Summary
Sterling Reserve has always espoused a belief that bettering oneself to unlock new benchmarks of achievement is the true meaning of success. The brand's journey thus far has been reflects a similar philosophy that has driven it to consistently deliver exceptional performance. Through innovative, unique and engaging activations the brand has garnered a strong following of repeat users thus establishing itself as a stand-out in the segment.
Challenge
India is the world's largest whisky consuming market dominated by large legacy brands. India is a nation with one of the largest youth populations who think and act differently. Over the last few years, the Indian alcobev industry has been witnessing a growing trend of premiumization with consumers prioritizing quality over quantity. Cut to 2017. Enter Sterling Reserve, the new kid on the block in the large whisky market. We launched 2 variants at different price points in the admix whisky market: • B7 in the semi-premium segment • B10 in the premium segment The brand had to stand apart and be differentiated in the minds of young consumers versus the giants in the segment. The brand chose to solve for this challenge by constantly defying norms and making marketing choices that are unique to the category while also resonating with the value system of modern younger whisky drinkers.
Objective
In a year marred by multi-fold challenges for the industry, the overall Sterling Reserve marketing campaign objective was to continuously engage with consumers in meaningful ways to drive the brand's volume target of 3 million cases. Strategies identified would have to ensure sustained consideration and trials critical to the success of a relatively new brand. The building blocks of this strategy leveraged a larger-than-life brand philosophy alongside differentiated product truths & complimented this with the brand IPs and limited-edition packs. All done to collectively fuel heightened mindshare, engagement & continuous curiosity about this new entrant on the block.
Strategy
The mother brand's philosophy was leveraged on the insight of constantly striving for perfection which got translated into Chase The Next. This belief system was demonstrated through different avenues of storytelling across mediums, all based on the central thought of striving for perfection. The B7 and B10 variants got heightened focus by leveraging on the key process narratives that became the brand's distinguishers. Adding distinctiveness to the taste and the blend story of the variants, resulted in disruption in the blend expectations of the category. These product narratives were amplified online and at the point of sale thus establishing a distinct advantage over competition. It was complimented by the Sterling Reserve Comedy and Music Projects, a pedestal for people to demonstrate their talent and perfect their craft. These platforms resonated strongly with the target audience and strengthened the brand's positioning further. Sterling Reserve also disrupted the category with limited edition packs used as a tactical bait to swing consumer's preference at the last mile. Consumer insights with respect to consumption and trending behaviour were tapped into to create the B7 Gaming Pack and B10 Earth Edition. In every choice made by the brand across product, placement, proposition and promotions boundaries were pushed to deliver content and experiences that were unique, path breaking and relevant to the target audience.
Data
• Indians typically spend 19.1 hours per week listening to music, much higher than the global average of 18 hours, with smartphones and social media being key music platforms. • Digital and online gaming were the only segments which grew in 2020 adding INR 26 billion and increasing salience to 23% from 16% last year. Television, however, continues to remain the largest segment with nearly half of the revenues of the entire M&E industry. • Digital subscriptions showed the highest growth (@49%) where 28 mn Indians (versus 10.5 mn in 2019) paid for 53 mn OTT subscriptions • Of the total titles produced by OTT players, comedy came in no.3 position and the share of the pie is getting progressively bigger. • Continuing as the fastest growing segment of the M&E sector for the fourth year in a row, online gaming grew 18%. Online gamers grew 20% to reach 360 million in 2020. Transaction-based game revenues grew 21%, despite adverse regulation in certain states, while casual gaming revenues grew 7%. • In the light of COVID-19, 84% of Indian consumers prefer to purchase more locally made/produced products rather than imported/non-local products in the next 12 months • Over 86% of consumers from India state that buying sustainable products from organisations makes them happy • 75% of Indian consumers plan to reduce use of as-a-subscription model in India (items in refillable packaging, etc.) • 65% of Indian consumers prefer products in disposable packaging due to health and safety concerns • Nearly 88% of consumers in India were willing to purchase a more sustainable product once they were made aware of the sustainability issues • 60% of Indian consumers have actually reduced spending from organizations' they perceive as non -sustainable
Solution
The brand took forward its central proposition of ‘Chase the Next' with two new commercials that featured a pair of dancers and cellists seeking perfection in the pursuit of their art forms. A circular camera motion was used to showcase the evolution of their journeys culminating in exciting high points for both sets of artists. The commercial was launched a little before IPL 2020 and targeted sporting and news channels in key markets to build recall for the brand before the critical festive consumption season. Sterling Reserve Projects, an umbrella platform allowed the brand to connect with the target audience through trending interest spaces of music and comedy. During the lockdown, we launched Sterling Reserve Music Project Breakout – a digitally-run talent search for emerging artists in the independent music scene – that ensured our YouTube channel remained populated with exciting new content. Sterling Reserve Comedy Project returned for Season 2 of India's only audience vote based search for the country's next big stand-up comic. The activation returned with a premium set, brand new contestants and a panel of celebrity judges for the finale along with host and mentor Varun Thakur. The brand also launched innovative and engaging limited edition packs on both blends. Blend 7 launched the Gaming Pack where the exterior packaging could be torn open to reveal popular board games printed on the inside that could be played with a set of dice and pawns placed within the pack. The pack also came printed with a QR code that led to an online mobile gaming hub. Tapping into the growing consumer consciousness towards more sustainable life practices, Blend 10 introduced a first-of-its-kind pack made of upcycled fabric discards saving 25 million liters of water and providing artisans with over 30,000 hours of gainful employment.
Results
Sterling Reserve closed the year with a substantial sale of 2.9 million cases becoming one of the few brands in the category to sustain pre-COVID volumes. This earned the brand the title of Brand Champion in the Indian Whisky segment as adjudged by venerated industry publication The Spirits Business. This was the third year in a row that the brand has won this prestigious accolade. The Sterling Reserve Music Project YouTube channel added 37.2 million views and 16, 800 new subscribers to its follower base. Sterling Reserve Comedy Project Season 2 garnered over 2, 00,000 viewer votes – a 4X growth over the previous season. The Gaming Pack contributed to 45% of SKU sales in those markets where online sale of alcohol is permitted. The pack also resulted in market share increasing by 2bps in key launch markets.
