Task
Accolade Wines appointed us to manage trade communications in June 2020, during the Covid pandemic.
The objective was to increase its share of voice versus the competition, as well as helping to position the business as a leader in the wine category through insights and category delivery.
Despite a remote pitch process, we impressed and started straight away.
What we did
We had a busy first six months with Accolade Wines and wasted no time in ensuring key brand news was communicated to key titles within the off and on-trade channels.
We delivered 12 news stories, covering marketing campaigns, NPD, key appointments and sustainability initiatives.
We pushed the agenda for Accolade Wines as a business, with the announcement of Caroline Thompson-Hill as MD, and secured the coveted ‘Big Interview’ slot in The Grocer.
Sustainability was a big focus, with Accolade Wines’ carbon neutral announcement at the centre of this – communicated via PR and a targeted trade advertising campaign, as well as crafting award entries.
We focused on increasing our presence in trade features, working with the insights team to ensure we had relevant and newsworthy copy that cut though the noise.
Impact
In the first six months we achieved:
228 pieces of coverage
PR Value of over £650,000
19m+ opportunities to see
We beat the competition by delivering the highest share of voice in trade features
We supported the successful entries for two categories at The Drinks Business Green Awards
Tom Smith, Head of Marketing at Accolade Wines: “Mercieca exceeded all expectations on our work and has become a high-functioning press office. The Grocer’s Big Interview with Caroline was flawlessly managed and we’re really happy with the outcome.”
