Sometimes a TV campaign can have a positive effect on an entire category as well as the brand in question. That’s what happened with the vermouth brand Cinzano in the 1970s and 1980s.
Vermouth was considered a Christmas drink by many, and one of Cinzano’s strategy goals was to counter this perception. It did this with a series of fondly recalled commercials.
Ten ads were created between 1978 and 1983, all featuring the celebrity actors Leonard Rossiter and Joan Collins, and all concluding with the latter having a glass of Cinzano spilled on her. Their humour was much loved by the British public, and Cinzano won Favourite Commercial in the 1983 TVTimes Awards.
TGI data held within AMSR illustrate the ‘halo effect’ the series had on usage of the entire vermouth category. It had seen a short-lived jump in the mid-70s, but the growth was more sustained from 1978 onwards, for the duration of the campaign period (see chart below).
After 1983 the producers decided to focus on a global promotional strategy, and so the UK adverts ended. By 1993, overall vermouth consumption had returned to the level seen 25 years earlier. But Cinzano’s brand position was much improved: 2.5m consumers in 1969 had grown to 3.6m in 1993. The advertising had brought lasting success.
The Cinzano commercials can be viewed online, hosted at the History of Advertising Trust.
Source: Kantar Media TGI
Sources:
Survey data held within AMSR, such as from TGI, can shed light on trends in consumer attitudes, product purchasing and the popularity of brands over time. TGI (Target Group Index) is a continuous survey which has been carried out in Great Britain since 1969, based on 25,000 adults per annum, who provide information on their use of all major products, brands and services. Media exposure, attitudinal and demographic data are also included. Kantar, who own and operate TGI, have made major donations of data to AMSR. To explore the TGI archive within AMSR, click here: Target Group Index – The AMSR Online Archive (oclc.org)
Contributed by Geoff Wicken
Date posted: 27th November 2024.