bcg2 Auckland and Lion Nathan New Zealand launch Te Hana Sparkling in Australia and NZ

Followingthe success of previous projects for Lion Nathan, bcg2 were asked totake the lead agency role for the most significant trans-Tasman brandlaunch for 2010.

Te Hana, te reo for ‘to shine’, is a premiumNew Zealand sparkling wine brand available in three varieties:Sparkling Reserve Cuvée, Sparkling Rosé and Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc.

New Zealanders have the third highest per-capita consumption ofsparkling wine after Italy and Australia. So there’s plenty ofpotential for new entrant into the market.

Says Liz Hislop, Lion Nathan brand manager for Te Hana: “There is a gap in the market for a sparklingwine that is beautiful, aspirational and distinctly New Zealand – acontemporary homegrown sparkling range that radiates natural style -enter Te Hana.”

bcg2’s involvement with Te Hana began right from the start. “This ishow we prefer to work with our clients”, explains James Blackwood,bcg2’s CEO and ECD. “Being in on the ground floor of a completely newbrand is exciting. We can contribute to the big picture with everythingincluding channel planning and messaging strategies, retail look andfeel guidelines, internal sales conference videos, sell-inpresentations for key retailers, as well as the more expected stufflike the ad campaign which is launching right now.”

Says Abe Dew, bcg2’s Director of Strategy & Planning: “We developed a brand positioning strategy to address thesweet spot for sophisticated sparkling wine drinkers who are bored withthe lack of innovation in this category. That led to Te Hana’sstrategic idea: ‘Outshine the ordinary’.

“We were also determined Te Hana would be a different kind of winebrand launch. So we pushed strongly for a bold use of social media andexperiences to bring Te Hana to life.”

These plans are now beingexecuted by project partner agencies Mediacom, Mango PR and Shift.  

Because the Australian market was also vitally important for Te Hana,Trans-Tasman research evaluated several communications routes to makesure the winning idea bridged the differences between the twocountries. As a result, Lion Nathan Australia are now adopting thecomplete brand strategy, media strategy and creative idea to roll outacross the Australian market.