Tag Archives: vicky mccrorie

Irish whiskey beats the recession

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Irish whiskey remains strong within the US spirits market, finds Datamonitor.

Irish whiskey has appealed to ‘pre-committal’ young men who have continued to spend throughout the recession and been more adventurous in trying new brands. The market is predicted to grow at a rate of 9.4% year-on-year over five years to 2014 in the US compared to just 2% for the overall whisky market and 0.2% for Scotch whisky.

“Irish whiskey has successfully set itself apart from the general market which has traditionally been dominated by older drinkers. In fact our research has revealed that in the US within the spirits market as a whole 41% of whiskey drinkers are over 55 compared to only 4% who are in the youngest age category.

“Irish whiskey is an example of a European brand trading on the fact that it’s different to what is already on offer in an established market like the US. It has therefore become recession proof,” says Vicky McCrorie, analyst at Datamonitor.

As a result of the popularity of the drink, Datamonitor has recorded the launch of five new products in the first four months of 2010.

Consumers misled on cosmetics organic claims

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A new report released by Datamonitor has found consumers are concerned by natural and organic claims made by cosmetic brands.

The report found 30% of US consumers question the credibility of these claims. The consumer perception has significant founding as cosmetics brands don’t require certification to make ‘mineral’ or ‘natural’ claims. The report explains the US has seen growth in mineral make-up launches year-on-year since 2005, with 160 new brands in 2009 alone.

“In a market where brands have worked hard to convince consumers of the credibility of mineral make-up, the sheer number of new launches containing differing levels of minerals may make consumer trust difficult to keep,” said Vicky McCrorie, consumer analyst at Datamonitor.

“With no official validation for mineral make-up, consumers will start to become skeptical as more and more brands launch make-up with mineral claims,” said McCrorie.

New decade a minefield for brands

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Asia-Pacific consumer brands will succeed in the recovering economic markets but only if lessons are learnt from the GFC years, according to new research released by business analysis company Datamonitor.

The study has revealed the difficulties brands face in capturing the attention of consumers, with 67% of Australians saying they simply don’t even notice new alcoholic drinks on the shelves.

Figures showed that manufacturers bombarded the FMCG market with over 1,600 product innovations launched globally between 2007 and 2009, creating an environment where it is easy for new products to become lost.

However, the report indicated that one of the key drivers of product innovation success has been consumer demand for ‘value driven’ branding.

This has contributed to the success of ethical brands such as Australian carbon neutral beer brand Barefoot Radler, owned by Lion Nathan, and environmentally friendly US-based Clorox Green Works.

Vicky McCrorie, consumer analyst at Datamonitor and author of the study, gave Barefoot Radler as an example of a brand that achieved success by reaching out to non-beer drinkers with a unique brand positioning.

“Customers approved of its sustainable business practices which gave it competitive advantage,” said McCrorie.

Even if a brand manages to cut through, the report indicated that failing to maintain innovation can lead to a loss of market share, citing O-Box (one of the first juice drinks launched in China) a key example of this – a number of competitors quickly jumped on the bandwagon and O-Box has not been able to defend its position.

“The success of new product launches is not formulaic. Brands need to combine innovation along with an understanding of how to truly capture consumers imagination and deliver what they want,” McCrorie concluded.