The better-for-you boom shows no signs of subsiding, spilling over from seltzers and hard sodas in adjacent categories like wine.
Case in point: Arterra’s new brand Bask, which boasts zero grams of sugar per serving, the winemaker’s response to growing consumer demand for healthier drinking options.
“We have seen significant growth through the hard seltzer RTD category, where these products provide clear nutritional information that consumers are increasingly look for,” says Erika Neudorf, director of innovation at Arterra. To meet these demand, the company also opted not to adapt or create new products for one of its existing brands. “We saw an opportunity here to create a new brand firmly positioned in this space that resonates with consumers.”
Neudorf says Bask is first-in-category and is being heavily supported with shopper elements. She says the goal with its in-store elements was to be high-impact, with a large zero cutout on displays to stand out in aisles where shopper marketing tends to be easy to overlook.
“It’s not just a header card with information on it, but an over-sized cutout so we clearly communicate this unique benefit to consumers,” she says. This communicates the ingredients clearly and immediately, she says, unlike a lot of wines which run the gamut in terms of sugar content and require deeper investigation on the part of consumers to suss out.
Arterra is looking at opportunities to further expand in-store footprint, with display units, end aisles and fridge space
While Arterra opted for the traditional 750ml bottle for Bask, Neudorf says it looked outside of wine for design inspiration, with a disruptive minimalist look that clearly communicates the product benefit. She adds that it is “constantly looking at other formats,” and has some single serve innovations on the horizon, mirroring new interest in canned and boxed formats in and outside of wine.
There are three SKUs at launch (Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Crisp Rosé), chosen because they fit with consumer preferences for white, lighter body red and rose, the last of which is an “on fire” sub-category, Neudorf says. Given Bask is a new concept, Arterra conducted lots of consumer research and sensory testing to land on styles that would best resonate with consumers.
The three varieties are permanent listings in the regions it is launching in, available at the LCBO, Wine Rack and grocery stores across Ontario, at BC Liquor and private retailers in British Columbia, as well as those in Alberta and in Newfoundland.
Golin lead the PR and social launch for Bask.
Shopper marketing is getting a renew focus at Arterra, having recently awarded agency Bob a shopper marketing mandate to activate all of its brands at retailer sites in Quebec. In a statement, Rachel Ladouceur, consumer solutions and marketing manager at Arterra Wines Canada, says partnering with an integrated agency that has a shopper marketing specialty will be is important for its business going forward, as it will enable it to be relevant across all points of contact.
