Jamaica’s Oldest Rum Distillery Seeks To Elevate Rum To Premium Status In The Eyes Of Consumers
NEW YORK – First it was vodka, then tequila. Now, rum is looking to be recognized as the next great tasting premium spirit.
Appleton Estate, Jamaica’s oldest rum distillery, is set to break a new print campaign aimed at attracting premium scotch and whiskey drinkers, while also making it clear that Coke®, pineapples, and other elements are not necessarily part of its ascent to the top shelf.
“We’ve seen a heightened consumer demand for a more flavorful and complex taste experience, which plays perfectly to our Appleton Estate distilled rums,” said John Pennacchio, director of spirits at Kobrand Corporation. “We feel this campaign serves notice to scotch, whiskey and other drinkers that rum – and Appleton Estate Rum in particular – is as sophisticated as those classic entities, and offers a depth of flavor that should be savored and appreciated. Appleton Estate Reserve is a luxury offering that is on par with such classic premium dark spirits as single malts and small batch bourbons.”
Carrying the tagline “Sip Up,” the print campaign looks to establish Appleton Estate as the standard of the premium rum category. The campaign, created by the New York advertising agency DeVito/Verdi, breaks in the June issue of such magazines as Men’s Journal, GQ, Esquire, Out, Fast Company, Black Enterprise, Robb Report and Wired.
One ad asks: “Looking for a good scotch? May we suggest a rum.” Another declares: “It spent 12 years in a barrel. The last thing it wants to see is the inside of a blender.” And yet another states: “The aroma of butterscotch, orange peel and vanilla should enter your nose. Not a cocktail umbrella.”
“Now is the time for rum to be perceived by consumers to be a sophisticated adult beverage choice,” said Ellis Verdi, president of DeVito/Verdi. “It’s about time that a brand looked to shed the drink’s clichéd image of frozen drinks and Caribbean-night-themed parties. This campaign makes it clear what our goal is and who we’re going after.”
A number of other print ads in the campaign feature an unexpected visual and the line “The rum that needs nothing” to convey the message that this rum has the credentials to be enjoyed without fruit wedges and mini umbrellas, or poured into blenders.
“We realize that many people will continue to enjoy rum as they always have, so we’re only too happy to oblige them with a premium product that will certainly improve the classic rum concoctions they favor,” said Pennacchio.
In addition to magazine print ads, the campaign will also include unique out-of-home ads, internet advertising and interactive digital elements that help reinforce the essence of the brand. Television commercials are being considered for 2010.
