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Experimenta La Pasin

Wines from Spain revealed exclusively to Harpers the details of its new generic campaign at the LIWSF. Graham Hines, director of Wines from Spain, revealed the objectives of the campaign. "We have three main aims: to re-establish Spain as a major player in this market, regain market share and get consumers to see Spain as a viable alternative to the New World offer," he said. Its strategy to revive sales and create a new image for Spanish wines in the UK will be backed by a 1 million budget (Harpers 19 May), the major part of which will be concentrated on advertising and in-store promotion. The advertising, with the strapline "Experimenta La Pasin", seeks to be instantly recognisable and according to Wines from Spain's focus group findings is "impactful and appealing to men and women of all ages". The campaign will be conducted in two bursts. Starting this month a series of four ads will appear on 110 poster sites in the London area. The in-store promotional programme will be carried out in major multiples and specialist chains. Focusing on wines over the 4.99 price point the objective is to upgrade the consumer perception of Spanish wines in the off-trade. Felix Benito, MD of C&D Wines, said: "I believe the principle of getting the consumer to trade up and buy more expensive wines is admirable, but I am not sure how much influence it will really have on the buyers', or the consumers', perception of Spanish wines in the long run. The theme of the ad campaign certainly projects the right image: elegant and appealing to a younger audience. I hope that when run in conjunction with the promotions it will help put Spanish wines back into people's glasses." The new-look campaign is definitely more sexy, projecting a positive, aspirational image for Spanish wines. The decision to do away with individual campaigns presenting a simple and clear message is a good move. But it has been a long time coming as Juan Calabozo, commercial councillor, Spanish Embassy Commercial Office admitted: "We have been working towards a campaign like this for two years." However he did reveal a glimpse of the new, more competitive spirit in Wines from Spain's bid to challenge New World dominance in the trendy wine drinking stakes. "The creative approach is startling, it talks to the New World wine drinker and focuses on the varietals and regions that make Spain unique - but in a bold and refreshing way."

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