CHALLENGE
Helping a brand owner from another industry turn his
dream into a real business with stand-out alcohol branding.
OVERVIEW
The brand owner came to us with a work-in-progress product: a gluten-free vodka, blended with organic cocoa and natural flavors to create a rich dark chocolate liqueur. It was a decadent, unique product that we thought had real promise in the market. Once he had created the most delicious chocolate liqueur we had ever tasted, what he needed from SCG was a brand marketing strategy about how to enter the US market and a financial model to support his successful launch.
CHALLENGE
The brand owners came to us because they wanted to launch their small production, all-natural sparkling sangria in the US market.
OVERVIEW
It was a beautiful product, taste-wise, but the problem was that it was in a package almost identical to another sangria brand already on the market. The second challenge was that the brand was using high-quality ingredients, which demanded a higher price point in the market where traditionally sangrias have been overly sweet, cheap, and artificial. We needed to redo the alcohol branding and package and create a brand marketing strategy that reflected the premium ingredients of the brand. Once the package and brand strategy were complete, we needed to create the route-to-market strategy, the budget, and the launch plan. Once launched, our challenge was to demonstrate that this was not just another cheap, sweet sangria but was a sophisticated product worthy of key accounts and pairing with food. We planned and executed a series of trade and consumer events to get liquid on lips and demonstrate the fun, sophisticated nature of the brand.
CHALLENGE
SCG was tapped by a hundred-year-old sake brewery selling its products in 33 countries to create new alcohol branding and a product specifically made for the US market. Our client wanted to respect the authenticity of sake production and their family’s five generations of expertise, but they wanted a product that would appeal to an American consumer – not necessarily a sake consumer – and that could be sold in top bars and restaurants, not only Japanese and sushi restaurants.
SOLUTION
Our solution was to create an easily pronounceable brand name and gorgeous alcohol branding with a stunning bottle and package that would appeal to the U.S. consumer. We then worked with Sake sommeliers to choose the right taste profile for an American palette. Once the product was finished, we created a brand marketing strategy and cocktail program that would facilitate bars’ and restaurants’ incorporation into their beverage programs. The results were several package designs awards and the introduction of the product into key accounts in California and New York City such as the Rainbow Room.