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The Lychee Girl range aims to offer something different to female consumers; “We’re not following the same path as traditional brands,” says the company |
ByNecker Designer Drinks is launching new packaging and limited editions for its core Lychee Girl brand, amid a drive to build awareness and market share in travel retail. The company works with French oenologists, mixologists and designers to create premium drinks inspired by the worlds of art and design. The drinks are created, bottled and aged in Cognac.
The new versions will be presented to the trade by the company during TFWA World Exhibition. Among them is new Lychee Girl packaging, which appears in a tartan pink bottle; the 70cl format comes with a recommended retail price of €22.50. It includes a blend of premium French grain vodka, French premium brandy and natural aromas and juices.
Other limited editions of Lychee Girl are Golden Girl, to be launched in coming weeks, and Cabaret, which has been available since April.
The Lychee Girl range is aimed predominantly at a female audience. Explaining its appeal, ByNecker Trading Director Cyril Necker said: “We’re not following the same path as traditional brands because we want to fulfil consumer demand for more excitement, sensations and uniqueness.
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Cabaret was launched earlier this year |
“With [the new packaging for] Lychee Girl we respond to this demand in three different ways. Firstly, with the colour pink, which represents affection, emotion, joie de vivre and also portrays the authentic and delicate side of our product. Secondly, with tartan, which triggers a reassuring sense of belonging (tartans were originally created to show one’s clan affiliation). Lastly, with the mix-brand packaging, which aside from allowing you to easily identify the bottle on the shelf, also creates a strong appetite for the product, a highly distinguished status and a very strong impression. Due to these three elements, we have been attracting more and more consumers.”
Necker said that Lychee Girl’s recipe was created by three leading “˜noses’ from Cognac. “The result is an extra smooth product with a very delicate and perfumed taste and is overwhelmingly supported by 77% of women who have tasted it (Adiv marketing research),” Necker said.
It is also said to be a light drink with just 56 grams of sugar per bottle (80gr per litre). This translates to four times less sugar than most liqueurs, according to ByNecker. With a 21% alcohol content, Lychee Girl has 30% fewer calories than traditional spirits or liqueurs, the company added.
The creation of Lychee Girl, Necker said, was inspired by the love story between the Chinese Emperor Hsüan Tsung from the eighth century, and Guifei Yang, whose favourite fruit was the lychee.
Necker said: “Through them that the lychee has become a symbol of romance and luck in China, where it has been cultivated for over 2,000 years.”
Asked about the company’s presence and ambitions in travel retail, Necker said: “We have a partnership with Overseas, Europe’s leading independent duty free distributor. Their warehouses are based in Antwerp and it allows our customers to easily pick up by grouping together their purchases with other products.
“We are now working with large groups such as Nuance, Tallink-Silja, Qatar Duty Free, Schiphol Airport Retail, Belgian Skyshops, Baltona, Weitnauer, Setur Duty Free, B&S Paul Global and others.
“Rotation of our products is good and immediate because people travel in search of their dreams and we offer products that make them dream. We bring a real change to the spirits market and with an excellent mark-up for operators. We are quite small but professionals know that the biggest changes come from the smallest companies.”
Necker said that the company will support these new launches with marketing, including an olfactory element.
He said: “Lychee Girl is a product that generates excitement among consumers; firstly, a visual emotion through its packaging, and secondly, a kinaesthetic emotion because the feel of the bottle is very special. We wish to complete the palette by adding olfactory marketing support.
“We have been working on this issue for several years now. Before, stands were too big and it was difficult to find space on store shelves. Today, our partner Scentys has developed an autonomous scent & aroma diffuser, ultra compact, very easy to use and 100% secure.
“Lychee Girl’s aroma is very fragrant with slightly exotic floral tones. When consumers smell the product, there is a real “˜wow’ reaction. This diffuser allows consumers to sense (smell) the product, and creates the effect of relaxation and well-being.
“Very few products in the spirits market use this approach and we are hoping that retailers will help us develop this sales support because it is very effective.”
For more information contact Cyril Necker via the company’s website at www.bynecker.com
