By Amy Looker
New Zealand’s Montana wine brand has announced that it will be rolling out a global name change to Brancott Estate from September.
The name change will effectively end the dual international brand strategy adopted by the company and bring the brand in line with the Brancott Estate label currently used in America to avoid confusion with the US state of Montana.
According to Montana’s parent company, Pernod Ricard New Zealand’s managing director, Fabian Partigliani, the new name provides a link back to Montana’s history, as Brancott Vineyard was where Montana first produced its Marlborough sauvignon blanc.
“Brancott Vineyard is not only the home of Montana’s flagship Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, it is also where Sauvignon Blanc was first planted in Marlborough, New Zealand,” said Partigliani.
“The provenance and authenticity Brancott Estate provides, supported by the history, heritage and industry leadership of Montana, offers a brand name with great future potential and this change was a logical choice when we were evaluating our global brand strategy. Most importantly to consumers, the award-winning New Zealand wine in the bottle won’t change – just the name, from Montana to Brancott Estate.”
As part of its communications strategy to support the name change, Pernod Ricard New Zealand has confirmed that Brancott Estate will be an official sponsor of the 2011 Rugby World Cup, held in New Zealand.
“The sponsorship also provides the perfect platform to drive global awareness of Brancott Estate as a leading New Zealand wine brand, particularly in key markets such as the UK and Australia and, of course, our home market of New Zealand,” said Partigliani.
“We are putting considerable support behind the change to Brancott Estate, including an upweighted communications programme which will focus on in-store promotions, on-pack communications, PR, print and TV advertising, digital activity and sponsorships, all of which will reinforce the new name during the transition.”
In January this year, Pernod Ricard Australia announced that it would be supporting the Montana brand with over $2 million worth of investment, including new labels across the range, and an extensive TVC campaign on Australian television, making it the first New Zealand wine brand to do so and the company’s largest TVC campaign to date.