The Uptown Up Sell
Trading Vodka Drinkers Up Is Becoming Much Easier

Up-selling spirits used to be about in-house marketing. It involved a one-on-one repartee between purveyor and patron, often a risky proposition in that there was always the chance the patron might be turned off by it, or else cocktail presentation.
    The arrival of super-premium vodkas — the Belvederes, the Grey Gooses, the Levels, the Skyy90s, the Cîrocs and Stoli Elites — changed all of that. Now, in a real sense, there is no need to be pushy in plying vodka or to rely on gimmicks that emphasize the look of the drink and the glass as opposed to the spirit that is in it.
    For the most part, today’s patron does not need much of a push, since the actual up-sell takes place long before a customer walks into a venue and takes a seat at the bar. Ask the folks at Jack Daniel’s to name the best up-selling tactic for increasing sales of its premium Tennessee sipping whiskey, and they might tell you, “NASCAR.” And, correspondingly, at Grey Goose Vodka, the answer would be the Golden Globe Awards or the Kentucky Derby, whereby consumers can get to know and come to appreciate the world’s top-selling super-premium vodka by association with these world-class cultural and media events that validate brand choices like no in house pressure ever could.
    It’s oh so subtle, but oh so much more effective than the old way of selling customers vodka brands that they may not want or even like in the final analysis. And even better, those customers are not just sold once. They are in the bag for a given vodka brand for the long haul, if all goes well.

The Art of the Up-Sell
    If a given operator is a bit reticent about the Madison Avenue-style practice of trading up customers to a higher-priced vodka, then Monsell Darville, vice president of group marketing for Grey Goose vodka at Bacardi, might well pose a question for said shy proprietor that could change his or her mind. Namely, why not up-sell a customer who wants and fully expects to be pitched? Not to do so is missing a big point, he says.
    “I think the world is a changed place,” Darville says. “Take a look at the day-to-day grind. People are working incredibly hard. The vast majority of consumers have come to the conclusion they want to treat themselves. There needs to be a reward in their lives.”
    And based on the overwhelming preference of that consumer, whom Darville calls the “ultimate arbiter” in the sales and marketing equation, the verdict is in about super-premium vodkas in general and Grey Goose in particular.
    “This brand acts as a catalyst for building relationships and friendships and experiences,” Darville says. “And we’ve worked hard to communicate to consumers that (Grey Goose) is supreme, and that they can count it on it on a day to day basis.”     Although Grey Goose costs more than most other vodkas, he says the $30 cost of a 750-milliliter bottle off-premise or the average $12 price of a Goose cocktail is not really a significant number to the typical customer who now is drinking less but better spirits when they go out to a bar or lounge.
    “There are few bargains in this word that produce such a tremendous upside.”
    The rewards and incentives for owners and operators on-premise to carry Grey Goose and its line of Grey Goose flavors are equally golden, Darville says. Along with the superior vodka product in the bottle, a promise verified by global sales of Grey Goose now approaching the $3 million case mark, Bacardi and Grey Goose predispose patrons to buy well in advance of their going out.
    “While there is a great deal of traditional marketing associated with it, what is making Grey Goose unique is, we insist that everything we come in contact with is executed at a pre-eminent level.
    “If you attend a charity event sponsored by Grey Goose, you will leave knowing that it has been something special. I think the world is very aspirational for folks that see us at the Kentucky Derby or the Triple Crown.”
    But a paradox for the Grey Gooses of the world in having the luxury of a consumer base looking to treat themselves is that invariably, those same patrons, due to that motivation, often are looking to try new brands. Among the premium brands vying for a place in the consumer’s mind when special events — or ordinary indulgences — arise is SV Vodka, billed for its smoothness as “The Silk Vodka.”
    “When thinking about Russian vodka, most people will imagine a classically structured spirit with a discernible nose and a palate offering waves of flavor,” states Robert Plotkin, spirits expert and president of BarMedia Inc. “SV matches the profile, but does so with great sophistication and finesse. SV is crystal clear with a silky smooth texture and featherweight body. The aroma of sweet grain highlights its pleasant bouquet. The fun really begins when it fills the mouth with delectable grain and malty flavors that persist long into the flawless finish.”
    The market grows, with even Ireland throwing its green derby into the U.S. ring with Boru, one of the largest selling premium vodkas in Ireland. Like any premium vodka worth its bottle, it comes equipped with a back story ripe for the up-sell. Named after Brian Boru, the first High King of Ireland and made from pure Irish spring water, Boru is triple distilled for smoothness and clarity, and filtered through 10 feet of Atlantic Irish oak charcoal. And in keeping with the current cocktail climate, it’s available in Crazzberry, Citrus and Orange flavors.
    Another candidate for cocktail consideration is Effen Vodka. The appeal doesn’t end at the sleek packaging and clever name. Inside is a bona fide vodka from Holland that is distilled at lower temperatures than others.

Vodka Rules
    Michael Matzo, a seasoned New York City bartender and owner of the Obivia lounge in the SoHo section of Manhattan, is an unabashed practitioner of the new style of up-selling at his bar –– a venue that he describes as cozy eclectic with low tables and couch seating (see p. 64 for Margarita recipes from Obivia).
    “As soon as someone orders a Vodka & Tonic, we suggest three different kinds of vodka,” he says. He has his bartenders offer up mid-range brands such as Stoli first, or Ketel One, then Skyy90 or Grey Goose, and then finally, the luxury brands such as Jean Marc or Roberta Cavailla. “The last thing that sticks in their mind is the ultra-premium,” Matzo says.
    Matzo also trades customers up, in turn making more for the house and putting bigger tips on the table and at the bar for his bartenders, with an on-going vodka of the month promotion. In the past few months, the featured vodkas have rotated from Skyy90 to Reyka to Jean Marc, a luxury designer French brand.
    “As soon as you recommend them to customers, they are sold,” Matzo says. The strategy works 70 percent of the time, he estimates, whether a customer has a vodka brand preference or not. And it is applicable to both men and women who are vodka drinkers.                    NCB