BROWN SPIRITS: BROWN-FORMAN


Bourdier determined to push bourbon’s awareness in new B-F role


Brown-Forman Global Travel Retail is expanding its marketing reach under the tutelage of Aude Bourdier, who tells Luke Barras-Hill there is plenty more cask potential to lift American whiskey’s profile among consumers.


A


ude Bourdier was just shy of five months in her position at Brown-Forman when


she spoke with TRBusiness during this year’s Duty Free & Travel Retail Summit of the Americas. In November, she was announced


as Marketing Director for Global Travel Retail and Developed APAC, which combines global travel retail and domestic territories in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand. It was inevitable the learning curve


would be steep having swapped a long and distinguished career with Bacardi-Martini – where she was most recently its Regional Director for Europe Global Travel Retail. “It has been very intense,”


she began. “Brown-Forman was looking for a marketing director for this new, bigger region. Obviously after 27 years with the same company [Bacardi-Martini], it’s a big change, but I know the spirits and travel retail business well and marketing was my first love. “It felt that this new


position was crafted to my experience, particularly with the skew to premium brands as there is a premiumisation that is happening within Brown- Forman’s portfolio. “My hire shows how serious


Brown-Forman is about global travel retail. I have been given the opportunity to extend my team. By June the team will be complete with three senior marketing managers.”


JD increases momentum Like other suppliers, Brown-Forman had to contend with tariffs, political turbulence and a decline in Russian


MAY 2019


travellers last year. “2018 was challenging after the


impressive double-digit percentage growth rate we experienced in 2017 for our Jack Daniel’s family of brands,” commented Bourdier, who states that currency volatility and geopolitical headwinds in general remain the industry’s biggest headaches. “We are effected, but rebound


quickly. A personal challenge is speed as I am new to Brown-Forman.” Notwithstanding these pressures,


the Louisville-based firm witnessed continued momentum for hero brand Jack Daniel’s. “We did see some very bright spots in Jack Daniel’s Rye and Bottled in Bond – both new launches that were well received by international travellers,”


Bourdier confirmed. “Interestingly enough, the Jack Daniel’s flavoured whiskey, Tennessee Fire, grew at a healthy 18% pace in 2018.” Jack Daniel’s sits in


second place in the IWSR’s most recent Top 100 Travel Retail Spirits Brands, outpaced by Diageo rival Johnnie Walker only. While Johnnie Walker


lifted its case volumes by 4.2% to a substantial 2.5m (nine-litre cases) in 2017, Jack Daniel’s claimed its position with a 17% surge in volume sales to top one million, supplanting Pernod Ricard’s Chivas Regal. Brown-Forman’s GTR momentum


also owed much to its exclusive lines, with the aforementioned Jack Daniel’s Bottled in Bond Tennessee Whiskey (100% proof) cementing its appeal through its premium and exclusive credentials. “It’s been hugely successful in


Aude Bourdier, Marketing Director, Global Travel Retail and Developed APAC, Brown-Forman.


Asia, Europe and America and we will make it exclusive again for global travel retail next year,” Bourdier added. “The younger generations


are looking for something new, experiential, different, reflecting values of authenticity and craftsmanship. American whiskey and especially Jack Daniel’s fits perfectly into that territory.” Meanwhile, travel retail growth


of +30% year-on-year in premium craft liquid Woodford Reserve


“My hire shows how serious Brown-Forman is about global travel retail. I have been given the opportunity to extend my team. By June the team will be complete with three senior marketing managers.”


Aude Bourdier, Marketing Director, Global Travel Retail and Developed APAC


TRBUSINESS 125


Left: Woodford Reserve's luxury Baccarat Edition is rolling out to global travel retail.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150