Reviving the spirit of a proud brand

Marketing professors, advertising experts and business books have not been stingy with their advice: To keep brands fresh in the minds of the consumers, constant effort must be made to keep them relevant and connected to their target audience.

This is true even for those who are at the top of their game, or corner the biggest slice of the market they are operating in.

History, after all, does not lack examples of brands that have fallen by the wayside or faded from the consumers’ collective memory because they have lost that vital affinity with their coveted market.

The Remy Cointreau group in the Philippines can attest to the truth to this observation.

There was a time when its flagship brand, Remy Martin, was top of mind when it came to cognac.

But through the years, it has lost a portion of its share of wallet and liver among those who want to savor the fine spirit.

Antonio Jose E. Pineda, commercial manager of Remy Cointreau Brands-Philippines, has thus embraced the mission to recapture the group’s audience and then introduce itself to a whole new market of Filipinos that grew up perhaps not knowing about the brand or are ready to widen their palate and not limit themselves to beer, still the most consumed alcoholic beverage in the Philippines.

Pineda says one way the group is doing this is by focusing its marketing messages on tradition, that Remy Martin is not just any other spirit.

There is a long tradition behind it that makes sure that the cognac is a product of artistry and science.

Then there’s the challenge to put Remy Martin on the drinks menu and in the display cases of bars, restaurants and hotels all over the country, a challenge that Pineda, whose career has taken him from marketing chocolates to consumer products and now fine spirits, knows well.

“My job is to first convince them to carry it, to put the products on the list and then after that, the challenge is convince people to drink it. That is the hard part, but also the fun part,” says Pineda.

The challenge for Pineda started in 2009 with the restructuring of the management group, and the transition from a model of connecting to the market through an exclusive distributor to establishing a direct presence.

It was during that transition phase that Remy Martin gave up part of the limelight, thus giving room for rival drinks and brands to come in.

“Now we need to revive it and make Remy Martin cool again. We need to reinvent ourselves,” says Pineda.

Comes now the Sessions campaign of the group, which aims to introduce the brand to a younger set of consumers.

Remy Martin is still a revered brand but it currently has more resonance with the older crowd thus the perception that it is a brand for dads and uncles, and not for millennials and young corporate types.

“We do need a younger set of drinkers. But then we should not forget about our current drinkers who are the ones giving us the business. We need a balance, nurture the loyalty but open up the market,” says Pineda.

Specifically, Remy Martin targets the younger working class, those from 24-34 years old, with the 35-50 year olds, or the Generation X Filipinos, comprising the core.

There are two campaigns, he says. One appeals to the emotion, about having one life and that it should be lived, and the other is about the function, one that talks about the superiority of the product.

For the push on tradition, the global group has tapped the services of global ambassador Jeremy Renner, who for the group represents adventure and squeezing the marrow out of life.

Locally, the campaign tapped ambassadors such as Tessa Valdes, Spanky Enriquez and Karen Jimeno, deemed “multifaceted” and “not defined by just one thing that they do.”

A new set of ambassadors is expected to be named every year.

Then there’s the campaign to engage the customers where they are, thus the invites to small groups of people where Remy Martin can talk more fully about the texture and flavor and tradition that goes into every amber drop of Remy Martin.

The challenge ahead is formidable as Filipinos are not big on the spirits.

He estimates that over 80 percent of alcohol consumed in the Philippines comprises of beer with the imported spirits not even getting a combined 1 percent of the total consumption.

And of that 1 percent, the majority is accounted for by imported Spanish brandy.

Pineda believes, however, the market is more than primed to experiment.

As more Filipinos travel and purchasing power rises, Filipinos have become more ready to try different types of spirits to either celebrate a happy occasion or just simply unwind after a day’s work.

“Consumers are becoming more mature, more exposed to what the world has to offer. That is why more choices of spirits are coming. Just 10-20 years ago, we only saw mainstream brands of brandy and wine was only just red or white. Now we see more brands on the shelves and in bars. We are starting to have a full range,” says Pineda.

Pineda is optimistic that given a sea of brands of spirits in the market, Remy Martin will have an advantage because of its recall and long presence in the Philippines.

And with a business unit now in the Philippines dedicated to the brand, he is confident that the group will be better able to execute plans to reel in new customers while keeping the loyalty of the core market.

“We are in a very dynamic environment now. There will be no single formula to approach a consumer. And I also welcome competition because the more active the competition is, the better it is for the whole industry. That tickles the appetite of everyone to explore,” he says.

The Remy Martin philosophy is that there is only one life, live it. Thus the persistent search for the utmost experience.

And as the consumers do, especially during the “festive period” from October to December that accounts for about half of annual sales, Pineda hopes that the millennials will eventually find their way toward Remy Martin.