Projects
Aluna Tropica
London - England
It’s always a pleasure to launch a new spirit to the UK trade – but when it’s as vibrant and flavour-packed as Aluna’s latest release, it’s even more rewarding.
Aluna Tropica is the brand’s newest innovation; a lower sugar spiced rum bursting with tropical goodness and flavour. And it was up to Flourish’s PR pundits to effectively launch the spirit to the great and the good of Britain’s on- and off-trade.
What we delivered
- PR
Our Approach
The UK spirits market is big and competitive. It takes a tenacious approach to win the coverage that raises that all important awareness – and this is especially true of a new product launch. We’ve worked in the spirits industry for some time, so we knew we’d have to leverage those existing networks to maximise impact – especially working to a tight timeline and to a dedicated budget.
The Aluna brand is distributed by Mangrove Global, a UK spirits distributor that also happens to be a Flourish client! We knew from previous work with Aluna that this was a hands-on team, so we were excited to collaborate once again and match their energy with our own signature tenacity.
Our Solution
Before we can get this all important news out into the world, we had to craft the press release! We liaised with the Aluna team and their Mangrove representatives to get all the info we needed – from flavour profiles and ingredients to the signature serve and founder quotes.
Key messages had to shine through – the natural taste, donations to 1% for the planet, superior ingredients, the brand ethos, all while signposting purchase routes for various trades. With all the info to hand we used our tried and tested style of release, ready to go with accompanying imagery.
We curated a list of media contacts, using our industry contacts to reach the right people.
This included on- and off-trade journalists, as well as influencers to drive that all important awareness. Again, we had to bear in mind budgets for things like PR boxes and samples, so we were selective, choosing those who we thought would be most interested and have the biggest impact.
The importance of social proof and user generated content is a key part of any awareness strategy for launch – so we also worked with a pool of influencers, including some who had worked with the brand before, and some who were entirely new to the brand. We invited them to Aluna Tropica’s official launch at one of London’s most loved neighbourhood bars, Callooh Callay, conveniently celebrated on Pineapple Day.
With all of the above agreed, it was go time. With everything launched, we ensured success by following up with priority publications, offering samples to journalists, and securing further content opportunities (like interviews) for highly engaged parties. For influencers, we liaised with Aluna’s Founder Guy, who then sent out enviable gift boxes, complete with a bottle, and every accompaniment and garnish required to make Aluna’s signature serve, the Tropical Jungle Bird.
The Result
The launch of the brand was featured across top drinks industry titles, including The Spirits Business, Global Drinks Intel, and Scottish Grocer, with 19 pieces of online coverage overall. A two-page interview also ran in Fine Food Digest – a fantastic placement for this cracking premium brand.
But it wasn’t a solo effort. While we were hard at work with all of the above, the wonderful Aluna team were also knuckling down, juggling festivals and repping at events to get the all-important liquid on lips.
A successful launch rooted in strong relationships, sharp execution, and a product we were proud to shout about. Cheers!
