Hardys, the UK’s biggest wine brand[1], is returning to TV in March as part of a £3m marketing campaign.
The ‘Certainty’ campaign champions Hardys’ consistency and quality, and the flagship wine, now worth £295m[2], will return to TV for the first time since 2018 as part of an exclusive ITV partnership. This is supported by further in-store activity, digital advertising, social media, and PR to ensure Hardys is front-of-mind in 2022.
The ITV partnership will see Hardys showcased alongside some of the UK’s most popular shows, to drive further awareness and consumer demand for the market-leading brand.
Now in its second decade as the UK’s number one wine brand, Hardys delivers £37m more in value to the category than its number two competitor[3]. Globally, Accolade Wines will invest over £6m* to further support growth as part of Hardys’ ‘Certainty’ campaign.
As well as a new advert, Hardys has a new partnership with online learning platform Learning With Experts**, which will invite shoppers to leave a review of Hardys wine, via a dedicated microsite, in return for a free lesson on a subject of their choice. The promotion will be advertised on more than three million Hardys neck flags across retailers from April, alongside in-store sampling activity with a focus on the Easter sales period.
Tom Smith, Marketing Director – Europe, Accolade Wines, comments: “Hardys has crafted quality Australian wine for over 168 years and has dominated in the UK market for over a decade. Hardys’ consistency in quality and wine style, year in year out, was the inspiration for our confident new creative, which shows how we’ve been a constant in people’s lives, present in key moments and for memorable occasions, throughout the decades.
“The consumer landscape will always change, and the last couple of years have certainly shown that, but our new campaign ahead of an exciting year of NPD for the carbon-neutral brand, offers reassurance to retailers and consumers that with Hardys you can always be certain. The promotion with Learning With Experts will further reinforce shoppers that they are making the right wine choice, especially around the busy Easter period.
“This significant investment will promote Hardys enduring status, and we expect it to deliver strong incremental sales and profit across the market.”
Hardys unveiled refreshed packaging last year, which rolled out globally across consumer favourites including Hardys Crest, Hardys Nottage Hill, Hardys VR & Hardys Stamp. As well as unifying the portfolio, ensuring a strong shelf presence across key retailer partners, the redesign has aimed to premiumise the brand.
*Includes UK investment
** Learning with Experts is a digital ‘global classroom community’ that brings people together to learn from expert tutors and each other. Lessons cover a number of topics including cooking, gardening and photography.
[1] Nielsen Scantrack data MAT to 06.11.21
[2] Nielsen Scantrack data MAT to 06.11.21 – £295M RSV
[3] Nielsen Scantrack data MAT to 06.11.21
