Insight
The Premium rum category is undergoing a hard time in Mexico, with a shrinking tendency (losing 0.7 SOM in the last year and holding only a 9% of share of the premium alcoholic drinks segment (in which mescal and Gin play a much more relevant role). Zacapa Rum leads the segment (holding 64% of Market Share) but is also affected by this decline.
In spite of being an excellent liquid, Zacapa is considered a niche rum without the enough saliency on the consumer’s mindset (saliency is a mix of physical availability vs. mental distinctive relevance).
The challenge for Zacapa is to stop living as a niche brand but grow without losing its quality credentials. And also, without a big budget, as other Premium brands invest more than 10 times as much as it.
It had something in its favour: its definite superior quality as testified by its high conversion rate: 30% of those who try it become frequent consumers. Hence all efforts should be directed towards generating trial to let potential consumers experience its superior quality.
Strategy
For a long time, Mexico has been a follower of US trends in many areas of life, and food is not an exception to this. Every city is crowded with tons of fast food options, which go along with the more Mexican traditional street vendors of everything you could eat in a short stop.
As an opposing force, both people coming from the calmer provinces in the country (to the quickly paced cities) as well as small groups in immigrants-populated neighbourhoods such as Condesa & Roma (cultural and fancy yet alternative locations) tend to affiliate with the slow food movement and look for these kind of offerings throughout the largest cities.
And a perfect joint of these two tendencies are markets, which have evolved from traditional, low end places to get supplies to trendier gourmet options in which cool hunters can sit and enjoy a mix of international meals, experimental beverages and proposals from high end chefs. Lifestyle entrepreneurs develop wild experiences for their guests in a Brand-free environment.
Until now…
Execution
OMD bet on taking over the biggest and most important Market (from this fashionable trend), Mercado Roma, making it the host of Zacapa’s previous strategy of building the Zacapa room as a place for consumers to enjoy the high-end brand’s proposals. Instead of fully investing in the creation of its own venues, reaching its target people where they already are seemed a much more effective and efficient strategy.
Going along with the slow movement rising trend, Zacapa decided to fully surround the rum tasting into a fully sensorial, slow paced delightful experience.
Roma Market would become the set of Zacapa’s Slow Movement proposal for this year: The Slow Market.
Taking over the Market for a whole week with a collection of activities, offering the consumers the opportunity of delight and discover the best rum in the world along with guest international chefs who would develop exclusive plates as well as the best cocktails from world-class bartenders; plates which delivered a perfect pairing with Zacapa rum, or using it as the main ingredient. Zacapa XO (the premium among the premium) tastings, bartending courses and Zacapa sponsored parties.
The main message communicated throughout the week would be “The Art of Slow”, as to reflect the style of ambient it was promoting towards the brand: good things deserve time invested in them.
Results
Throughout a massive tasting of 5,000 people in a single event, the brand reached a sell out of 54% in April after the 20% objective.
An historic 69.9% share was obtained in Mexico City (with five share point growth, against a two point objective).
30 million impressions of the content generated both by consumers and the participant restaurants.
More than 100 free articles in magazines, newspapers, digital blogs and a well as at the physical venues. Generating 11 million MXN ($558,713) on ROI (10 times more than the 1.2 million objective!).
Zacapa became the second top rum brand in Mexico behind Bacardi on wholesale. This month, Mexico became the highest selling operation for Zacapa in the entire world (according to data provided by Diageo).