Pleasure drops for the blue hour
Sparkling wine marketing Pucci Sulzer has defended the Freixenet account. With the successful communication concept - and even more eroticism.
Sparkling wine marketing Pucci Sulzer has defended the Freixenet account. With the successful communication concept - and even more eroticism.
Proximity to the country of origin and high per capita income characterize the Swiss sparkling wine market: after the French, the Swiss drink the most champagne in the world. However, the weak economy has dampened the spirits of the expensive branded drops. According to the IHA-GfK, sales in the Swiss sparkling wine market rose by almost six percent to CHF 173.4 million between October 2002 and September 2003 compared to the same period in the previous year. More revealing, however, is the average price paid per liter, which has fallen by a good seven percent over the past two years, while consumption in terms of volume has increased by a good 13 percent to 10.5 million liters. The bottom line: the Swiss are drinking more, especially more cheap sparkling wine. The Association of Swiss Wine Merchants also reports import figures for the last calculation period that have not been this high since 1998/1999, and Freixenet was one of the main beneficiaries of this development. Thanks to its relatively low price, the cava from the heart of Catalonia was able to further expand its market share - to 20.5 percent in terms of value. Equally impressive is the development in the huge German sparkling wine market. Freixenet's market share there has more than doubled in terms of sales in just six years - to an impressive 15.3%.
percent.
That's how long the Zurich agency Pucci Sulzer has been handling the advertising for the sparkling Spaniard throughout Northern Europe - since 1996.
At that time, the sparkling wine appeared on the market for the first time with the statement "The Magic of Freixenet" with a communication concept that emphasized the seductive role of the fermented and carbonated grape juice. So much eroticism was an absolute novelty per se for the drink of social crowning moments, recalls CD Däni Sulzer. "We wanted to steer Freixenet towards a completely different climax," says Sulzer with a grin. A Freixenet drop caressed and seduced a woman and led the viewer through its exciting fantasy world - right up to the tattooed rose that blossomed when touched. "This put Freixenet years ahead of the competition." By positioning itself in a sensual-erotic environment, the cava left the mousse of a niche product and developed into a market leader.
Expansion of the image zone
However, the spirited performance now aims to bring more than just the imagination to life. New growth impulses are just as
The brand needed to be updated in order to emphasize its uniqueness and defend its image. In short, a more imaginative staging was required.
Not an easy task given the successful brief. The challenge was to work on Freixenet's genetic codes - origin, frosted bottle, eroticism and rose - in such a way that the brand receives new impulses without leaving the familiar world. And so the new commercial once again walks a tightrope between fantasy and reality, with the difference that now the associations are even more targeted and unbridled as they head towards the climax. The creative team speaks of the drop, "which triggers magical moments in the sensual interplay between man and woman, subtly seducing the unspoken". It remains to be seen how big an impact this little drop will have on the market.
Luca Aloisi
Proximity to the country of origin and high per capita income characterize the Swiss sparkling wine market: after the French, the Swiss drink the most champagne in the world. However, the weak economy has dampened the spirits of the expensive branded drops. According to the IHA-GfK, sales in the Swiss sparkling wine market rose by almost six percent to CHF 173.4 million between October 2002 and September 2003 compared to the same period in the previous year. More revealing, however, is the average price paid per liter, which has fallen by a good seven percent over the past two years, while consumption in terms of volume has increased by a good 13 percent to 10.5 million liters. The bottom line: the Swiss are drinking more, especially more cheap sparkling wine. The Association of Swiss Wine Merchants also reports import figures for the last calculation period that have not been this high since 1998/1999, and Freixenet was one of the main beneficiaries of this development. Thanks to its relatively low price, the cava from the heart of Catalonia was able to further expand its market share - to 20.5 percent in terms of value. Equally impressive is the development in the huge German sparkling wine market. Freixenet's market share there has more than doubled in terms of sales in just six years - to an impressive 15.3%.
percent.
That's how long the Zurich agency Pucci Sulzer has been handling the advertising for the sparkling Spaniard throughout Northern Europe - since 1996.
At that time, the sparkling wine appeared on the market for the first time with the statement "The Magic of Freixenet" with a communication concept that emphasized the seductive role of the fermented and carbonated grape juice. So much eroticism was an absolute novelty per se for the drink of social crowning moments, recalls CD Däni Sulzer. "We wanted to steer Freixenet towards a completely different climax," says Sulzer with a grin. A Freixenet drop caressed and seduced a woman and led the viewer through its exciting fantasy world - right up to the tattooed rose that blossomed when touched. "This put Freixenet years ahead of the competition." By positioning itself in a sensual-erotic environment, the cava left the mousse of a niche product and developed into a market leader.
Expansion of the image zone
However, the spirited performance now aims to bring more than just the imagination to life. New growth impulses are just as
The brand needed to be updated in order to emphasize its uniqueness and defend its image. In short, a more imaginative staging was required.
Not an easy task given the successful brief. The challenge was to work on Freixenet's genetic codes - origin, frosted bottle, eroticism and rose - in such a way that the brand receives new impulses without leaving the familiar world. And so the new commercial once again walks a tightrope between fantasy and reality, with the difference that now the associations are even more targeted and unbridled as they head towards the climax. The creative team speaks of the drop, "which triggers magical moments in the sensual interplay between man and woman, subtly seducing the unspoken". It remains to be seen how big an impact this little drop will have on the market.
Luca Aloisi
