Haute Cabriere -
This Is Chard Pinot
In late 2017, Haute Cabriere, the Franschhoek wine and MCC cellar, approached us with a problem - their core offering, the Chardonnay Pinot Noir, was losing listings at retailers and overall market share.
After extensive competitor analysis and landscape research, I proposed the strategy of 'category ownership through category definition'. The core thought there was that while consumers know what drinking a Pinotage or a Sauvignon Blanc 'looks' like, no one - even other producers of Chardonnay Pinot Noir or retailers - have any idea what this varietal is, where it fits in the overall wine sector or what it looks like.
Developing a proposition and positioning of 'the sophistication of wine clothed in the bubbly soul of Champagne' - taking ownership of Chardonnay Pinot Noir's roots of being made from the same grapes as MCCs - I created the 'This Is Chard Pinot' platform. The aesthetic of the varietal was revitalized, employing young fashion brand cues, and a social media and in-store campaign was launched. A TVC was developed on this platform later and aired in theaters, online platforms and airline in-flight entertainment packages.
The approach proved successful and Haute Cabriere's Chard Pinot sales grew, it regained lost listing and acquired new ones.
