Wine industry needs to listen, says Kingsland

20 May, 2015

The drinks industry needs to get better at listening to consumers, according to Neil Anderson, marketing director at Kingsland.

Brands are not doing enough to engage with consumers on an emotional level, the marketing director told Drinks International at the London Wine Fair yesterday.

“There are a lot of brands out here today but they don’t do enough to engage with consumers emotionally.

“The average consumer still finds wine quite scary, so there is a lot more that the industry needs to do. There is so much opportunity for people to get it right and a lot of people are missing a trick,” Anderson said.

Last month Kingsland unveiled its research model Wine PRO – which stands for Portrait, Role – that hopes to tackle the lack of consumer understanding. Live is the first product to be rolled out as a result of Wine Pro after the company identified female consumers in their 20s and 30s as a group that is often intimidated by wine on shelves.

“Live is not a fine wine but it is about drinkability,” Anderson said. “It has been backed by consumer research and developed with the consumer.”

As the official Holi festival sponsor, Anderson said that the focus at the moment is “getting Live out there” but that this platform is a “good opportunity to bring the product to life to our target audience.”

Available in 75cl format, Anderson said he has “no idea how well it will sell, but we have had lots of interest.” If successful, there is the potential for Live to be sold in sparkling form from Kingsland’s carbonation line or as 100% natural fruit.

The next project for Kingsland is its carbonation line. “It can bring some exciting innovation”, Anderson said. Currently at 70million litres, the line has 150m litres capacity. “That gives you an indication of the scope and ambition we have got [and this] can be reached in 2-3 years.”

Last month the company purchased Bottle Green and while the company would not outline any further plans just yet, Anderson did add: “10-15 years ago bottling in the UK was frowned upon. It has gone from 20% to 60%, mainly due to economics.

“What I hear a lot is people here saying the consumer needs to know that wine is bottled in the UK, but I tell you now it makes no difference. 80% of people purchase wine that is £6.99 or below and all they want to know is ‘am I getting it at a good price and does the bottle look good?’ If it is priced above that then people want to know that it is bottled at source.”

Over 65s are the next age group they wish to target. Anderson said: “Kingsland will continue to grow and develop to ensure we have got the best wines for our consumers.”

Keywords: Kingsland




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