People often ask us how Aperol Spritz grew to become so incredibly popular across the UK. During this massive boom, Campari Group needed a partner to match their real-world sociability with serious digital growth. So, they brought YesMore on board as their dedicated Aperol Spritz social media agency. However, we knew that pretty pictures wouldn't satisfy commercial directors. We needed to prove that social media could drive hard financial returns and protect trade listings. By building a sales-led funnel, we turned digital noise into cold, hard cash.
What we were asked to do
Campari Group wanted much more than fluffy awareness metrics. Specifically, they needed us to support key off-trade and on-trade listings. Securing space on supermarket shelves and bar menus is notoriously difficult. Consequently, we had to prove our campaigns could actively pull liquid through those channels. The goal was to shift bottles in supermarkets like Waitrose and Asda, while also driving serves in major venues. Above all, we had to prove that targeted digital marketing could deliver immediate, commercial rate-of-sale.
Driving a 498% Sales Spike in Waitrose
To support the Waitrose listing, we ran an integrated, dual-focus campaign. First, we targeted consumers using in-store A-boards with a clear call to action. To enter our competition, shoppers simply followed Aperol and Waitrose on social, then submitted their emails on our site. Because we captured these marketing opt-ins, we built a highly qualified Waitrose & Aperol audience. We then retargeted this warm pool (and lookalike audiences) with high-performing paid social advertising. This allowed us to build a dedicated digital pipeline we could grow campaign after campaign.
At the same time, we engaged the staff on the shop floor. We placed back-of-store posters in the staff rooms of every participating Waitrose and John Lewis. This clever internal campaign challenged staff to buy a bottle and make the perfect serve for themselves and four friends. Because five serves equates to exactly one bottle sold, this drove immediate incremental sales. More importantly, it turned supermarket staff into genuine brand advocates. As a result of this combined effort, our very first campaign achieved a massive 498% increase in week-on-week sales for Aperol across Waitrose stores.
Shifting 5,000 Bottles for Asda
For our Asda listing support, we developed a high-conversion glassware giveaway mechanic. Customers bought a promotional bottle in-store and visited a custom campaign page built by our development team. There, they entered a unique code from their bottle neck tag to claim a free branded glass. Naturally, the entry form included a clear marketing opt-in box. Consequently, this formed the foundation of a brand-new, highly valuable Asda + Aperol audience dataset for future campaigns.
This campaign was a resounding commercial success. It drove at least 5,000 direct retail sales matching the 5,000 glasses distributed. In addition, Asda loved the stunning bottle and serve imagery we shot in our basement studio so much that they uploaded it directly to their official product listing pages. This further optimised their online presence without costing Campari Group a penny extra.
The Supporting Engine: Our Secondary Marketing Results
While our clients focus on these hard retail sales, we know that great organic and paid social strategies keep the wheel turning. To fuel our sales funnels, we simultaneously built a massive, highly engaged online community. Over the course of our partnership, our highly targeted content generated a 557% year-on-year increase in content posts. This rapid output delivered a 234% increase in brand impressions.
Most importantly, our creative approach resonated deeply with the UK public. We achieved a remarkable 642% year-on-year increase in social media engagements and grew their Instagram following by 59%. Through our bespoke influencer marketing campaigns, we also generated 16,951 story views to drive urgent footfall to on-trade partners like All Bar One.
Secure Your Listings and Sell More Liquid
Are you struggling to prove to retail buyers that your brand can shift volume? If so, you should speak to our seasoned professionals today. We specialise in off-trade marketing and drinks brand positioning that turns consumer attention into verified commercial sales.
Get in touch with us today and brief us on your next retail or trade campaign.
