Widening gin's appeal

Diageo's Kathy Sawtell tells Jessica Harvey what the future holds for the company's Gordon's and Tanqueray brands and the gin category in general

Following last year's tie-up with Gordon Ramsay, how have things fared for the Gordon's gin brand?

"We are investing £4m in the Gordon's campaign and it's very much about driving the message of perfection across outdoor and all digital media. It has now been running since last September — we also sponsored Kitchen Nightmares from December. The campaign has been working really well for us.

"The more people are aware of Gordon's, the more they think that Gordon's is the best gin and so the more they see Gordon's as a sophisticated gin.

"We've seen really positive improvements. Now, we're continuing behind a really successful campaign."

If Gordon's profile is being raised, how does Tanqueray sit within Diageo's portfolio?

"There is always going to be a group of people that doesn't necessarily want what it perceives as a very big mainstream brand and wants something different. For us, that's where Tanqueray sits perfectly."

Is there any rivalry between Diageo's Tanqueray and Pernod's Beefeater gin brand?

"We would see Tanqueray competing with Bombay Sapphire or Hendrick's, not Beefeater. We see Beefeater as more of a mainstream brand."

Who are your target consumers?

"In terms of who we target, for Gordon's, it's 35 to 45-year-old consumers that are the core bulls-eye we would focus on. The reason we focus on them considerably is to see if we can increase their consumption of gin, and they are exactly the kind of people who Gordon's really resonates with.

"Tanqueray is a little bit broader than that and targets 30 to 50-year-olds. They are a specific group of consumers who are saying: "You know what? I just want something a bit different that not all of my friends are drinking."

Are most of your consumers vodka drinkers that have moved on to gin?

"Not as such. Gin drinkers are

predominately over 35-years-old. Although, in the past year particularly, 18 to 35-year-olds have started to drink gin. Normally, these groups of consumers would have been drinking spirits, wines, beers etc and then come to gin around 30 to 35 years old."

Post-smoking ban, pubs are offering more food options, with pre and after-dinner serves opening up new opportunities for drinks. Has this been advantageous for the gin category?

"Gordon's gin and tonic was traditionally served as an ideal aperitif for people to enjoy before their meal — juniper is known for stimulating taste buds.

"In Gordon's, we use a very high quantity of juniper, so we see it as a pre-dinner type of drink, which is brilliant as it's currently a trend.

"The profile of consumers coming into outlets is changing. What we see are more females and older drinkers coming in. Traditionally, older drinkers are seen as very strong within this consumer group. But, more recently, gin as a category is seen as more female — 54% of our consumers are female, so it does slightly shift towards women.

"Again, if you're a licensee looking to drive profits, then use the gin category to focus on those target groups and trends that are occurring. Make sure you have a really fantastic serve for consumers coming through the door."

Has Diageo had a hard time backing gin since the rise in tax for spirits in March?

"In terms of our overall commitment to the gin category, we're still in talks. We're investing more year on year — we passionately believe in the gin category. We want to continue to invest in this category, because it's a healthy category."

Are there any further investments planned?

"We'll be stepping up investment next year. This year it's on Gordon's and in terms of Tanqueray we're continuing to increase investment behind that too. There's a new campaign next year. We're advertising Tanqueray for the first time in the style press. That campaign is focused around the intense flavour of Tanqueray, which is what consumers talk about when they drink it — it is a very intensely-flavoured drink."

If there was one thing you could impart to the on-trade about their gin offering, what would it be?

"It's all about the perfectly served gin and tonic. We know that 50% of people across Britain say that if they're served a poor quality drink, they won't go back to that pub or bar.

"Gin and tonic drinkers expect to be served in a certain way. If they're not, they won't continue to drink it. We really need to get behind serving that drink perfectly."