Bacardi has launched St-Germain, the French elderflower liqueur brand,
into the US travel-retail channel. Travel
retailer International Shoppes at New York JFK Airport’s Terminal 8 was chosen
as the launch location to reflect the popularity of St-Germain in the New York
domestic market and with bartenders on the city’s cocktail scene.
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| The St-Germain promotion at New York JFK airport |
Throughout December 2014, shoppers visiting the
International Shoppes store were invited to the St-Germain bar, a stand-alone
branded area. Featuring luxury Parisian art deco-style bar cues and imagery,
supported by the call to action “Vive L’Aperitif”, shoppers were invited to
taste a range of aperitifs, including the St-Germain Cocktail, containing St-Germain,
sparkling wine, sparkling/soda water and a lemon twist. Additional options
include St-Germain, Bombay Sapphire gin and tonic or St-Germain, Grey Goose
vodka and tonic. Floor-standing merchandising display
units gave visual support to the bar activity.
The launch also covered the cruise channel, with all major
cruise lines featuring St-Germain cocktails. Celebrity Cruises and Norwegian
Cruise Line also ran consumer promotions in their specialist
cocktail lounges.
Heritage appeal and versatility
Geoff Biggs, regional director Americas at Bacardi Global
Travel Retail, explained the category-driving strategy behind the US travel
market launch: “Liqueurs have great potential to play a more dynamic role in
travel retail. Bacardi believes the strongest incremental opportunity is in
‘new news’ high quality brands such as St-Germain with its unique heritage
appeal to cocktail lovers, who love its flavour and versatility.
“We’re delighted with the look and feel of this
experience with International Shoppes. We plan to bring more unique excitement
of this kind to airport stores in the US as part of our strategy to drive growth
in all segments of the liquor category and, specifically, to create disruption
with shoppers at the second stage of luxury – those people looking for new and
unique brands as a way of differentiating themselves from the norm. We’ll now
be rolling the experience out to Boston Logan and Philadelphia International airports
and to other cruise lines later in 2015.”
St-Germain is a four-time Grand Gold Medal Winner, Monde
Selection, and also winner of the Chairman’s Award in the Ultimate Spirits
Challenge 2010.
Made using hand-harvested flowers, the St-Germain taste
profile is elderflower, tropical fruits, grapefruit and pear, with a hint of
citrus.
The fluted glass bottle is designed to make a striking
visual impact on-shelf with its art deco and Gothic look, representing a mix of
influences and styles in Paris over the decades. Each bottle is stamped with a
number identifying its vintage, its elderflower harvest and underscoring the
hand-crafted nature of the product.
