Spiritueux Iberville – a winning strategy to launch Quebec spirits at the SAQ

From 2018 to 2021, Sparkling took on the ambitious mandate of managing all marketing and communications for Spiritueux Iberville, a Quebec company specializing in local spirits.

In a fiercely competitive market dominated by well-established foreign brands, the challenge was enormous: launch and position new Quebec brands at the SAQ, secure their commercial success and make them last.

Through a creative, strategic and highly targeted approach, Sparkling rose to the challenge with flying colours.

The mission

1. End-to-end management of the annual marketing budget and media campaigns

2. Design and execution of product launch campaigns

3. Full content creation and management (social media, print campaigns, video, and more)

Project overview

Launching new brands in Quebec’s spirits sector is a real challenge. The SAQ is a highly competitive environment where it is extremely difficult for a new product to earn a lasting place. Foreign brands are firmly entrenched there and have the resources to hold on to their dominant position. In this context, establishing a local brand demands not only a fine-grained understanding of the Quebec market, but also innovative, precisely targeted strategies.

Authenticity and uniqueness at the heart of the project

Sparkling tackled the challenge by building strong, distinctive brand worlds that let Spiritueux Iberville stand out right away. We designed and rolled out custom campaigns, tailored specifically to social media, that showcased the authenticity, singular character and Quebec origin of the products. This clear, bold positioning made it possible to engage local customers effectively.

An omnichannel communications strategy

Among the standout achievements, the launch of Amermelade Apéritif and Miele Sour was especially successful. Through an omnichannel communications strategy — combining targeted social media campaigns, original video content and specific in-store initiatives (point-of-sale displays, tastings, targeted promotions) — both products quickly gained traction.

Consistent storytelling

One of the main strengths of our approach lay in our ability to bring together digital strategy and physical presence. We leaned on consistent, engaging storytelling across every channel, boosting the visibility of the Iberville brands and making it easier for consumers to adopt them quickly.

Two new products on the SAQ shelves

The commercial success followed: Amermelade Apéritif and Miele Sour earned the coveted status of “regular product with continuous supply” at the SAQ. That status is particularly hard to obtain, since it means reaching and maintaining a high sales threshold over a sustained period — a true mark of recognition in this highly competitive sector.

The partnership between Sparkling and Spiritueux Iberville from 2018 to 2021 shows that with a clear strategy, engaging brand worlds and flawless execution, it is possible to meet the most complex challenges of Quebec’s spirits market. The success of Amermelade Apéritif and Miele Sour at the SAQ speaks directly to the relevance and effectiveness of our approach, confirming Sparkling as a go-to partner for creating and managing successful local brands.

Results and impact

The overall impact of these projects showed up in significant ways on several fronts:

A strong brand world

Exceptional commercial success

An innovative omnichannel campaign

A few video productions

Miele Sour - Stories

Campaign - Your Spritz in 10 seconds

All our work for Iberville

Our full spirits portfolio