Any self-respecting wine-drinking Brit will have heard of the Côtes du Rhône appellation in France.
It’s the country’s top wine-producing region and its wines are reliably delicious and much-loved by UK customers. However, these Old World wines have appealed largely to traditional wine fans and the region’s winemakers are keen to sell more bottles to younger, more adventurous and curious drinkers. Here’s how they have tweaked their international branding to do just that.
Then. A local campaign for local people
Back in 2017, the famous wine region of Côtes du Rhône was taking a very different approach to its international marketing. Back then, one of its central campaigns was aimed squarely at the UK market (word must have got around that we love nothing more than guzzling wine and watching Netflix).
Personally, I think this campaign is quite hilarious and it might even tempt me to spend a bit more on a decent bottle of French red.
It’s appealing on a very local level, as the marketing director at Inter-Rhône, Virginie Charlier, explained at the time: “We produce great wines which are ideal to share and enjoy in everyday situations.
“We also used one of Britain’s most famous traits, wit and self-deprecation to enable us to further connect emotionally with British consumers.”
However, simply appealing to amateur British vin rouge enthusiasts isn’t exactly going to help Côtes du Rhône become a dynamic global brand. And I guess they realised this, as they have really upped their game with the latest campaign.
Now. A visual, global ad campaign
This year, the marketers responsible for promoting the Côtes du Rhône appellation to buyers from outside France have devised a marketing strategy that they will roll out across all its key markets around the world.
There will be no specific cultural nods to various countries, instead, the wine will be promoted with highly visual adverts that aim to attract younger, more serious wine consumers, regardless of where they live.
The use of questions in the campaign is a clever way to get consumers thinking about how and where the wine they enjoy was made.
The co-president of appellation, Phillippe Pellaton, explained:
“We’re celebrating our terroir, experience, rich diversity and extraordinary heritage – elements that are truly unique to us. We’re convinced this visual approach will resonate with both the trade and curious wine lovers, in the UK and globally.”
We’re slightly disappointed the tongue-in-cheek British humour has gone, but we do see their point. Devising a campaign that resonates with consumers globally might be more challenging than targeting markets individually, but providing you have the right localisation experts to hand – for the right brand – you can create a cohesive international campaign that is truly borderless.
Cheers to that!
