Pernod Ricard is to target its vodka brand Absolut at US millennials in supermarkets, with its managing director, Paul Duffy, saying that a successful implementation of this approach could offset declines in the brand’s off-trading.
Speaking to industry analysts, Duffy said that the product possesses "fantastic credentials" to gain market share among the demographic.
According to Nielsen, Absolut's MAT value-growth regressed by 4% over the 52 weeks finishing 5 November, while the US’s National Alcohol Beverage Control Association found a 1% fall for the brand during the period.
"The honest answer is no, because I don't think we've ever communicated it,” Just-Drinks.com reported Duffy as saying, when asked if shoppers are aware of the SKUs’ Swedish origin, for example, which may add to its appeal among younger drinkers.
“I think one of the challenges we've had, if we're honest, is I don't think the brand has been sufficiently focussed on recruiting millennials."
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Peter Donnelly. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
