I: What are the keys to positioning a particular wine brand?
MFL: The category invites you to get to know and has the possibility of having different communication territories and ways of speaking to the consumer. We have around 19 brands in the portfolio and each one has a very specific territory and value proposition, as well as a target.
In the case of Casillero del Diablo, it is a brand that has a long history and was born from a legend: Don Melchor’s wines began to be stolen from his cellar and he spread the news that the devil lived in his cellar, so people stopped steal his wines. That is the communication strategy of that brand, spreading the legend through different channels.
In the case of Reserved, which is the brand that sells the most in volume, it facilitates the choice by the consumer, since it communicates pairing recommendations, based on certain dishes or foods such as pizza.
E: Currently, how much market share do you have in the country?
MFL: We have around 14% participation, the two mentioned brands are leaders within their competitive set. Casillero del Diablo has around 18% market share and Reservado 22%. These two brands are ranked in the Top Ten Brands of the category, with the highest purchase consideration rate.
E: From your area, what tools do you use to identify consumer insights?
MFL: We do both qualitative and quantitative market research and a lot of observation, we have global trend panels, Mexico is not necessarily a forerunner of trends worldwide, but it is an adopter. In such a way that by looking at global trends we can see what is going to happen in the Mexican market in the near future.
We also listen a lot to the consumer, eight years ago the largest proportion of those who decided to buy wine were men, now women feel more confident in choosing the wine brand. From marketing, if I see that women are interested in a particular brand, then I take tastings of that brand to women’s events.
E: How are you educating the consumer?
MFL: We strongly promote education through face-to-face and online tastings, on product labels, with POP at points of sale, with QR codes, out of home and pay television. We train the sales team and we have a landing page so that people know what a barrel is, when a wine has a barrel or not, etc.
In Mexico, per capita consumption is 800 milliliters, when there are countries that are 54 liters per person. However, consumption has been growing over time and more people are starting to consume wine at home and not just in consumption centers.
E: Why did you decide to enter the beer category with the Chilean craft beer Kross?
MFL: As Mexico is one of the highest consuming countries in beer and a regular producer of this beverage avenue, we decided to take on the challenge of developing an artisanal brand in the country. We do not intend to compete with the big breweries right now, but we believe that with the power we have of distribution and brand creation we can be a proud competitor in about three years, but in this type of craft beer. Our focus is first that the consumer knows it and then think about the storytelling. It is now available at Chedraui, La Comer, Sam’s Club and Walmart.
E: How much is the company currently investing?
MFL: We are investing around 5% of net sales to the total company at the marketing level. Specifically, this beer has a higher rate because we are aiming to put it on the market.
E: As a marketer, what does it represent for you to promote product categories, whose excess consumption generates damage to the health of the consumer?
MFL: For me it has never represented any discomfort, on the contrary, it has been a source of pride because my personal ethics have always been married to the ethics of the companies in which I have worked. I love Concha y Toro and its values because it is a company that strongly promotes respect, sustainability, and responsible consumption.
But promoting responsible consumption starts from the example, when we are in front of a consumer in a tasting we put a spittoon and we also teach how to taste a wine and there is always food. We communicate that it is a more hedonistic category than a party category and we carry out responsible consumption campaigns, where people know how much they should drink, how and where.