• by Karl Greenberg , February 11, 2008

Beam Global Spirits' DeKuyper brand of cordials this month is changing the way it markets its line. The brand is hoping to simplify the portfolio by organizing some 60 different items into five families based on flavor and usage so consumers can shop and retailers can stock more easily.

The five groups are DeKuyper Luscious, DeKuyper Burst, DeKuyper Pucker, DeKuyper Signature and DeKuyper Flavored Brandy. The divisions are based on flavor and whether they are used as a mixer, sipper, shot or after-dinner drink. "Luscious," for mixing, comprises fruit flavors like Peachtree, Raspberry Rush and Red Apple. "Burst," which is meant to be imbibed as shots, offers flavors with names like Buttershots, Hot Damn!, Sizzlin' Cinnamon and Blustery Peppermint. There's also "Pucker," for mixing, "Signature," which comprises bar staples like Triple Sec and Amaretto, and flavored brandies.

The new packaging will hit shelves in March, supported by advertising to increase awareness of the five families. The DeKuyper Web site, dekuyperusa.com, will also be refreshed.

Sheryl Rosenberger, senior brand manager for DeKuyper, said the company's customer research revealed that consumers reach the cordials aisle and are confronted with a chaotic array of cordials--a broadly defined category of flavored liquors.

"The biggest point is that consumers are really confused when they shop that aisle. Our attempt to put them into five families is really around drink occasions: so there will be a shelf for shots, and mixers, for instance." She says retail material will include aisle dividers that frame what each category of DeKuyper cordial is for.

Said Chris Mahoney, senior director at DeKuyper: "One of the advantages of family segmentation is that if consumers know how to use one flavor within a family, they will know how to use all the flavors within a family."

He says dividing DeKuyper into five families based on use makes it easier for retailers to sell and display. "The approach will help convert consumer browsing into purchasing by making the category simpler to shop."

Rosenberg says the DeKuyper products will share decanter shape and style, regardless of category, but different labels and packaging. "They will all 'live' under the DeKuyper name, but they will have their owner personalities."

The category, which has grown 3.1% since 2001, per Rosenberger, is being driven by a re-emergence of a cocktail trend. It includes standards like Kahlua, Irish cream, and new entrants like Starbucks-branded cordials, also marketed by Beam Global Spirits. "We really try to focus on the U.S. market, so our big competitor is Hiram Walker," she says.

She says that in addition to doing distributor education programs on the new SKUs, the company is doing a road show with the brand team, and later this year will do a consumer promotion with sibling Souza, one of Beam's Tequila brands. "We will do a lot to show synergies between Souza and DeKuyper this summer and Halloween," she says.