Recently, Wuliangye launched its 29° new product “Wuliangye Crush on” at a landmark restaurant near the Sydney Opera House. Simultaneously, the brand also established its first authorized “Crush on” experience restaurant in Australia. This series of initiatives is seen as a significant step toward building a localized experience in the Australian market.
The event followed the theme of “Experience First,” using an international fashion stage to present an immersive tasting and cultural interaction, showcasing Wuliangye’s youthful and global appeal to various sectors in Australia. The establishment of the first authorized experience restaurant aims to blend food cultures and provide local consumers with an accessible brand touchpoint, intending to gradually integrate Chinese baijiu into mainstream Australian dining and social occasions, thus enhancing brand connection with the local market.
At the launch event, guests enjoyed cocktails and neat tastings made with “Wuliangye Crush on,” set against the backdrop of Sydney Harbour’s night skyline. The brand elaborated that the product maintains traditional brewing techniques while adjusting to modern international taste preferences and trends favoring lower baijiu content. Local distributors also expressed their expectations for the product to drive new trends in spirits consumption.
From an overall perspective, the launch of “Wuliangye Crush on” in Sydney and the establishment of the experience store can be seen as a targeted attempt to refresh the brand image within Wuliangye’s global strategy. This product, emphasizing fashion, approachability, and ease of consumption, aims to soften the rigid image of traditional baijiu, infusing elements of youth, trendiness, and style, while conveying a relaxed and sophisticated social lifestyle concept. The promotion focuses on integrating into modern daily scenarios, highlighting the “light enjoyment” concept of sharing and companionship to enhance emotional resonance among mainstream consumers in Australia.
To solidify market engagement, Wuliangye’s General Manager, Hua Tao, led a team to conduct research on various retail local shops, including alcohol chains, supermarkets, and restaurants during their visit to Australia. This included an in-depth visit to Dan Murphy’s, a core retail channel for alcoholic beverages in Sydney. As Australia’s largest liquor retail chain, Dan Murphy’s serves as a critical indicator for understanding local consumer habits. Hua and his team examined store layouts, product displays, and consumer interaction models, aiming to present Wuliangye’s products in ways that align with local retail logic, effectively bridging cultural differences and integrating into Australian consumers’ daily choices. Hua emphasized the need for international market expansion to shift from “going out” to “going in,” stating that immersion in such mainstream sales environments is crucial for sensing market trends and addressing consumer needs.
Looking ahead, Wuliangye is likely to build upon this product launch and channel insights, continuing to drive brand construction and product placement in Australia and global markets, fueled by cultural confidence and scenario-driven strategies, shifting from mere market entry to deep value cultivation. This reflects the broader trend within the Chinese baijiu industry as it gradually transitions from product exports to the overseas output of brand value and lifestyle.
