Campari Group launched the RARE division. Operating from New York City, it’s being described as an incubator division, or an agile alternative brand equity-building laboratory and will be led by Julka Villa, who will retain her role as Global Strategic Marketing Spirits Managing Director. The new unit will operate distinct from Campari America under the direct aegis of the Group CMO. The RARE division will pilot across an ensemble of brands including champagne, cognac, rum, bourbon, single malt scotch, and white spirits, Campari said.
RARE aims to unlock and accelerate the growth potential of a select range of super-premium and above brands and individual expressions in the US market, by creating a bespoke business and brand building model.
RARE has a dedicated marketing and sales team to define and implement a new brand building and commercial strategy and model for the future of the super-premium & above portfolio.
Through the art of brand storytelling, an omni-channel approach, and the development of specific selling capabilities RARE wants to celebrate a “sip of the extraordinary” in every selection chosen for this journey. “By developing a new route-to-market architecture for these resilient and dynamic jewels in our portfolio, we aspire to unlock their true potential,” said Villa. “These are brands rooted in mastery- they represent provenance, artistry, technique and tradition. With a tailored approach, these luxurious expressions will provide the consumer a passport to excellence.”
In June 2021, the division will kick-off, relaunching Bisquit & Dubouché cpgnac, and later in the year, the group’s first French champagne acquisition, Lallier fine champagne. “Consumers are drinking less, but they’re drinking more prestigious spirits,” Villa says. ”Cognac for example, is one of those spirits that has paved the way for premiumization across many categories like whisky and rum and is poised for substantial, purposeful growth. An iconic brand like Bisquit & Dubouché, steeped in tradition, is now poised to project an innovative concept of luxury after a complete re-engineering.”
In the first year, the RARE division will concentrate on California, Texas, and Florida, in order to develop a specific company approach on brand equity building and route-to-market for other markets to adopt and implement in the future.