If you’re reading this while drinking a glass of red wine, deluxe aged rum, vodka, blended wine or wheat beer you are right on trend, according to the first Trend Report from the LCBO.

The Trend Report is a 40-page FSI distributed throughout all of the retailer’s 616 stores and online through its website. 

It’s being promoted with a ZenithOptimedia-handled media buy that includes banner ads targeted at women on websites such as Sweetlife, Vitamin Daily, Blog TO and Chick Advisor; free standing inserts in approximately 725,000 copies of Ontario newspapers including the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star and Ottawa Citizen; and through 30-second radio spots created by Toronto-based Blammo (formerly GJP) on Toronto stations including CFMJ and Ottawa stations including CFGO.

Although FSIs are standard-issue for the retailer, the media plan to promote this new brand of book (handled by ZenithOptimedia) is targeting women because they are more likely to scoop up new and hot products, says Charan Bhogal, director, integrated marketing, LCBO.

‘We recognize that women are very interested in trends,’ she says. ‘We also know that the female LCBO shopper has a greater propensity to browse our stores and try new products. While the Trend Report covers all beverage alcohol categories, much of the product mix is particularly appealing to our female customers who enjoy entertaining.’

The Trend Report was developed and funded in collaboration with LCBO’s beverage alcohol trade partners and is in line with what it typically spends on a monthly promotion, says Bhogal.

‘We’ve highlighted beverage alcohol trends before but not as the entire focus of a promotion,’ she says. ‘This is the first promotion of its kind. Our buyers see a lot of products in their research and travels and we wanted to highlight what they are seeing in the way of the most popular and interesting drink trends.’