A ‘Berry’ effective brand launch.
Cosmoberry® and Dreamberry® wines hit shelves spring 2024, driving the only incremental growth in the sweet red wine category for the year. Comprehensive brandstrategy involved pre-release consumer testing to support sales enablement and commercial readiness, aggressive PR outreach and sampling, an influencer and online review campaign, and paid and organic content.
Launching innovation in a crowded set
Dynamic assets highlighted the ownable fruit balloon icon and proprietary names that tested well with consumers. The physical system supported a compelling retail display presence — critical to driving velocity from the outset.
After design concepts were completed, we validated the proprietary naming, flavor, and financial viability of these innovations through Nielsen BASES. Dreamberry and Cosmoberry rated as ‘BRAND GROWERS’ in the top 15% of Nielsen’s tested innovation database. This rating indicates high purchase intent, broad appeal, and endurance at shelf. Successful consumer testing strengthened selling stories, resulting in successful distribution at launch.
The ‘berries’ wines delivered, selling ~30,000 cases in the first 10 months on shelf.
Influencer engagement to build demand.
In-house team managed influencer connections and a sample box timed to ship ahead of the April 2024 total solar eclipse. The bespoke box included the phrase “Once upon a wine … all the stars aligned. Berry gradient followed launch creative. In addition to custom-color nail polish and a branded nail file, influencers received an astrology wheel to match their sign to a real-life pairing.
Results: A reach of ~1 billion via Instagram and TikTok, through 20 influencers and 35 tags/mentions. The kit also allowed us to creatively introduce the wines to trade or consumer media contacts flooded with new item samples during the spring reset season.
Digital content ecosystem
Coordinated digital shelf presence, strategic SEO descriptions, functional claims, and compelling imagery are crucial for commercial success. We used consumer insights, industry trends, and consumption occasions to strategize and optimize syndicated or custom content at Walmart, Kroger, Target, Sam’s Club, Instacart, and many more retail websites.
