Liqueurs Brand Champion 2017: Malibu

After steady growth over the past few years, Pernod Ricard’s Malibu has secured its position as Liqueurs Brand Champion 2017.

Marketing the drink as the “spirit of summer”, the brand’s successful Because Summer campaign has boosted its popularity among consumers.

“We initiated the key change in 2014, when we spent a lot of time with consumers to really understand their needs and how Malibu could play a bigger role in their drinking occasions,” said Jesper Galatius, global brand director, Malibu.

“This required us to move to a more energetic, active and fun position that is resonating with consumers’ desire to experience the freedom and happiness of a great summer.”

While the brand’s biggest market is the US, Malibu is also starting to see “some healthy brand metrics” from markets such as the UK, Spain, the Netherlands and Australia.

There are also “growth opportunities” in South Africa and Mexico where there is a “much bigger role to play. As for our target consumers, Malibu is very much an inclusive brand, with mass appeal,” added Galatius. “That said, we do see that Malibu’s relevance is higher in the legal drinking age­-30 demographic, so recruiting consumers in this space is important to generate growth.”

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.

Liqueurs (Figures: million 9l case sales)