leopard's leap case study | august 2012
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Leopard’s Leap WinesBrand Evolution
Hein KoegelenbergCo-owner & CEO
Started in 1999 by myself and my late father-in-law, Dr Anton Rupert
Initial markets primarily overseas
Leopard’s Leap wines performed well in volume growth. However UK sales largely driven by price promotion translating into reduced margins and limited profitability.
Looked to expand in South Africa, Europe and Asia
In 2006 and 2007 commissioned research by Synovate to assess South African wine market and perceptions of Leopard’s Leap
Key findings about the Leopard’s Leap brand
Limited awareness and understanding of the brand
Disconnect between the marketing campaign and packaging
The wine was perceived as being more expensive than it was
Once tasted there was generally a high propensity to purchase
Key findings about the consumer market
There was limited wine knowledge but a willingness to learnConsumers are aware of and influenced by social connotationsPeople liked wine to have a story and placePurchases influenced by prior tasting, recommendations & priceMore women buying wine and more purchases from retail stores
Responses to the Findings
Needed to redefine the brand positioning and marketing
Needed to establish a sense of belonging for the wine
Needed to expand the Leopard’s Leap wine portfolio
Needed to expand and broaden the sales channels
We started with redefining the
brand positioning
“Leopard’s Leap is an affordable, good quality wine that is a excellent choice for
everyday use and social occasions”
Building awareness and understanding, refining the product portfolio and expanding into retail where
activities that happened more or less simultaneously
Started with growing awareness and
understanding of Leopard’s Leap Wines.
depth and breadth of brand awareness
how likely and easy it is for a brand element to come to mind. a brand that we easily recall (remember) has greater depth of
awareness then one we recognize it when we see it
this measures the range of purchase and usage situations in which the brand
element comes to mind
build awareness and understanding through association
long association with the Cape Leopard Trust
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Supporting SA literature
Sponsor book launches, literary festivals and events
Also extended that sponsorship internationally
Leopard’s Leap has a strong and positive association with literature
Also got people to taste the wine which is key to future purchases
PR
The packaging of the Leopard’s Leap Wine was also updated to give a cleaner and more modern feel
Research found that
The new label retained a classic feel to it
Made the wine look more expensive than it was
Portrayed a sense of quality about the product
Was interesting in that it provided a story to the wine
Still without a physical home, we created the RK
Portfolio to provide a collective home for the Leopard’s Leap Wines
The portfolio range of wines was also adapted over a five-year period as the brand portfolio was established in different national and international market segments
The sales strategy has been to emphasize the Classic range and to move into retail stores
0
125 000
250 000
375 000
500 000
2007 - 2008 2008 - 2009 2009 - 2010 2010 - 2011
Lookout Classic
Shift in volume towards the Classic range
Growth in volume
Globally we have grown through a careful assessment of markets and selection of the
right partners and distribution networks
The total number of wine importers to China is up 200% in the last five years according to a
new research report by Rabobank International which said the supply of grape wine has risen 14% year-on-year to roughly 1.4 billion litres in 2011: of which 17% (or 241 million litres) was
foreign bottle wine, a 65% increase year-on-year
France, 47%
Australia,15%
Chile,7%
Italy, 8%
US, 6%
Spain, 7%
Other, 4%Argentina, South Africa and Germany all 2%
Wine Imports by Volume in 2010
0
275
550
825
1100
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
1089
960
698665
497434
367343288
250201
China Wine Production
Volume in millions of litres
Source: Wine China online & Wines-info.com
In October 2011 we shipped the largest single wine order shipment from SA. We will ship 2.8 million
bottles in the first 12 months
Redefine brand positioning for Leopard’s Leap WineCreate awareness and understanding for the brand
Redo brand architecture and portfolio
Expand into new markets and sales channelsNeed to create a place of belonging for Leopard’s Leap Wines
It allows us to bring together our love of wine, conservation and literature
and add to that our love of food
