The Portuguese Cork Association hands UK PR brief to Clarion Communications
The Portuguese Cork Association (APCOR) has brought in Clarion Communications as its UK PR agency, following an international tender for the promotion of cork stoppers, which has seen contracts also awarded in 10 other countries, including the US, China and France.
APCOR has brought in Clarion Communications as its UK PR agency
APCOR represents and promotes the Portuguese natural cork industry, which it claims is the largest in the world and accounts for more than 62% of global cork exports.
Clarion Communications’ UK brief is to strengthen the existing consumer preference for cork stoppers by promoting their benefits. Natural cork is the best stopper to preserve and enhance the characteristics of wine, according to APCOR.
Activity will include a series of consumer-facing campaigns to encourage wine shoppers and the wine trade to prefer natural cork.
The agency will also engage with opinion formers though an education campaign, encouraging them to pass on the story of cork and its benefits.
APCOR chairman João Rui Ferreira said: “2017 will see the first campaign we have carried out in the UK for six years, and we hope that this will mark the start of a longer term investment as premiumisation becomes more and more important for the wine trade.
“The response to our tender from agencies within the UK was the highest in the world. We were impressed with Clarion’s strategic response to our brief and felt that the campaign presented will put us in pole position to strengthen the preference for cork stoppers in the UK.”
Philippa Wynn-Green, managing partner at Clarion Communications, added: “This was a hugely exciting and challenging brief and we are thrilled to be working with APCOR to deliver fantastic creative campaigns which will influence perceptions of cork and get people considering the stopper when they choose their wine.”
