Cognac Brand Champion 2017: Courvoisier

International success: Courvoisier Cognac

Courvoisier sprung back into health last year, rebounding from steady declines experienced since 2012. The brand has had success in many international markets such as the UK, Russia, South Africa and Germany, gaining value share and increasing distribution.

“Signature serves and bartender engagement have significantly increased the presence in the on­trade, especially in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, with VSOP leading the growth of premium on­trade,” said Jeanette Edwards, global director, Courvoisier.

The brand has benefited from the Toast of Paris campaign, which supported the launch of Courvoisier’s new packaging to reflect the brand’s Parisian heritage and luxury values.

As part of the campaign, the brand launched glass packs and premium gift packs during key gifting periods, which played a crucial role in core markets such as Russia and South Africa, enabling “significant wins” in the fourth quarter of 2016.

“The on­trade has represented a great area of focus across the board for Courvoisier,” Edwards said. “Our VSOP ‘best foot forward’ strategy, combined with our focus on key cities has delivered a great distribution uplift in premium on trade outlets. This was also supported by on­trade engagement programmes and our Toast of Paris global bartender competition.”

Edwards is keen that Courvoisier will continue its growth through new innovations, a new communications campaign and a new influencer campaign in the US and South Africa.

See the adjacent column to discover the spirits that sold more than 1m cases last year, as well as The Brand Champions 2017 of each individual category.

Cognac (Figures: million 9l case sales)