Long a popular pre-dinner drink in Europe, the idea of a dry sherry before dinner had lost its place with American foodies. A new importer was determined to increase sales for this classic brand, yet was restricted by the poor sales efforts of its distributor. With a deep understanding of the restaurant and spirits industries, IdeaZeit set out to create on-trade demand for the brand. In addition to creating new sales and marketing materials for Dry Sack Sherry (and its sister brand Gran Duque de Alba brandy) IdeaZeit devised the “Bon Aperitif” program. Working with acclaimed restaurants in Miami, such as the Delano, a unique program of appetizers and tapas dishes was created to accompany a complimentary chilled glass of Dry Sack. We designed and created the concept, brought on an Olive Oil sponsor and engaged the support of the Andalusian government. Personally selecting the restaurants, conducting on-site training and even selling Dry Sack into venues that didn’t carry the brand, “Bon Aperitif Week” was a huge success, generating millions of media impressions, but more importantly cementing Dry Sack as a call-brand aperitif within the fine dining arena.
