THE NETHERLANDS. “Our new activation educates consumers on how to drink Jägermeister; the perfect serve. It means we have a better opportunity for the drink to succeed.”
So said Mast-Jägermeister Director of Global Travel Retail Dietmar Franke at the press unveiling of the drinks company’s Ice Cold activation at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport yesterday (12 February).
The pop-up launched this month in a front of store position at the See Buy Fly Shop within Lounge One. The store is operated by Schiphol Airport Retail, a joint venture between Gebr Heinemann and airport operator Royal Schiphol Group.
The ice cold themed environment reinforces a message that Franke said was all too easily forgotten by consumers and even bar owners: that Jägermeister should best be served at -18˚ straight from the freezer as a shot. “There is no better taste than an ice cold Jägermeister,” he said.
It is a constant teaching process and the activation – which will be live at Schiphol for one month before rolling out to other key airport travel retail stores across the globe in four-week slots – offers the most visually spectacular and experiential method of reaching consumers.
“Ice Cold is our first ever global activation within the travel retail environment to focus exclusively on our perfect serve,” Franke said. “We are being single-minded with our Ice Cold message to ensure that both loyal and new consumers truly understand Jägermeister and how it is best consumed. We are the only spirit brand that has this unique serve of -18˚ and our insight shows that consumers are looking for more guidance on how to best enjoy our brand.”
The activation features the Jägermeister green and orange livery and is themed with frosting and icicles. The company worked with German artists to bring its vision to life, with tiles and a three-dimensional stag handmade in Berlin. Travellers can engage with promotional staff and learn more about the brand, while they can also sample an ice cold shot of Jägermeister and take part in a spin and win game.
The activation also highlights the travel retail exclusive Amsterdam city label bottle, which is part of an ongoing series which Jägermeister said had “so far been successful” and which Franke called an “ideal takeaway for a traveller”. Using a new technology, the city name is printed on glass and the exclusivity and attractiveness of the bottle also “gets us out of the price promotion discussion”, according to Franke.
There is also a space dedicated to Manifest, a super-premium line extension which launched in February 2017. It is based on the original Jägermeister recipe but with a twofold maturation process, a greater number of botanicals than the traditional line and, crucially, five macerates instead of four.
“The activation is not invisible; it is in a perfect spot to draw the attention of the crowds passing by,” explained Franke. He told The Moodie Davitt Report that the targeted age profile is around 25-35, which is broader than the 25-30 domestic profile. “The traveller who spends more tends to be a bit older,” he explained.
Franke said the company’s focus was currently on Europe, but it is also “looking at the Americas and Asia”. While Jägermeister is booming in the Chinese on-trade market, he said it was too early to expect much take-up in travel retail among Chinese consumers. “They will eventually be buying but it is a few years away,” Franke explained, with Hong Kong and Singapore other markets on his mind.
The pop-up activation is complemented by a permanent Jägermeister installation at the back of the See Buy Fly Shop store, which is one of the first in the world to feature the company’s new concept and colour scheme. More permanent installations are in the works, but Franke said they had to be in the right location. “They need visibility and have to stick out,” he said.
Looking ahead, Franke said Jägermeister would continue to focus on core principles such as visibility, promotions, product quality and product innovation. Manifest is an example of innovation, but Franke said the company was “also looking into other things”.
“We want to expand our business,” he concluded. “We are currently ranked as the thirteenth-biggest premium spirits brand in travel retail, and are ranked number nine in the domestic market. We are working on closing that gap, with new customers, increasing visibility and looking into markets like Asia Pacific.”
The Moodie Davitt Report’s Martin Moodie recently visited Jägermeister’s headquarters in Wolfenbüttel, Lower Saxony, Germany. Look out for a major feature on the company, including coverage of its aims and ambitions in travel retail, soon.
