In a company for the international direct sale of wine, the interim manager was commissioned to modernize the product presentation and tap into new target groups. Until then, the company had mainly targeted customers over the age of 60 with a rather conservative product portfolio. The marketing expert - at the time in a permanent position as Marketing Director - was now to win over the target group between 40 and 60 with new products. He presented the corresponding concept to the managing directors of the countries at an international sales conference.
Four new segments developed for the product portfolio
The company's wine range had not previously been segmented. The interim manager identified this as a suitable starting point for revising the product portfolio and presentation. He developed a segmentation with the 4 segments Classic, Modern, Love and Cool.
Classic described the traditional approach that the company was already using - and which only required a more high-quality product. Under the term Modern, the interim manager summarized the range of many wines from the so-called "New World" - with a focus on uncomplicated, easy-to-enjoy pleasure. With the Love label, he described the approach of an emotional wine story for a primarily female target group. He conceived the Cool segment as a clear break with traditional wine marketing - with a view to a primarily urban target group that sees wine as an expression of a modern outlook on life.
The interim manager then had the segmentation validated by quantitative market research. This revealed that the company had actually only addressed around 25 percent of the market to date. At the same time, the market research proved that the defined segments were valid and had considerable sales potential.
Innovations created and implemented with a small task force
The company's small marketing department had lost credibility in the past. However, this was not due to employees, but to serious management issues. The interim manager quickly realized this when he formed a task force with the team for the realignment. The interim manager and team inspired each other. This, along with the professional leadership and regular feedback and coordination on the goal, led to very constructive work on the product innovations and the presentation for the sales conference.
Together with external experts, the team and interim manager created a number of innovations for the marketing of the new segments. For the Classic segment, for example, more valuable features were created in the form of packaging, which also created upward price leeway. The Modern segment with a Spanish wine line was given a presentation that embodied the fieriness and passion of the country of origin. Labels with a fashionable, high-quality leather look and lettering in the style of high-quality perfumes characterized the Love segment, which was given a new line called Linique. For the Cool segment, a rough men's wine brand called Roo-Tattoo was created with a label in a tattoo design.
The interim manager looked for and found an external agency to create the new labels, which he also managed. When producing the new labels, he worked closely with the print shop until the desired look and feel were compatible with the logistics and durability requirements.
Reorientation significantly increases turnover in direct sales
Finally, the interim manager presented the new product portfolio with the new designs at the sales conference - with resounding success. The international marketing department was rehabilitated in one fell swoop. The innovations provided new motivation - and significantly increased turnover in direct sales.
