Martell targets after-dinner drinkers

Martell cognac is reaching out to food-led pubs with its new two-year £2.1m marketing campaign.

Following an extensive period of research, the number two UK cognac brand has decided to target the "discerning" after-dinner drinker aged between 35 and 49, and Martell believes that a large number of these consumers are found in pubs.

Crispin Stephens, marketing manager at brand owner Pernod Ricard, said: "The after-dinner moment is the occasion for both us and licensees to target. "Our research has found that 70 per cent of consumers would buy an after-dinner drink if recommended by staff."

Martell is particularly excited by the opportunity presented by the food occasion in pubs after research found that restaurant and pub dining is expected to grow by 25.7 per cent in the next three years.

As a result the brand has launched a series of poster advertisements which showcase the after-dinner moment where the conversation starts to flow, something Martell describes as "the gear shift moment".

Mr Stephens says that this will act as a major point of difference for Martell against its two main competitors - Courvoisier and Rémy-Martin - which, he claims, tend to be "all about personal experience".

The campaign will appear in national newspapers and also in travel magazines, as well as in London taxis. Promotional material for pubs will also be available, including point-of-sale material such as tent cards and Martell-branded mini-blackboards which can be used on tables to advertise specials at meal times.

Martell will be investing in on-trade training programmes, aimed at encouraging bartenders to persuade customers to trade up to Martell's higher range of cognacs, including VSOP and Cordon Bleu.