Sherry is poised to spend €2.8m a year targeting US, Canadian and Japanese consumers in a bid to double exports.
The new marketing strategy, drawn up by generic trade association Fedejerez, is aimed at emerging markets.
Over the next four years Fedejerez will spend €1m a year in the US alone on promotional projects designed to boost Sherry consumption and sales.
Fedejerez is already planning to open a local office in Japan, with others to follow in the US and Canada at a later date.
Local campaigns and activities will be channelled through the offices, which will be modelled on the likes of the Sherry Institute in the UK, Belgium and other traditional Sherry-drinking markets.
The move represents a shift of policy, with more attention being focused on the three markets, rather than traditional Sherry-drinking destinations like the UK, Netherlands and Belgium.
Fedejerez believes that in relatively undeveloped countries like the US, Canada and Japan, producers can double their exports during the life of the strategy.
The organisation is yet to release full details of the new campaigns, but Fedejerez director-general Bosco Torremocha said the aim of the strategy was to focus much more strongly on markets where Sherry enjoys a strong reputation and good sales growth potential.
Written by Richard Woodard
