4 Ideas to Enhance Your Brand Presence with Distributors
It’s time to infuse some energy and liveliness into your brand, in partnership with your distributors.
You have distribution for your wine or spirit brand with a handful of states, or maybe you are even close to 50, but you don’t have the level of attention from your distributors that you desire. Sound familiar?
Lacking attention is a common theme, especially among small to mid-sized brands.
After putting in a big effort to establish new distribution or transition to new distributors, you are met with the challenges of aligning with your newfound partners and fighting for attention. For domestic brands who often find themselves next to competition in the distributor portfolio, it can be discouraging to watch your brand languish so visibly. For imported brands, especially those with small volumes or without a personal presence in the US, it may feel as though there is no way to get the spotlight.
Here are 4 ideas to consider regarding your US distribution and trade marketing efforts.
Does your brand have “PEPP”? The definition of the word “pep” is energy and liveliness. “PEPP” is an acronym developed by Clarity & Co, representing the strategies that bring your brand energy and liveliness at your distributor, in partnership.
PEPP = (Programs + Education + Presence) x Partnership
Programs: Do you have special programs in place with your distributor related to price and placements? Have you created things to support these programs like point of sale items and marketing materials?
Education: Have your key sales people been properly educated? Product education is critical, especially for premium brands and new categories. Education may come in the form of materials, trade events, seminars, and other forms of brand message repetition.
Presence: Do you have someone identified as the point person for the US market? For imported brands, having a point person based in the US to look after your brand facilitates more frequent and focused communication with the distributor network and beyond. In addition to people presence, does your product have visibility through point of sale items and in the trade media outlets?
Partnership: Take a step back for a moment. What are the overall goals of your distributors? Are you shaping the conversation to be allies? What changes can you make to help them meet their goals?
If you are interested in learning more about Clarity & Co’s services related to trade marketing and US market management for wine and spirits, read more at www.clarityandco.com and follow on Instagram at @clarityandco750.
About Clarity & Co
Clarity & Co’s mission is to offer marketing consulting, trade relations, and project management services to the premium wine industry, and to do so with clarity and collaboration, or Clarity & Co. For more information, please visit www.clarityandco.com.