beer labels

(Photo: Sycamore/Facebook)

A brewery in North Carolina was forced to withdraw its winter ale from taproom shelves after local authorities objected to its labels depicting “horny reindeer” in lewd poses. Sycamore Brewing pulled the 2019 edition of its Christmas Cookie Winter Ale last month after the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission visited its taproom and discovered the cans showed reindeer in sexual positions. A limited batch of the 7.5%-ABV beer was released in November . Sycamore advertised the beer on its Facebook page, promising fans the cream ale is “bound to make Santa jolly”.

It was taken off the market after an anonymous complainant tipped off local authorities. The brewery had not sought approval from the commission before releasing the cans. Sarah Brigham, Sycamore’s co-owner, told the Charlotte Agenda that the company had hoped they might go unnoticed by authorities, because the beers would not be widely available in supermarkets and other retail outlets, On social media, Sycamore explained that the beer would go back on sale after the cans had “been re-labeled with last year’s G-Rated can art” in place of the saucy mammals. Fortunately, Bringham said, the re-stickered cans of beer were covered with labels that could be peeled off to reveal the original risqué reindeer artwork underneath.

Watchdog defends call to take teddy bear off beer can

Drinks regulator The Portman Group has defended its decision to order Welsh brewer Tiny Rebel to change the branding on its beer cans for a second time in two years, over fears they could appeal to children. Portman told the brewer to remove an image of a teddy bear from the beer can on 2 December so as not to promote underage drinking. This was the second complaint issued against Tiny Rebel in two years. After the first Portman Group ruling banned the can of Cwtch in its current form, the brewer took measures to appease the regulator. Examining the requested changes that had been made to the design, including the ABV displayed on the front in white text as wells as the phrase ‘Welsh Red Ale’, the regulator ruled that Cwtch sufficiently conveyed the alcoholic nature of the product. However, the panel still felt that the can could appeal to people under 18. It recommended that a teddy bear be removed from the front of the can, stating that if it appeared on the back or side, it would be more acceptable. It said the presence of the teddy bear on the front of the can, coupled with the use of a bubble font and bright primary colours, “meant that the product had particular appeal to under-18s”. A group spokesperson said it was “highly unusual” to uphold a product twice within two years, but there was a risk the design, “although amended, has particular appeal to under-18s”.

Australia protects wine brands with ‘label directory’

McLaren vale vineyards and ocean (image: Wines of Australia)

The Australian government is seeking to establish an export label directory for wines to protect Australian brands from copycat and counterfeit labelling. The directory, to be established by industry body Wine Australia, will help Australian wine brands protect their intellectual property rights against those who wish to misuse them for their own gain. Called the Wine Australia Amendment (Label Directory) Bill 2019, the legislation grants permission for the development of a “public-facing online database” of all Australian wine export labels. Commenting on the bill, senator Bridget McKenzie, minister for agriculture, said: “The wine industry asked our government for help in preventing the export of copycat labelled wines through the establishment of a label directory – we have listened and this legislation is an important step in delivering on that request. All Australian wine exporters will be have to submit images of their labels before export. McKenzie added that the move will bring greater transparency to exported wine labels and help to prevent what she described as “copycat export wines”. The Australian government has pledged a total of AU$417,000 (£216,078) to help support the directory, sourced from the export and regional wine support package.

Cava regulator announces new geographical zones

Sparkling wine made in Spain will soon be labelled according to exactly where it was produced, according to Javier Pagés, the president of the Cava producers’ regulatory body. Discussions are under way between the DO Cava and the Spanish government to define three “First Level” zones within the DO Cava that define the criteria, and that will “clearly differentiate Cava from other sparkling wines”. These criteria will also include the sub-zones’ history in terms of viticulture and vinification, as well as their climatic conditions to “validate the DO’s authenticity and provenance”. Speaking at the 2019 Cava Summit in London last month, Pagés said the consortium’s new regulations aim to “give the consumer a guarantee of quality and provenance”, and guide them up the ladder to tell the story behind the wines, while discovering more about what differentiates Cava from its competitors. The plans, which have been called the Cava Vineyard Registry, will ensure that all reserva and gran reserva wines are registered to “guarantee the quality, place of provenance and traceability of our very best wines”. The DO has also hired six wine experts to review proposals for its segmentation and zoning project, after nine producers formally broke ranks with the DO to set up producer-led group Corpinnat at the start of last year.

Italy’s Ferrari Trento partners with America’s Cup team

Trentino fizz Ferrari has been chosen as the sparkling wine partner of Italy’s Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team, as it prepares for the start of the 36th America’s Cup in March 2021. A bottle of Ferrari Maximum Brut was broken against the bow of the team’s first AC75 by Miuccia Prada, head designer of Prada. The partnership will see Ferrari Trentodoc sparkling wines accompany the team at every stage of the yachting competition. The launch of the yacht took place in Cagliari, Sardinia, which will be the team’s headquarters and location for many events in the run-up to the start of the America’s Cup. A series of preliminary races will take place between 23 and 26 April 2020. The agenda will also include additional events before a move to Auckland, the location of the Prada Cup, due to be held between January and February 2021. Max Sirena, team director and skipper of the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team, said: “Seeking the maximum in terms of performance and commitment is a fundamental element in preparing an America’s Cup campaign. Matteo Lunelli, CEO of the Lunelli Group, which owns Ferrari Trento, added: “As a keen supporter of the finest things that come from Italy, I am particularly proud that Ferrari Trento has been chosen by the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team. “It will be a great pleasure to embark on this voyage towards Auckland together and take the best of Italy around the world.”