Jameson Case Study: targeting the "recession resistant" consumer

This case study on Jameson forms part of Datamonitor's case studies series, which explores business practices across a variety of disciplines and business sectors. It focuses on how the whiskey brand has successfully continued to grow in the recession by targeting young males.

• Gain insight into the methods used by important industry players to give them a competitive edge
• Identify specific areas for operational improvements
• Capitalize on the knowledge of experienced companies when entering a new niche or market

Table of contents

CATALYST

SUMMARY

ANALYSIS
Irish whiskey has strong growth potential due to its targeting of young male drinkers
Whiskey is the strongest sector in the US spirits market but has been impacted by the recession
Irish whiskey is bucking whiskey trends by recording strong growth potential
Whiskey drinkers are typically older than drinkers in other spirits categories
Men dominate the whiskey category more than in other spirits sectors
A significant proportion of consumers are drinking out of the home less often which has implications for the spirits market
Jameson is a small player in the US but has grown substantially in the downturn by focusing on "recession proof" young males
Jameson has been growing at a faster pace than the broader category
Jameson has been somewhat protected from the recession by targeting young male drinkers
Key to Jameson's growth has been Pernod's intensive marketing efforts, focused on enhancing word-of-mouth marketing at the grass roots level and large scale TV advertising
Grass roots marketing
TV advertising
Conclusions and implications

APPENDIX
Case study series
Methodology
Secondary sources
Further reading
Ask the analyst
Datamonitor consulting
Disclaimer
List of Tables
Table 1: Spirits market value in the US ($m), by sector, 2004-14
Table 2: Whiskey category value in the US ($m), by sector, 2004-14
Table 3: Whiskey market volume share, by company, 2008
List of Figures
Figure 1: US whiskey launches were down in 2009
Figure 2: US Irish whiskey launches reached a peak in 2008
Figure 3: US spirits categories by age, percentage of market value
Figure 4: US spirits categories by gender, percentage of market value
Figure 5: Around a fifth of consumers are drinking out less regularly
Figure 6: Jameson has been promoted through a comedy tour and a billboard messaging service
Figure 7: Jameson is promoting its heritage in a new advert that uses comedy to reach its target audience

Related research categories

By company: Jameson