Accolade to push Hardys Chardonnay with new consumer campaign

By Lucy Britner

Published: 19 November, 2013

Accolade Wines is to launch a consumer campaign to raise brand awareness of Hardys Chardonnay.

The company said the "new era of aromatic, light Chardonnays is here and Hardys is the brand pioneering the move from ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) to #AAC (#AllAboutChardonnay)".

The new, consumer-focused campaign is designed to support the new Hardys' campaign "Five Generations of Devotion", which goes live this week on billboards and in the press. The campaign will include panel advertisements on thousands of sites from November 18 until December 1, 2013.

"This campaign is part of the overall objective to reinforce Hardys' position as the UK's leading Australian wine brand," said Paul Schaafsma, general manager Accolade Wines, UK and Ireland.

"All in all we anticipate the campaign will reach 80% of the adult population in the UK and have a media value in excess of £1.8m, making us one of the category's leading investors," he added.

The #AllAboutChardonnay campaign will run for a nine-month period. According to a Hardys-commissioned poll, 18% of consumers are drinking more Chardonnay than they were a year ago and another 18% believe Chardonnay's reputation is improving, with 15% of those surveyed thinking that the varietal has "really improved in palate and flavour".

Anya Saikkonen, marketing manager for Hardys, said: "This new campaign is about education, engaging with trend experts, bloggers and lifestyle journalists to tell the story about Chardonnay.

"The latest AC Nielsen data shows us that Australian Chardonnay is enjoying a strong renaissance, growing by 6.9% MAT in comparison to 1.4% growth for Chardonnay overall."

Sampling events are also set to take place at the BBC Good Food Show, in Glasgow, London and Birmingham.

The new-look Hardys packaging is currently being rolled out in the major retailers across the UK. It comprises an overall investment of £2.5m in the brand during 2013.

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