London, 12
September 2012
Wines of Lebanon
was last night named as Generic Campaign of the Year at the 2012 International
Wine Challenge Awards Dinner at the Hilton in Park Lane, London.
The campaign, run
by Coco PR, was launched in 2010 and marked the first time Lebanon had embarked
upon such an initiative. The judges felt that Coco PR had done “a superb job of
bringing Lebanon into focus in the past year” and praised the campaign for
being “both interesting and well directed”.
“I am absolutely
thrilled to have won the Award, particularly as we were up against two very
worthy opponents [Wines of Germany and the Bordeaux Wine Council] said Coco PR
Director Madeleine Waters. “I am also so pleased that the judges felt that a
small, lower budget campaign like ours deserved recognition. Lebanon is a tiny country with an even tinier
production, but by having a good product from a remarkable country and by doing
the basics well we have achieved solid results.”
Chateau Musar’s
Serge Hochar, President of the Union Vinicole du Liban, the trade association
of Lebanese wines whose members commissioned the campaign, said: “This marks a
great step forward for Lebanon and shows that working together in a
professional way can bring great results.
We all congratulate Madeleine on this tremendous Award and are looking
forward to another successful year of the campaign with Coco PR.”
Since 2010 Coco
has run a series of successful press trips to Lebanon which has resulted in
press coverage in national wine columns, consumer magazines and trade titles. A
series of roadshows and masterclasses run by Tim Atkin MW and Lebanese wine
expert Michael Karam has taken the wines
to trade and press audiences in London, Manchester and Bristol, and a generic
stand at the London Wine Fair in 2011 and 2012 has led to greater awareness of
Lebanese wines in the UK, leading to increased listings. Exports of Lebanese wines to the UK grew by
26% from 2010 to 2011 (source Lebanese Customs).
Now beginning its
third year, the campaign has attracted new wineries for 2012/13 keen to make
their mark in the UK wine market.
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