The country of origin is branded and depicted in the marketing strategy of any brand to leverage the secondary associations of that brand with a geographical region or the country. This technique is also used to create the primary associations of a particular brand, product or service to the country of its origin. The country of origin effects was used in designing the marketing strategy of the Sagatiba in the UK. Sagatiba is a Brazilian distilled spirit. It is similar to a distilled spirit widely used in Brazil named Cachaca. It is made from the sugarcane and has an overwhelming familiarity among the Brazilian people. It is widely used by the people of Brazil and is served at various spots in the country. The consumption of the Cachaca is centered to the Brazil only, and it has a cultural element as well. The cultural and regional affiliation of the Cachaca was used in designing the marketing strategy of the Sagatiba for the UK. The marketing campaign designed by the Saatchi and Saatchi tried to create the regional association of the Sagatiba with the Brazil in some ways
Firstly, the Brazilian fare celebrated by the local retailer of the UK was selected as the launch pad for the introduction of the Satagiba into the local market of UK. The company used a dedicated place in the store creating it as a store within the store with a proper storefront. The storefront faced the roadside as well. Space was designed to look like a local beach bar of the Brazil, and the company tried to give it a Brazilian touch by introducing environmental stimuli from the Brazilian culture. The people from the common masses were invited in, and Cachaca made from the Sagatiba was given to them to taste. In this way, the introduction of the distilled spirit in the UK market was facilitated by creating the branding association from the country of origin of the Cachaca.
Secondly, the statue of the Christ the Redeemer that is iconic to the Brazil and situated in Rio de Janeiro has been used in the advertising campaign of the Sagatiba. The model that was shooting in the advertisements of the brand had a striking familiarity with a statue of the Christ the Redeemer. The purpose of using this association was to introduce a stimulus in the campaign that forms the association of that brand to the Brazil. Therefore, Saatchi and Saatchi gave the concept to form a close association of the model with the Sagatiba and ultimately to the Brazil.
The purpose of creating the regional association of the brand is to attract the Brazilian population in the UK. The Brazilian immigrants are living in the UK already have a familiarity with the taste of Cachaca. Therefore, these people are the primary target market of the brand. The iconic Brazilian associations of the brand will hint at the traditional taste of the Cachaca served in the streets of the Sao Paulo. It will attract the Brazilian people living in the UK. The people after tasting the distilled spirit will spread a positive word of mouth increasing the brand recognition of Sagatiba among the fellow Brazilians. The similar country of origin effects has been used in the global marketing of the Vodka, which is local Russian liquor, but now it is consumed worldwide (Keegan).
Lessons for Art Directors and Copywriters
The art directors and copywriters can learn a lot from the team of Saachi and Saachi that created a powerful marketing strategy for the Sagatiba in the UK. The analysis of the campaign suggests that the art directors and copywriters should learn following from the team
Working in the creative department differs from the other job roles. The director and the copywriters have to put more impetus on making the things innovative, creative and right. Some ideas and their implementation may seem great because all the creative elements are contemporary, modern and innovative but the overall concept may not be the best fit for the company. It is evident from the campaign of the Sagatiba. The creative director and the copywriters created a campaign with a catchy phrase “Pure. So you don’t have to be.” It was no doubt a creative tagline and the graphics were also the out of the box ideas, but it was not the best fit for the company and was not selected by the management of Sagatiba. Therefore, an innovative idea never necessarily means best suited to every situation. The copywriters and the art directors should oversee the things from different perspectives for creating successful campaigns for international markets and brands (Keegan).
The copywriters and the art director should stick to the brand, brand elements and the instructions and guidelines given by the company. Sticking to the brand increases the chances of a successful copywriting material. The management and the company are always in a better position to suggest the guidelines about their brand due to the increased knowledge about their products and the brands. The copywriters and the art directors can only learn about the brand and then produce the content in the direction given by the company. The creative personnel might slip important elements of brand equity if they work on their own. The success of the campaign of Sagatiba is attributed to sticking with the brand. The Saatchi and Saatchi team kept the marketing team of the Sagatiba posted on all the important developments. They created the successful concept on the given guidelines of the in-house team (Keegan).
