Angostura gives Correia’s shot in arm

Angostura is making a gallant effort to put Correia’s on the list of local wine connoisseurs. With an aggressive marketing campaign, the local brew is  now being pitched to the local market as a viable alternative to high-end imports. “Let people know it’s still alive,” said  Giselle Laronde-West, Manager of Corporate Communications at Angostura. Angostura became sole distributors of  the home brew  in July 2002, and obtained ownership the following November. Full scale production of the wines started in April 2003. Whereas it has always carried imported wines, for the first time Angostura  is making available a wine that has been completely blended locally. To boost the wine’s profile, Angostura hired comedian Sprangalang to reintroduce the entire Correia’s line. While women are the target market,  the bestseller, White Lightning, is preferred by males due to its high alcohol content. It  accounts for over 40% of Correia’s sales. The profile of White Lightning’s target drinker is Afro-Trinidadian males over 30 from east Trinidad, says Keenon Roper, brand representative.

Roper indicates that, in addition to advertisements, Angostura intends to engage in various “below the line” activities in marketing Correia’s wines. Sampling, bar and supermarket promotions are just three activities geared to attract the customer. There are also new labels but this does not necessarily translate into a new image. Roper notes that there is a great deal of trust in the Correia name, given that they have been winemakers since 1916.  This goodwill shall only be maintained and built upon by Angostura’s high standards, he added. “The idea is not rebranding but to recreate awareness, because the name has a lot of equity on the market,” asserts Roper. Angostura will also employ seasonal marketing in re-introducing the line. “We look at any opportunity — Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day.” says Roper. “We have promotional point-of-purchase strategies.” Sales are surpassing expectations. From April to the present, the wines have more than met their budget and it is expected that the rest of the year will be equally profitable.

These projections are a pertinent inducement to retailers to carry the product, although they already have a high mark-up as incentive. Whereas many beers, for example, have an average mark-up of 3%, Correia’s wines bear a retail price of 20% above cost. Regarding the coming implementation of the FTAA treaty, Laronde-West is not perturbed. “The market is open and it will get more open.” she says. “We are trying to establish this wine as the number one brand in its category and we are willing to meet the challenge.” She adds that she feels after FTAA implementation many Trinidadians will opt to be more patriotic, support local products and thereby contribute to TT’s development. “Our people should feel proud,” she says, “that Angostura is producing such high quality goods from scratch.” In fact, Laronde-West believes that there is strong potential for Correia’s wines to be exported regionally in the future.