Introduction: Campari Group Global Travel Retail (GTR) and Lotte Duty Free recently unveiled a memorably vibrant brand activation within Melbourne Airport Terminal 2’s departures zone. The collaboration saw the first-ever Aperol experiential shop-in-shop in global travel retail.
The vivid 55sq m attraction, which enjoys a prime position within the expansive 3,500sq ft Lotte Duty Free departures store, will command a long-term presence in 2024.
It launched with a two-month celebration of Aperol’s renewed long-term partnership with the Australian Open, a Grand Slam tennis event which runs from 14 to 28 January. As the tournament draws to its conclusion this weekend, Campari Global Travel Retail Managing Director Marco Cavagnera spoke to The Moodie Davitt Report Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie about the project and about travel retail’s role in Campari’s and his respective journeys.
The Moodie Davitt Report: Tell us about the Aperol x Tennis Australia partnership, its origins, rationale and importance to the brand.
Marco Cavagnera: We are excited about the renewal of the partnership between Aperol and Tennis Australia from 2024, which sees this Italian icon become an Official Partner for the Australian Open and other key tennis events across Australia. The collaboration is rooted in a shared appreciation for summer, social enjoyment and the vibrancy of tennis.
Putting Aperol at the heart of cultural events like the Australian Open is part of our long-term strategy to drive awareness, engagement and growth for the brand in Asia Pacific and worldwide. It’s all about crafting authentic cultural experiences that create an emotional bond with consumers – and this is especially true in Global Travel Retail (GTR).
Over the course of three weeks, thousands of tennis fans from around the world arrive in Melbourne for the Australian Open. This provides a fantastic opportunity for us in GTR to amplify the partnership and connect travellers with the vibrant essence of our brand, the joy of the aperitivo moment and the electric atmosphere of the tournament.
As I witnessed last week, you’ve introduced a first at Melbourne Airport in terms of your debut experiential boutique. Tell us about the role of the pop-up and how it reflects your traveller engagement strategy.
The Aperol experiential pop-up store in Melbourne is a world-first for the brand in travel retail.
This landmark investment reinforces our optimism for the brand in Asia Pacific and supports our strategy to strengthen brand presence at key locations to get closer to travellers. Aperol is a universal connector, and we aim to create an emotional bond with today’s socially driven leisure travellers by connecting them with authentic cultural moments – and great in-store experiences – with an Aperol twist.
The opening kicks off an exciting new chapter in how we engage with travellers to make their journeys more vibrant and memorable. The pop-up is designed to tap into the thirst for relevant and authentic cultural moments. Travellers can discover the charm of Aperol against the backdrop of our digital sunset, experience the magic of the aperitivo moment, and join the Australian Open festivities through playful tennis accessories.
These fantastic consumer engagement touchpoints are underpinned by a single-minded ‘liquid to lips’ strategy and education about the Aperol Spritz origin, key features and perfect serve.
In another first for Aperol in the channel, we are offering visitors to the pop-up store the chance to win a unique experience at Australian Open 2025 through a trivia game alongside a purchase of any Aperol product at Lotte Duty Free in Melbourne. With an eye on the future, we want to inspire today’s frequent leisure travellers to return to Melbourne with Aperol as the ideal partner for quality, conviviality, and joy. By connecting the dots in this way, we hope to close the traveller omnichannel journey, encourage return travel, and build Aperol brand equity for the long-term.
Where does Aperol sit within Campari GTR’s worldwide focus? What would you say are your geographic and strategic priorities? And, in particular, what role will Asia Pacific play?
Aperol is a clear global priority brand for Campari Group. The brand is driving the growth of the spirits aperitifs category globally (IWSR 2022) and it is enjoying double-digit growth in key domestic markets. This momentum presents a unique opportunity for us to tap into genuine consumer passion around the world when they travel and through local cultural events – creating a through line with Aperol brand activations on the ground.
