“The key to Pernod Ricard success lies in innovation. They always look for what’s the next best thing”

Alex Heslop is the Brand Ambassador of Pernod Ricard Gulf and was recently in Nepal. Pernod Ricard is one of the leading spirits company in its industry. B360 caught up with him to learn about the objective of his visit, wine culture and the wine market of Nepal.

What brings you to Nepal?

I am here working at ambassadorial level providing wine consumer session, increasing and promoting people’s knowledge of our brand.

Going by your company’s tagline which says creator of conviviality, do you believe liquor/spirits can establish relationships and promote friendships?

Definitely. Through enjoying alcohol with good friends, people are looking to make moments that are really memorable. In the modern world where we are consumed by social media, phones and work, wine brings people around the table, join them with people and allows enjoyment of creating authentic moments with friends.

Wine drinking culture is relatively new in Nepal. Do you have any strategies to tap Nepal’s wine market?

Nepal is a young wine market. The really exciting thing is people are keen to learn about wine so in terms of our brand strategy we are trying to educate people not just about the brand but about overall wines and wine culture. We have a couple of ranges here, indeed really some great depth in our portfolio of wine. We are promoting our brand because we want people to taste new ones, open up their understanding of wine as a whole.

Which category of liquor market have you found to be strong in Nepal?

Its whiskey at the moment. But I think wine is growing. I have experienced fantastic appreciation of wine in the past couple of days of my stay in Kathmandu. The wine market is growing. Premium brand market is gathering pace. The diversity of people’s knowledge of this category is what is driving this sector. We are bringing in some good quality wines at competitive prices, making them approachable to all economic levels. It’s good that people are looking for international brands and different techniques of wine making.

Pernod Ricard is one of the leading companies in the spirits industry. What has been its branding strategy to reach this position?

The key to Pernod Ricard success lies in innovation. They always look for what’s the next best thing, they never rest on laurels of being a successful brand, they are always pushing boundaries – what are consumers looking for, always challenging themselves. Our people in the company are really passionate about what they do. For any company, if your people really live by what you are trying to sell to the public, success is not far away.

Lately people are developing a preference for locally produced brands. Do you think it will affect you in any way?

That is a challenge for any international portfolio. Local brands are doing very well. That’s not a bad thing and we should not see it as a threat. It can be celebrated as an industry’s growth. It’s a sign of a healthy industry that locals are keen to invest in it rather than just being dependent on multinational brands.