Pernod Ricard UK offers personalised labels

Pernod Ricard UK is giving shoppers the opportunity to personalise select bottles of whisky from its portfolio with the launch of its Your Signature Spirit campaign. Timed to coincide with Father’s Day, the campaign will drive consumers – via on-pack communication – to a dedicated microsite www.yoursignaturespirit.com, where they can personalise bottle labels to create a memorable gift.

As the second largest opportunity for whisky after Christmas, Father’s Day is a key period for premium spirits and gifting, providing a compelling opportunity for consumers to trade up. Furthermore, the Father’s Day occasion is showing increased popularity in relation to spirits sales – over Father's Day last year the spirits category delivered +6.5% volume growth, which is significantly ahead of the previous year’s growth of +1.6%, according to Nielsen data.

Gifting is becoming more important to consumers, and with advancing digital printing technology, this provides more opportunity for personalised solutions. Pernod Ricard UK is offering shoppers a free personalisation service that is simple and easy to activate. Through a dedicated microsite created by Cubo, consumers will be able to personalise the label with a message for bottles of Chivas Regal 12 year old, The Glenlivet 12 year old and Aberlour 10 year old. The personalised label will be printed and posted to the consumer who will be able to stick the label onto the bottle they have purchased in-store or online.

To support this key trading period, Pernod Ricard UK will be promoting a selection of its premium spirits brands in major grocers, wholesalers and independents with a Here’s to Fathers campaign. This in-store and online campaign groups together five key brands – Chivas Regal, Aberlour, The Glenlivet, Ballantine’s Finest and Strathisla, and Cognac brand Martell VS – ensuring there are options available to suit all tastes. The campaign includes point-of-sale displays promoting reasons to say ‘thank you’ to fathers – aiming to raise awareness of each individual brand, to attract shoppers looking for a premium gift and to grow category share for Pernod Ricard UK.

Dan Reuby, customer marketing drector, Pernod Ricard UK says: “Consumers increasingly expect more from brands – they want to be offered something that is unique to them and allows them stand out from the crowd, especially at key seasonal times. We’ve responded to this demand, and thanks to technological advances, we can offer products and services on a far more individual level – including bottle personalisation. It is a key trading period for off-trade retailers and, as such, we have looked to develop campaigns that drive engagement from consumers and ultimately profit opportunities for our customers”.

CCL Label UK's East Kilbride plant in Scotland played a major role when it came to the realisation of these self-created, personalised labels. The label company was able to offer a high quality, cost effective solution with a high degree of flexibility.

The CCL seven colour process of digital printing plus the application of hot foil, flexo print, embossing and high build screenprint as embellishments let the product labels become outstanding and unique, and a very close representation of the current branded label.

Personalisation is a marketing tool which focuses on the adaptation of products to customers’ needs and preferences. This concept intends to divide customers into more focussed groups by addressing them personally. To put it in a nutshell, personalisation avoids making consumers feel like being one of the crowd, but even more, like unique individuals. Choosing personalisation as a marketing strategy is an efficient way to success.

“We see the personalisation of bottle labels as building positive brand experiences and adding value at the point of purchase,” says Lauren Dragos, Pernod Ricard UK customer marketing manager. 

28 May 2014 - Felicity Murray The Drinks Report, editor