In Global Travel Retail, the brand is growing and is the third-largest flavoured spirit (IWSR 2022). Our overall strategy for Aperol in GTR is grounded in global consistency – in terms of our iconic orange branding, single-minded drink strategy and quality activation spaces in the summer seasons across different geographies.
The strategy is also about synergy – to create, extend, and enhance brand moments throughout the journey. Amplifying Aperol activities in local markets with our GTR efforts – such as with the Australian Open – helps us to strengthen presence across the board. By leveraging this ‘globaliser’ role of the channel, we can create even more touchpoints and tell a cohesive story.
As travel fully rebounds from the pandemic and the region continues to develop economically, we foresee Asia Pacific playing an ever-greater role in the Aperol success story in GTR. In APAC, we see the global trend in action at the local level. Aperol is growing in popularity across the region as a social connector at the end of the day – often against a picturesque sunset backdrop. So, by offering Aperol and Aperol Spritz packs within travel retail, we are able to provide passengers the opportunity to replicate these special moments back home or during their travels.
The potential for Aperol in Asia Pacific is really exciting. The vibrant orange Aperol bottle brings a fresh perspective to duty free retail areas in GTR APAC, which is traditionally dominated by brown spirits. We are seeing this vibrancy attract new footfall from shoppers, in particular when it comes to leisure travellers, which perfectly matches Aperol’s sociable target audience. In this case, Aperol not only serves as an alternative for these potential customers but also injects excitement and entertainment into the stores and bars in Global Travel Retail across APAC.
More generally, how do you assess the ‘state of the nation’ for Campari GTR and the channel in general this year?
As we enter 2024, the outlook for Global Travel Retail is now poised for a period of greater prosperity following a few challenging years. There’s a sense of encouragement, especially with the expected recovery of global air travel to 2019 levels as forecasted by IATA. This recovery is significant, considering travellers are the core of GTR, marking a fantastic milestone for the industry – and we look forward to engaging travellers with our brands around the world.
At Campari Group, we are setting the pace for further growth in 2024, building on two years of robust double-digit growth. We anticipate maintaining our momentum, with Aperol being a key driver of this success.
Our strategy is centered around an omnichannel approach, which involves engaging travellers throughout their entire journey. Our aperitif portfolio, featuring Aperol and Campari, offers a unique global opportunity in the spirits category. It enables our retail partners to leverage cross-channel and subchannel strategies, providing distinctive experiences that travellers are familiar with and seek. In Brown spirits, we expect GTR to play a more relevant role for Campari Group in the future, given the Group portfolio dynamics that we are currently experiencing and expecting.
Marco, you assumed your current role in late 2022. How would you sum up your Campari journey to date?
I began my tenure with Campari Group in 2015, serving as the Managing Director Partnership Markets for Southern Europe. In late 2016, I relocated to Barcelona to oversee Campari’s operations in Spain.
Following a successful four-year period there, I transitioned to the company’s headquarters in Milan, where I assumed the role of Global Channel and Customer Marketing Senior Director. This position afforded me invaluable insights into the needs and desires of international shoppers.
In December 2022, amid a resurgence in international tourism, I was honoured to succeed Leigh Irvine as the Managing Director of Global Strategic Travel Retail for Campari Group. This role presents an exciting opportunity to spearhead the flourishing GTR sector of the business.
Reflecting on my experience in travel retail so far, I view it as a rapid journey of growth and acceleration. I quickly became acquainted with the unique opportunities available to Campari Group in this channel, including special retailer and airport partnerships that bolster our success, and the amazing synergies with our domestic markets that enhance our global brand presence and voice.
A notable highlight of my journey was participating in the TFWA Cannes event, where I had the pleasure of sharing our vision with key partners.
Looking to the future, I remain optimistic about Campari Group’s prospects in the GTR. I eagerly anticipate continuing this journey of growth and acceleration through 2024 and beyond. ✈
