CASE STUDIES

Creating a distinctive brand for a little known region and variety: Rías Baixas Albariño

The Challenge: Initial Findings

• Wines not known by general wine-loving consumers and media
  
  
• Among sommeliers and trade, wines did not expand past traditional seafood pairings
  
  
• Importers needed assistance marketing wines
  
  
• Hard to pronounce region name and a lack of brand identity

Goal

• Expand awareness of Rías Baixas Albariño in the US market, in general and as quality wines to serve with a wide variety of international cuisines

The Strategy

• Branding Tactics
  
  
• Logo and tagline development which communicates Albariño’s strength as a crowd-pleasing aperitif or an easy food pairing.
  
  
• Creation of interactive website which serves as go-to site for information on Rías Baixas and Albariño
  
  
• Direct Outreach
  
  
• 15-market satellite media television tour
  
  
• Podcast series with Doug Frost, MS, MW
  
  
• direct-to-consumer festival participation
  
  
• Sommelier after-hours events
  
  
• Tastings and technical seminars for press and trade
  
  
• Consumer recipe contests that encourage pairing with range of cuisines
  
  

The Results

• Full feature articles and significant placements of Rías Baixas Albariño have appeared including: The Wall Street Journal, The Today Show, The Oprah Show, Food & Wine Magazine, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, Town and Country, and the LA Times, with media circulation increasing from 12.9 million hits at the beginning of the campaign to 2008’s circulation of 269 million readers
  
  
• During the 4 years that Cornerstone Communications has led the Rías Baixas Albariño public relations program, exports to the US have increased by an average of 123%.
  
  

Contact