You can count wine brand equity as a victim of Covid. The erosion is a result of the disruption to shopping and consumption patterns experienced during the Covid era, and Wine Intelligence, which surveyed 25,000 consumers in 25 markets, warns it may take some time for brand owners to restore brand equity, according to Wine Intelligence.
Yellow Tail and Casillero del Diablo once again claim the top two spots in the 2021 Global Wine Brand Power Index. Both brands showed lower index scores in 2021 versus 2020, principally arising from less recalled purchase incidence and lower brand connection scores, with similar declines affecting all of the top 15 global brands.
Jacob’s Creek has regained its top three position in the Index, having lost it in 2020 to Gallo. It swaped places largely on the strength of having grown its awareness score in 2021, one of only six brands in the top 15 to record a positive result on any measure.
Notable movers in the 2021 Wine Intelligence Global Wine Brand Power Index include Santa Carolina, which rises three places to take a top 10 spot in the Global Index for the first time; Torres, which has jumped five places to 10th, having entered the top 15 for the first time in 2020 and Campo Viejo, which enters the top 15 for the first time.
Commenting on the rankings, CEO Wine Intelligence Lulie Halstead said: “In a year characterized by disruption and lockdown, it has been a challenging year for wine brands. Whilst mainstream wine brands have benefited from a consumer shift towards tried and trusted brands, overall, wine brands have lost ground in terms of consumer connection, due to the fact that consumers were not browsing wine aisles as often, and have had other things on their minds in the past 12 months – justifiably so.”
She added: “As we emerge from lockdowns into – we hope – a more stable shopping environment, the key challenge for successful wine brand owners will be restoring the fundamental positive connections that have propelled their brands to such widespread success on the world stage in the first place.
“This will include: being relevant at more traditional wine occasions as well as the new ones of the Covid era; being available in the channels of distribution that are becoming more popular, and looking the part for a global audience that appears to be seeking reassurance and excitement in equal measure.”