As a D2C wine retailer, Laithwaites weathered the COVID storm better than most, seeing an increase in in-home alcohol consumption and a growth in online sales. However, as the business emerged from the pandemic and started to see a gradual decrease in metrics such as customer frequency, Laithwaites wanted to shift to an approach that wasn’t just a continued reliance on direct response and short-term offers and find a solution that would leverage the power of their brand.
cain&abelDDB delved deep into audience and behavioural insights to discover how people buy wine, what’s important to them when buying, and what they think really makes wine worth spending money on. Research supported the idea that building familiarity with customers and tapping into the idea that people don’t want to buy the standard, middle-of-the-shelf wine is important. Consumers want wine that’s got something interesting about it and something they’re proud to share and talk about with others.
Building on this data, in May 2023 Laithwaites launched their first TV brand campaign with cain&abelDDB that illustrated the lengths Laithwaites has gone to across the years to unearth lesser-known producers and deliver great wine to homes, that people were proud to share. The campaign encapsulated who Laithwaites are, not just in mechanics of the business, but in the spirit of what they do; highlighting their history, their producers, and their genuine love of wine and the people who make it. That’s where the line ‘we stop at nothing to bring you great wine’ was born.
Launching across TVC, BVOD, online, radio and social assets, the campaign not only delighted the client, it also has driven success for Laithwaites as a brand. The business has seen an 88% increase in brand recognition (vs their last campaign); a 53% increase in brand salience (upweight vs control); a 75% increase in active consideration (among 45+ in test regions); a 71% increase in improved value perception (among brand aware); a 12% increase in site traffic (upweight vs control); and a 37% increase in wine sales (+15pts vs control regions).
