LIBERATION WINE
RESEARCH • POSITIONING • BRANDING • GO TO MARKET STRATEGY
LIBERATION WINE WAS A JOINT VENTURE BETWEEN US AND AN AUSTRALIAN VINEYARD. TOGETHER WE CREATED A WINE SPECIFICALLY FOR THE CHINESE MARKET.
BACKGROUND
We created our own brand, Liberation, to delve into the intricacies of establishing a new venture and brand. To up the ante, we opted for a crowded market and in a distant land, China.
This choice stemmed from the Chinese being the world's top red wine drinkers, coupled with the substantial potential for a premium looking Australian brand to capture a significant slice of the market
SOLUTION
Our premise was simple; most vineyards create their brands based on what the owners want, so we decided to create a brand based on what the consumer wants.
Our first port of call was doing a survey with 1000 Chinese wine drinkers where we not only got feedback on names and labels but also generated preferred flavour profiles.
These profiles led to creating a wine specific to the Chinese palette, which was a big success, with Liberation winning a double gold medal at the China Wine & Spirit Awards.
We developed the brand further based on our feedback. From the name, liberation having a positive association Chinese wine drinkers had with Australia, to the label showing a vineyard on a hilltop as according to feng shui principles, a house on a hilltop is believed to provide stability, protection, and good fortune.
Alas, after making inroads into the market, Liberation was scuppered by China imposing tariffs up to 218% on Australia wine.