International Brands in £750k marketing push

By Gemma McKenna

Published: 16 April, 2014

International Brands is investing £750,000 into marketing in 2014, with a push on South African wine Makulu and its Broadleaf range.

The firm focused on the impulse sector in 2013, and saw sales rise by 20% as a consequence, driven by a pack re-launch, new product development and key distribution wins.

The wine company added Broadleaf, a range of varietal wines from Australia, Chile and the USA, to its portfolio at the end of 2013 and the brand has been lined up as a key growth driver for 2014.

The first stage of investment will be a Spring/Summer trade advertising campaign in key titles starting in April through to August.

Paul Hinks, retail sales director at IBL said: "Our distribution growth has given our wines fantastic consumer exposure. For instance, we have secured listings in a significant number of the country's leading forecourts - an increasingly sophisticated retail environment with huge footfall. Our approach is to invest to support our customers in driving rate of sale on and off promotion. We see that consumers want the real deal; great taste, value for money with standout packaging. Competitors are engineering their labels and bottles to compete on price alone but consumers are increasingly looking beyond this and towards quality cues such as grape varietals."

IBL is developing a campaign focused on Makulu's South African heritage and celebrating that country's "braii" barbecue tradition by offering barbecue hampers as prizes.

The firm will also update its website and corporate identity later this year. IBL was set up 25 years ago, and while it sources wine from around the world, South Africa is its core business as it is a partner in the Imbuko Estate Winery in Wellington, Western Cape.

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