United States Beverage
November 1, 2005
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United States Beverage
By Molly V. Strzelecki
Remaking the Seagram’s ‘golden’
child
A little more than
two decades ago, Seagram’s Coolers hit the adult beverage scene and
the company pulled actor Bruce Willis to pitch the fruity drinks with a
memorable jingle. You remember it.
“Seeeaaa-gram’s! Golden Wine
Coooolers!”
It was a catchy tune that caught the ears of consumers
back in 1984, and future television ads featured actors Woody Harrelson and
Sharon Stone enjoying a chilled wine cooler. But 20 years is a long time,
and consumer tastes and preferences have changed since then. Despite the
popular jingles and advertisements, Seagram’s Coolers suffered
declining sales, along with the rest of the cooler category.
When it’s time to change, you’ve got
to rearrange
When the 20th anniversary of Seagram’s rolled
around last year, Stamford, Conn.-based United States Beverage (USB), the
parent company of Seagram’s Coolers, decided a revitalization and
repackaging of the product was in order. The biggest change was the bottle
shape, moving from the recognized cone-shaped bottle to a sleeker, more
contemporary beer-bottle style, which was a significant change for the
brand. Punched up packaging added to the revitalization, with a tropical
theme complete with colorful new labels, logos and carry-away four-packs
that updated the product.
“The new packaging and beer-bottle style gives
us the opportunity to attract a broader base of consumers,” says
Justin Fisch, brand manager for Seagram’s Coolers. Those consumers
include newer drinking-age consumers who are unlikely to be familiar with
the original Seagram’s Coolers of the ‘80s, and male consumers,
who traditionally were not cooler consumers but have joined the category
thanks to the resurgence of flavored malt beverages during the past several
years.
Though the cone-shaped bottle was an icon, synonymous
with Seagram’s Coolers, it also was an older package and many
consumers were ready for a change. While the brand is marketed primarily
toward females, the new product has a broader appeal, particularly in light
of the packaging changes. Fisch says the product now appeals to any
consumer, “looking for a low-alcohol, refreshing, fruit-flavored
product.”
Flipping over flavor
The brand’s new tropical profile also played a
part in its consumer appeal, and the company used it to create a new image
for Seagram’s. “We played more off the escapism-type feel [of Seagram’s Coolers],” Fisch says.
“The brand connects well with our consumers, and since we made these
changes we’ve had a fairly strong 2005 in comparison to the
category.”
In February 2005, two new flavors were introduced into
the Seagram’s Coolers portfolio: Pineapple Coconut Calypso Colada,
which sports both a unique flavor and a bright blue liquid, and Strawberry
Margarita.
“Both of these flavors came from extensive
research with consumers and talking to our target audience, working with
various concepts ... these two came out on top,” Fisch says.
“They’ve been very successful [since their introduction] and
represent about 15 percent of our year-to-date business.”
Fisch notes that the brand has had a very strong 2005
compared with the past three years, when the
category had been on a downslide. The positive growth of Seagram’s
Coolers has helped curb that decline for the category overall. And like
many in the flavored- malt beverage category USB has learned that the
cooler consumer is fickle and frequently experiments with flavors,
requiring the company to continually innovate with new varieties.
“Consumers are obviously attracted to the new
packaging; they’re attracted to the new bottle. Flavor variety is
very important to a brand like Seagram’s and the cooler
category,” Fisch says. “Consumers like to try the new flavors
that are coming out every spring, and that lends itself to really proving
why we were successful with the new flavors this past year. The cooler
consumer is very loyal, but they believe in variety, and they are always
looking for the new flavor that’s out.”
While they won’t disclose details, Fisch does
say that Seagram’s will be rolling out more new flavors to add to the
cooler line in the near future. The new look of Seagram’s Coolers was
a much-needed change, and while there may not be a Bruce Willis singing
— literally — the praises of the beverage, rays of light are
shining for the cooler category in general and for Seagram’s
specifically.
“This was a major shift for the brand and
we’re reaping the benefits of this big decision, and consumers are
responding well,” Fisch says. BI
