Campari’s Strategy to Defend Aperol in a Competitive Spritz Market
MILAN, July 10 (Reuters) — Campari is intensifying efforts to protect Aperol, the primary engine of its recent growth, as copycat spritzes and rival aperitifs compete for a share of the rapidly expanding market.
In Italy, where competition is most fierce, the spirits group has launched a promotional campaign and a loyalty program for trusted retailers. A broader rollout of pre-prepared Aperol Spritz kegs aims to secure its position in the global spritz market, where consumption surged to nearly 4 billion servings in 2024 from less than 2.5 billion in 2019, according to data provider IWSR.
The Aperol brand generates approximately 26% of Campari’s revenue, making it the company’s largest earner. Sales of the orange aperitif helped the group remain resilient last year despite weakening consumer demand across the sector. In November, Campari outlined plans to streamline its portfolio, designating Aperol a “top priority” and a central focus of advertising and promotional investment.
The recipe for the century-old Aperol bitter — the essential ingredient in the world’s most popular spritz cocktail — remains a closely guarded secret. However, that has not prevented a growing number of lookalike products and rival aperitifs from encroaching on its territory, appearing first in major European supermarket chains and increasingly in bars and restaurants.
Challenges in the Italian Market
“The new development is that, since 2023, some bars and restaurants have begun serving orange-colored drinks, often from tap, that are not necessarily made with Aperol,” said Andrea Neri, managing director of House of Aperitivi at Campari, adding that consumers frequently believe they are drinking the original.
Italy, the birthplace of the Aperol Spritz and a market where consumers have long favored light, bittersweet aperitifs, represents Campari’s second-largest single market after the United States.
Alternative cocktails within the aperitif category present an additional challenge. The paler Hugo Spritz — made with elderflower syrup or liqueur and Prosecco — is crowding U.S. summer menus and gaining traction in pubs and bars across Britain.
Orange But Not Necessarily Aperol
Neri noted that the use of lookalike products in bars has so far been largely confined to Italy and has coincided with the rising adoption of ready-made mixes to accelerate service.
Campari has responded decisively. In recent months, the company launched its own pre-prepared Aperol Spritz in kegs and rolled out a communication campaign emphasizing that not all orange-colored drinks are genuine Aperol Spritzes. It also introduced a loyalty program for bars and restaurants that certifies the sale of authentic Aperol Spritz cocktails, now covering 2,000 venues in Italy.
While Aperol brand sales continue to grow — rising 1.4% globally last year to €785 million ($897 million) — quantifying the precise impact of lookalike products remains difficult.
“We could probably have grown even faster,” Neri said, referring to the Italian market, while acknowledging the company lacks precise data on the effect. Last year, Campari invested approximately €547 million in advertising and promotions, equivalent to 17.9% of net sales.
Supermarket Competition and Brand Protection
Lookalikes on the Supermarket Shelf
In supermarkets, aperitif shelves are increasingly stocked with orange drinks that closely mimic Aperol’s appearance, often retailing at 30-40% less than a bottle of Aperol, which sells for about €10 in Italy.
The color has become so strongly associated with the brand that Campari has sought to protect it through trademark registrations as part of broader intellectual property defenses. The group has also pursued legal action against smaller competitors in select cases.
The presence of similar products in supermarkets “is not a new phenomenon and can be observed across Europe,” Neri said, downplaying the impact on Aperol sales.
“The fact that there are lookalike products is a sign that Aperol is a very strong brand,” said Sandro Castaldo, professor of marketing at Bocconi University, noting that color is often the first element copied by imitators.
Emergence of New Rivals and Trends
Hugo Threat?
The success of Aperol has also fueled demand for similar summer drinks such as the Alpine-born Hugo Spritz.
Many American recipes and bar menus use St‑Germain, the French elderflower liqueur owned by Bacardi, as the key ingredient for Hugos. Bacardi told Reuters that St-Germain had seen double-digit sales growth year-on-year, driven by the rise in Hugo Spritz popularity, citing IWSR data.
Campari’s Response to New Trends
In Europe, Campari has introduced Sarti Rosa, a fruit aperitif, supported by a viral marketing campaign for spritzes based on the hot pink drink targeting female consumers.
Neri observed that consumers are gravitating toward lower-alcohol aperitif drinks rather than traditional cocktails, while daytime consumption is also increasing.
“As the category leader, we have worked to expand our spritz portfolio across multiple brands,” he said.
The group’s aperitif lineup includes the Campari brand, Sarti, Cynar, the non-alcoholic aperitif Crodino, and an elderflower aperitif called Mondoro.
Analyst Perspectives
Analysts said Campari should continue to benefit from a trend it helped spark.
“I don’t see lookalike products representing a threat for now,” AlphaValue analyst Theodore Duval-Segard told Reuters.
“Campari has literally reinvented the spritz. At this point, Aperol and spritz are almost inseparable.”
