Liqueurs: Born again brands(2)
Bartender appeal
Yet this is precisely why the on-trade is now the single most important arena for brands looking to achieve growth within the liqueurs category, with some brands and ranges almost exclusively reliant on their use within cocktails.
Though this might aid volumes, it does little to make the consumer more aware of the brand they are consuming. More often than not bartenders stash their cocktail liqueurs under the bar rather than on the back bar, minimising any chance to get your product seen by the public.
Take brands such as Wenneker and Volare, for instance. Thousands of consumers will have enjoyed a cocktail containing their products over the past year, but the number of people aware of what brand they were drinking is likely to be minimal. This is a problem widely recognised by producers.
Richard Ridley, export director at Wenneker, says: “Customers will rarely, if ever, ask for a Wenneker cocktail. “The chances are they might well have enjoyed our products in the past but have not been aware of the Wenneker brand, so it makes marketing them a lot more difficult.
“In certain bars and markets the bottles will even be hidden under the counter, and as such the consumer has absolutely no idea which brand they are drinking.”
Problems like this have forced Wenneker and many other liqueur producers to switch their marketing focus to bartenders, rather than going direct to consumers.
Ridley adds: “It is the barman who can take the story of the brand to the consumer, so we specifically tailor our marketing towards them and ensure they know we offer the broadest range of liqueurs out there.”
Volare adopts a similar approach. Jeremy Hill, chairman of Volare’s UK distributor Hi-Spirits, says: “Volare is a professional’s brand, designed to be used by bartenders who want to offer a wide range of cocktails and long drinks and to change their drinks menus regularly.
“They are the focus of all efforts to grow the Volare brand.”
The industry is unanimous in its appraisal that the cocktail scene must be at the heart of a brand’s approach if it is to capitalise on the resurgence of the liqueur category.
Ensuring your place in the minds of bartenders is now equally or perhaps even more important than developing a consumer fan base.
The reinvention of older brands will not produce overnight results, but at least it demonstrates a willingness to adapt and try to push a new message.
It will be interesting over the next couple of years to see the extent to which Asia embraces liqueurs, particularly due to the fact the market is mainly driven by luxury brands, but there is certainly an emerging market there which can be viewed as promising.
Elsewhere, bitters will struggle to turn their fortunes around as bartenders tend to shun them in favour of sweeter, more versatile drinks that add subtle flavours rather than dominate any particular drink. Cream liqueurs – the most high-profile launch of which this year came in the form of Qream (see box, above) will always be popular with female drinkers in particular.
As for those, such as Wenneker, who seem to favour invisibility, there is little reason why they should alter their approach of putting the bartender, rather than the consumer, at the heart of their approach.
For such a varied category, liqueurs is showing enough forward thinking to suggest some solid years are ahead. Some might be playing catch up, but that’s what makes the sector so dynamic.
