Beverage Dynamics is the largest national business magazine devoted exclusively to the needs of off-premise beverage alcohol retailers, from single liquor stores to big box chains, through coverage of the latest trends in wine, beer and spirits.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/92548
THE BEST ADVERTISING,PROMOTION, PACKAGING AND MERCHANDISING MATERIALS IN THE BEVERAGE ALCOHOL INDUSTRY TODAY. aging to move forward at a modest pace but still struggling to regain the momentum that would significantly drive down the nagging unemployment rate.At the same time,major U.S. corporations are still hoarding huge amounts of cash (with observers noting that there are more than $2 trillion in companies' coffers), in some cases waiting for business and consumer demand to increase so they can invest more in their businesses, and thus, hire more workers. In this context, the beverage alcohol industry overall appears to be doing fine – not growing by leaps and bounds, but growing nevertheless. Wine and spirits companies have reported sales increases, in some cases fairly notable, through the first half of 2012, while there are reports that even overall beer sales in the U.S. have swung positive in recent months, after several years of decreases. Indeed, one just has to turn on cable TV at night to see the W ith the world's developed economies either in recession or slowing dramatically, the U.S. economy seems to be swimming upstream against those downward trends, man- Awards BEVERAGE DYNAMICS Advertising & Promotion spate of spirits commercials hitting the airwaves, a fairly recent development that underlines these companies' commitments to brand building. Meanwhile, most major spirits, wine and beer brands have increased their online presence dramatically, devoting increased marketing dollars to that medium.While some companies may have trimmed their marketing and merchandising programs (still somewhat hesitant in the wake of our own economic slow- down), suppliers collectively spend many millions of dollars a year to create and grow their brands.As we've noted here before, these efforts are often supported by a wide range of advertising and marketing initiatives each year. And while a percentage of these programs have migrated away from traditional forms of marketing, there's still a huge repository of new advertising, packaging, pro- motions and public relations efforts that help drive interest – and sales – of beverage alcohol products.This competition, now in its 28th year, is meant to highlight the broad array of innovative merchandising and marketing programs introduced during the past year (officially from April 2011 to July 2012). The following pages showcase the winners, judged on creativity, effectiveness as a sales communications tool and overall production quality. We congratulate them. PRINT AD – CONSUMER I By Gerry Khermouch n an era of wine and liquor superstores, New York's 67 Wine is a role model for what can be done in a small- er retail footprint: through tight editing, it manages to stand out for some of its sections – whether half bot- tles or Beaujolais or biodynamic wines – while also serving as a neighborhood repository of well-priced, highly drinkable finds from all over the world. With a highly decentralized wine-buying apparatus that dis- perses those duties among many staffers, and a near-absence of office space off the selling floor, regular shoppers from the store's Upper West Side neighborhood in Manhattan know they can stroll in to find an uncommon array of expertise available to them right there. 67 Wine is located a couple of blocks from Lincoln Center, in what local businesses have taken to calling Lincoln Square, the "gateway to the Upper West Side." The Upper West Side – a long-gentrifying neighborhood that blends upscale professionals with artistic types – stretches for a couple of miles to the north. The blocks sur- rounding Lincoln Center increasingly have become a shopping destination, anchored at the south end by the luxe stores and restaurants (and Whole Foods) of the Time Warner Center and including more mass-oriented chains such as Barnes & Noble, Bed Bath & Beyond, Burberry Brit, Banana Republic and Best Buy in close proximity (along with other retailers whose names don't begin with a "B"). An always-mobbed Apple store recently opened FIRST PLACE Brand: Old Forester Company: Brown-Forman Marketing Director: Jay Finnigan Brand Manager:Therese Bird McGuire Agency: PriceWeber Creative Director: Larry Profancik SECOND PLACE Brand: Ruffino Company: Constellation Wines VP,Trade Marketing: Angus Lilley Brand Manager: Julie Rossman Agency: Upshot Creative Directors: Megan Lane, David Nigh Copywriter:Tom Drennen Art Director: Justin Munger Other:Tania Wendt THIRD PLACE Brand:Hpnotiq Harmonie Company: Heaven Hill Distilleries Marketing Director: Kate Latts Brand Manager: Justin Ames Agency: Mirrorball Creative Director: Steve Papageorge Art Director: Emil Czarnowski Beverage Dynamics • www.beveragedynamics.com • November/December 2010 • 35 Beverage Dynamics • www.beveragedynamics.com • November/December 2012 • 35 28THANNUAL