The creative team and their team leaders should spend more time in listening and listening thoroughly. The listening process fosters more ideas, solves problems and leads to innovative solutions to the problems. The team of Saatchi and Saatchi listened to the input of the Sagatiba’s marketing team. They listened to the cultural association of the Brazilian people with the Cachaca, its serving and the Brazilian nature of the brand. The listening process gave them a thorough knowledge about the brand elements, and they were able to come up with a catchy idea of using the iconic statue of the Christ the Redeemer in the advertising campaign. Therefore, it is essential for the copywriters and the art directors to listen patiently and thoroughly to the clients and team members for coming up with innovative solutions to the problems at hand. Only this way, successful campaign for the international markets can be created (Keegan).
Moreover, it is very important for the copywriters and the art directors to understand the unique selling proposition of the brand. For example, the unique selling proposition of Sagatiba is its Brazilian origin and the association with the Cachaca. The successful campaign in the UK is attributed to the unique selling proposition of the brand and its communication through the innovative and catchy concept. The art directors and the copywriters should understand the competitive position of the brand and then try to communicate it through the unique content.
On-Premise versus Off-Premise
There are different advantages of on-premise and off-premise consumption of Sagatiba in the UK in short-term as well as long-term perspectives. The pros and cons of the both On-premise and off-premise and discussed below in long as well as short-term perspectives.
Pros of On-Premise
The major advantage of purchase at the place of the consumption for Sagatiba is that the cocktail is served in the traditional Brazilian form to the consumers. They taste the original taste of the product and learn the consumption pattern for later use. In the short term, the promising advantage of the on-premise consumption is the increased awareness about the product consumption (Keegan). The culture and history associated with the Cachaca are sold to the consumers through the serving in its original cocktail form as it is served on the streets of the Sao Paulo. The long-term advantage of the on-premise consumption is not very considerable
Cons of On-Premise
There are cons of on-premise consumption as well. One of the biggest disadvantages of the purchase at the place of consumption is storage issues for the later use. Moreover, the purchasers have to stick to the common means of the product consumption. For example, the traditional serving of Cachaca is in the lemons with a lot of ice. Sagatiba will be served at the consumption site in a similar manner (Keegan). However, it may not be the choice of the entire consumers to enjoy Sagatiba in the traditional manner. Some people may like its cocktail in the fruits. Similarly, the on-premise purchase is expensive as well. A bottle of Sagatiba may contain the volume for the six cocktails. However, the price of the six cocktails will be much higher than the bottle of Sagatiba.
Pros of Off-Premise
The foremost benefit of off-premise purchase is the increased storability of the product. The product can be stocked or hoarded for the later use (Keegan). It can be taken to different spots for later consumption. The advantage of off-premise purchase of the Sagatiba lies in the fact that the Brazilians can enjoy their traditional and local drink while residing in the UK. Moreover, they can purchase the bottles of Sagatiba for the consumption in their homes or at parties. They can enjoy a variety of cocktails with the Sagatiba bottle. The consumption of the distilled spirit can be according to different patterns as per the taste of the individual consumer. Therefore, the element of the customization increases by many folds in the off-premise purchase of the Sagatiba.
Cons of Off-Premise
The disadvantage of the off-premise purchasing is the decreased product awareness and the less information about the uses of the product (Keegan). In the case of Sagatiba, one of the cons of off-premise availability of the product can be the decreased awareness of the product and its use in Cachaca. The association of the product with the Brazilian culture was made to overcome this barrier. It is the disadvantage of the off-premise selling in the short run.
Works Cited
Keegan, Warren J. Global marketing management. Prentice Hall, 1989.
