Bacchus Revels in Arbor Mist
Leave it to a liquor store named House of Bacchus to overdo it. The Rochester, NY, store built a 1,000-case display of Arbor Mist wine as part of the brand’s Swing into Summer promotion. Beach chairs, balls, and blankets hanging from the ceiling attracted enough attention to double Arbor Mist sales: Between 40 percent and 50 percent of all House of Bacchus customers bought Arbor Mist, up from 20 percent before the display.
Introduced in June `98, Arbor Mist has a short history as an over-the-top brand. It’s the first wine product in 20 years to hit sales of one million cases in its first 100 shipping days. Canandaigua Wine Co., Canandaigua, NY, supports the brand this year with quarterly promotions heavy on in-store display – though not usually this heavy.
The June-through-August campaign holds some long-term benefits for House of Bacchus, too. The display “is bringing people into the store that otherwise would be buying at other outlets,” says manager Dan O’Melia. “We have a lot of first-time buyers, [and] an increased customer base because of the market it’s targeting.”
