The Big Picture - Australian Champions
Friendly, relaxed, generous, reliable and down to earth, if all of these characters could be bottled you’d find them in a Brand Champion. They appeal to consumers by being synonymous with the positive aspects of the Australian way of life. Brand Champions are recognized first as Australian and their labels convey a sense of the familiar - a mark of trust that what’s on the bottle is in the bottle!
These are wines that are easy to enjoy and are presented in a way that makes choice a pain-free process while enticing consumers to find out more. In other words, these are every day wines that are far from every day. As such, Brand Champions are the standard bearer for all that follows. They set the benchmark for Australian wine by assuring diversity, interest and better quality at every price point, and offer a compelling invitation to explore. Brand Champions include popular, well-known brands as well as new wines that aspire to a mainstream presence in hotels, bottle shops and retail or restaurant chains. Typically, they are classified as 'popular premium' purchases, operating one or two price points above entry level in any given market.
Brand Champions borrows from the art movement of the 60s where pop art took everyday objects and turned them into a work of art or something to be admired.
The Australian Way
These products offer people a level of accessibility to wine consumption that should not be underestimated – they have created the broad consumer franchise that we all now enjoy. Brand Champions have broken down barriers by making wine part of the everyday retail experience; making labels easy to understand; rewarding consumers with the expectation that ‘Australia’ means affordable quality, consistency and value.
Typically the domain of the larger wine companies, the production and sales of Brand Champions account for a significant slice of Australia’s industry. Which regions these wines come from is less important to consumers than their consistency of style and taste, and accordingly these examples are typically sourced from the expansive South Eastern Australia designation – a broad palate from which to draw an easily recognisable brand expression, style and signature.
Brand Champions brand temple
Brand Champions indicative production would be 100,000+ cases which in turn influences their sales channels and price points. These brands can extend their sales reach to all facets of the supply side, whether it is a Liquor Barn, a small regional town’s bottle shop, or a country pub’s wine list, the same prospect of recognition, reliability and familiarity face the prospective customer.
Australia’s success in the global market has been underpinned by a tremendously successful pursuit and dominance of this category. It is undeniable that what we are best known for overseas are our Brand Champions. It is not the total sum of our offering though, and we must continually offer our customers an invitation to discover the many levels of Australian wine, as well as to constantly refresh our broad-based offering.
A Case In Point - Jo Adamo, Global Brand Director, Jacob’s Creek – Barossa Valley, South Australia
Today, Jacob’s Creek is enjoyed from the barbeques of the Barossa to the swishiest bars and restaurants of Europe, Asia and America. It is loved in the living rooms of London, and the backyards of Sydney. In over sixty different countries across the globe, Jacob’s Creek is recognized and admired for its quality and taste and in the last three years alone we have won more than 800 wine medals internationally. But being a Brand Champion is about more than being recognized and enjoyed internationally. It’s about true character. True character is inherent in everything we do at Jacob’s Creek. It is about our straightforward, genuine approach to making quality wine. It is about remaining true to ourselves, which means consistently and proudly delivering great tasting wines for all occasions. This philosophy is demonstrated across our whole portfolio, from our classic range which has been one of the driving forces of the Australian wine industry since the late 1980’s, to our more premium offerings and innovations – allowing consumers to explore wine with confidence underpinned by our heritage of over 150 years of winemaking in the Barossa.
Finally, being a Brand Champion is about being Australian. It’s about bringing to the table all the qualities that typify the vibrant, open, innovative and entrepreneurial character of our beautiful homeland.
Jacob's Creek, Barossa Valley, South Australia
Summary
Australian wines that appeal through accessibility, ease of enjoyment and a strong premium brand message about product and country. Brand Champions are a part of Australia’s ‘mainstream’ offering and sell for little more than basic, entry-level wines yet offer much more in terms of quality and interest. The promise is that you can rely on an Australian Brand Champion, even if you have never tried that brand before.