Practice Areas

Consumer

 

Rioja Wines - Creating Vibrant Rioja for a New Generation

 

Challenge

CRT/tanaka was asked to increase U.S. sales of wines from the Old World wine region Rioja, Spain. Other European wines have historically focused marketing efforts on Boomer wine drinkers. However, CRT/tanaka identified unique opportunities with a new generation of U.S. consumers, specifically Gen X and Gen Y in urban wine-consuming markets. Agency research showed a convergence of psychographic and cultural changes in the U.S. marketplace that offered both challenges and opportunities for Wines from Rioja.

 

Solution

CRT/tanaka repositioned Rioja from a beverage brand to a luxury lifestyle brand by connecting the region's traditions, cuisine and wine to the needs of the target audiences. Consumers were provided an escape to a warm, inviting, comfortable and exciting "distant land." In a word, vibrant. Vibrant Rioja is a temporary holiday portal to all things cultural: gastronomy, art, architecture and music.

To bring "Vibrant Rioja" to the Gen X and Y audience, CRT/tanaka developed an integrated branding campaign that focused on their digital lifestyle. New media efforts include online advertising, database collections via social networking tactics, a dedicated Vibrant Rioja Web site and a wine enthusiast blog interconnected with some of the more popular wine blogs on the Web. All communications drove consumers and media to the Web site, to build a database and disseminate information and education. In addition, the site provided ongoing real-time research about consumers interested in the region, which allowed the campaign to evolve with the needs of the target audience.

 

Results

The Rioja Exporters Association reported a 31.6 percent increase in Rioja wine exports in the year since the campaign started. The spring online advertising campaign delivered more than 5.9 million media impressions with a 45 percent click through/conversion rate. The online opt-in database has grown to 18,000+ members in a mere 15 months.