New positioning focuses on timeless appeal

Nederburg cellarmaster Razvan Macici

Accenting the brand's 200 year-heritage, its timeless appeal and impeccable pedigree that owes much to a relentless attention to detail, the new campaign underscores the care and patience taken every step of the wine-growing and winemaking process. Encapsulating this positioning with the phrase "two centuries of perfection" the new campaign goes live on 1 September 2006.

Says brand development manager Misti Fowler, who is spearheading the initiative to raise Nederburg's visibility across traditional and new markets: "It is critical to maintain a balance between accessibility and the brand's long-standing reputation, and for that reason we have chosen to convey our message in an engaging and universally appealing way, no matter what your level of wine involvement or your age or stage.

Vladimir, the Jack Russell of Razvan Macici

"The tone is warm and friendly as we show mainly at an emotional level how Nederburg's difference lies in the detail. It's the combination of meticulous care, patience, precision and passion that makes Nederburg stand out. We believe these messages will resonate equally with loyal supporters and newcomers to the brand."

Two commercials, launched simultaneously, will be featured in tandem on public and pay-channel TV, while five print executions will appear in Sunday newspapers. Nederburg is also taking to the outdoors, one of the first wine brands in South Africa to opt for billboard exposure, normally the domain of spirits.

The stepped-up visibility is being supported below-the-line with widespread in-store promotional activity, tasting events designed to encourage brand trial, a wine educational programme targeted at on- and off-consumption channels, and an all-new website.

Brand architecture is being refined to make the distinction between the three tiers clearer.

Fowler says the educational drive will underpin the above-the-line efforts. "Part of the reason South Africans consume less than 8 litres of wine a year is because it remains a beverage shrouded in mystery. We want to retain the mystique but dispense with the snobbery and inaccessible technicality. By unlocking fun and interesting information about wine, we hope to make it fun and interesting to sell and fun and interesting to consume."

Fowler also plans to place Nederburg in new contexts. One route will be to link up with lifestyle retailers, which will integrate the brand in their merchandising, but not sell it. "For those who have not yet incorporated wine into their lifestyles, it can be pretty daunting to begin with. But when you see wine in the same context as other, more familiar items, the idea of drinking it becomes more accessible."

The brand will also come under the spotlight later this year in a national promotion involving the major retail chains and selected independents, when over 24 000 prizes will be given away.