Stateways

StateWays - November/December 2016

StateWays is the only magazine exclusively covering the control state system within the beverage alcohol industry, with annual updates from liquor control commissions and alcohol control boards and yearly fiscal reporting from control jurisdictions

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StateWays | www.stateways.com | November/December 2016 29 Highlighting Canada's Best by MELISSA NIKSIC C anada isn't usually the fi rst place that comes to mind when people think of fi ne wine. This is especially true in the Province of Manitoba, which has a climate that's not very conducive to winemaking. However, Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries saw an opportunity to increase sales of Canada's Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA) wines, which are authentic, regional wines produced in the Canadian prov- inces of Ontario and British Columbia. VQA wines are distinctive because, unlike many Canadian wines that incorporate outside raw materials and juices, these products are all 100% honed in Canada, ensuring locality and also enhancing the overall quality of the wine. "Consumers in Manitoba are very interested in supporting local products," says Ben Rusch, Manager of Product Education with Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries. "We've seen a big interest in local craft beer, and it made sense to try and raise awareness of the Canadian wine category." When brainstorming ideas for a campaign, the staff 's atten- tion turned to their (now former) CEO, John Stinson, who has a passion for wine and food pairings. Together, Stinson and the team came up with the idea of "Bald Guy's Best Bets." The pro- gram features eye-catching store displays of a large caricature of Stinson, along with two selections of Canada VQA wines that rotate every two weeks. Additionally, the displays feature de- tailed tasting notes and suggested food pairings, all written by Stinson himself. Supplementing the in-store marketing materials are a website presence and the @BaldGuyCEO Twitter account, which Stinson also ran. The Bald Guy's Best Bets campaign initially launched in April 2016 at 30 of 54 Manitoba Liquor Marts (the other, smaller stores aren't large enough to accommodate the oversized dis- plays). In addition to providing a whimsical and engaging op- portunity for customers to learn more about VQA wines, the campaign has generated the intended sales results. Rusch reports that category sales increased by 13% in the last fi scal year over the previous year. The 10 wines that have been featured as Best Bets to date saw a 73% growth in sales over the previous year. The Best Bets campaign is also credited with improving over- all sales of all Canadian VQA wines carried in Manitoba Liquor Marts. One wine that ranked 80th in sales for the year generated 32% of its total annual revenue during the month it was fea- tured as a Best Bet. Also, the featured VQA wines appear to have made a lasting impression with consumers: the wines that were featured in April were still selling at 60-81% over their pre-April annual monthly averages in May and June. The only challenge of the program may be having enough wine varietals to swap out every two weeks. Rusch says the cam- paign may eventually evolve to include local whiskeys and beers as well. "People enjoy the fact that we are supporting local wines, and customers are also pleasantly surprised at the high quality of Canadian wines," he says. "I think we can continue to use this campaign model with confi dence knowing that the featured products will continue seeing substantial growth." • MELISSA NIKSIC is a freelance writer and market- ing communications strategist from Chicago, IL. Her work has appeared in Chicago's Daily Herald newspaper, Time Out Chicago, Suburban Life newspapers, and various magazines. She is also the author of several children's books. Follow her @MelissaNiksic. TIE: BEST RETAIL INNOVATION — MANITOBA LIQUOR & LOTTERIES CORP HONORABLE MENTION: NHLC RETAIL RENOVATIONS AND RELOCATIONS The New Hampshire Liquor Commission generated an all-time record of $678 million in sales during FY 2016, thanks in large part to its ambitious renovation and relocation program, which impacts 79 retail locations statewide. Five new stores opened since January, including the largest store in the state, a 33,000 square-foot location in Nashua. The stores fea- ture temperature-controlled wine cabinets, special high-end sections, wider aisles, LED fi xtures and iPads for searching inventory and food/ wine pairings. The NHLC also launched an in-store advertising pilot program, allowing eight brands to prominently display advertising to infl uence a customer's buying decisions.

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