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IN THE BIZ A key partnership (left to right): Southern Wines & Spirits of America President and COO Wayne Chaplin and Chairman/CEO Harvey Chaplin with Paul Duffy, President and CEO of Pernod Ricard USA. Premium Positioning S by David Ransom pirits giant Pernod Ricard convened its top brass in New York last month to lay out its marketing plan for the Americas. The two day symposium, hosted by global Chief Executive Officer Pierre Pringuet and Paul Duffy, President and CEO of Pernod Ricard USA, touched on a variety of subjects regarding marketing and advertising. Panel discussions included Pernod Ricard’s rise to number two in worldwide spirits sales, much of which is due to the 2008 purchase of Absolut and the recent three-million-case sales milestone of its world number-one growth spirit, Jameson, as well as Pernod Ricard’s rise to number four in worldwide wine and champagne sales. Focus sessions also laid out growth plans for North, Central and South America, including detailed breakdowns of marketing strategies for the United States, Mexico and Brazil, Pernod Ricard’s three main markets in these regions. “The million-case milestone for Jameson in U.S. sales and continued dominance by Absolut of the premium vodka category since its purchase, along with our key strategy of creating a well-balanced portfolio of products benefiting from the “premiumization” [premium being internally categorized as brands selling at or above $16 SRP] of our brands overall, have been huge contributors to our rise from number five to number two,” Duffy noted. “Other factors include hard work, pas- sion and timing—and, of course, our relationship with our distribution network.” Also on hand to discuss Pernod Ricard USA’s domestic program was Wayne Chaplin, President and COO of Southern Wines & Spirits of America, Pernod Ricard’s key distribution partner in the U.S., who solidified the premiumization strategy by showing that while the country’s economy is still in recovery mode, spirits sales as a whole are growing across the board, with the super-premium ($26–$41 SRP) and ultra-premium (above $41 SRP) categories showing by far the most growth—both over 12% in the last year. In all, the Capital Markets Symposium showed that Pernod Ricard’s business model is a winning strategy and that by acquiring and nurturing key players in the marketplace—including such iconic brands as The Glenlevit, Chivas Regal, Beefeater, Kahlúa, Seagram’s, Perrier-Jouët, Mumm, Jacob’s Creek and, of course, Absolut and Jameson—it has become an unstoppable force in the industry and is firmly looking toward the future. PERNOD RICARD’S CAPITAL MARKETS SYMPOSIUM IN NYC SHOWS A COMPANY ON THE MOVE Pierre Pringuet, Pernod Ricard’s global CEO, hosted the symposium. Alexandre Ricard (left), CEO, Irish Distillers (IDL), and Philippe Guettat, Chairman & CEO, The Absolut Company (TAC), also joined the recent U.S. presentation. july 201 1 / the tasting panel / 41 PHOTO: MARGARET FOX PHOTO: MARGARET FOX PHOTO: MARGARET FOX