Canadians spent more money on alcohol in 2009 ($19.4 billion) than in 2008 – and more of them bought wine than ever before, according to a Stats Canada report released last month. Rising market shares in the alcohol category may give the impression that vino is recession-proof, but the popularity of reds and whites also means there has been more competition in the market, says Chris Staresinic, senior brand manager for Oakville, Ontario-based Peter Mielzynski Agencies, which distributes Two Oceans in Canada.

‘The wine industry has changed drastically in the last 12 months, with just a lot of downtrading going on,’ Staresinic says. ‘There’s been a big increase in the value segment – it’s much more price sensitive for sure,’ he tells MiC.

In order to stand out from the competition, Two Oceans has redesigned its label and yesterday launched a television campaign to promote the new look. With media buying handled by Cossette, 10-second closed captioning spots will air during prime-time television on CTV, CP24 and Global during shows like Survivor and Two and a Half Men, says Staresinic. An OOH billboard campaign is also running in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary until mid-July. Creative and the label redesign were handled by Distell Group in Stellenbosch, South Africa.

‘I think it’s more important than ever to have a premium-looking brand,’ he says about the new label, which has magnified the image of a body of water. The advertising also puts emphasis on a review by Robert Parker of The Wine Advocate.