09 Oct 2014 Wine marketing 101: ‘Accept that wine is a commodity’
A high-profile commentator on international wine has told South African producers that the first rule of wine marketing is to accept that their precious product is a commodity…. and he shared several other pearls of wine-marketing wisdom. Read on!
UK WINE authority, consultant and educator, Robert Joseph (left), who is also editor-at-large of Meininger’s Wine Business International and author of the influential Wine Travel Guide to the World , recently addressed Cape wine producers ahead of the opening of entries for the 2015 Global Great Wine Capitals Best of Wine Tourism Awards. Joseph said most wine shoppers had a limited interest in wine and bought it as a commodity.
“For the majority of people it is a grape-based alcohol beverage, bought in much the same way as beer. In this respect Pinot Grigio and draft beer can be pretty interchangeable”.
Even at the top luxury end, many people are less interested in the grape variety, vintage or winemaker than in the status the liquid confers – or the pleasure it gives.
“How many of the wealthy Russians buying Lafite and Latour in London restaurants know which grapes these wines are made from?”
He attributed the lack of internationally recognised wine brands to the fact that the market was highly fragmented, and densely proliferated with small-scale producers who lack the marketing budget to build and sustain brands.
“Wine messaging and packaging is inconsistent and confusing. It is crazy to package a R30 wine in the same 75cl glass bottle as one selling for R3 000. Especially as the only reason we use 75cl glass bottles, is because that was the lung capacity of a 17th century glass blower.”
Urging producers to rethink the way they presented their wines to shoppers, he lauded those taking their cue from the perfume industry. He also said producers should market their cellars as wine tourism destinations on their packaging, encouraging the public to visit their cellars. He argued that worldwide, wine producers did not do enough to draw visitors to their cellars.
Another point is to highlight their websites on their labels – and to also communicate differently on their websites.
“Don’t use your website just to talk about yourself and your property and your winemaker. Winemakers are not intrinsically interesting to consumers. How many people have heard of Sir Jonathan Ive, the genius designer of Apple’s most revolutionary products? These devices have revolutionised all of our lives but you don’t need to know his name to buy an iPad. Think of marketing wine in the same context.”
He said producers needed to provide information on their websites that was useful to consumers, including details of other local attractions and facilities. He stressed that tourists visited wineries to be entertained.
“That is what California has got right. They understand that wine tourism is not merely a matter of offering tastings. That’s not tourism – it’s try- before-you-buy retailing.”
Joseph urged wine estates to not offer free cellar-door tastings. “If you charge, you have to think about what you are giving them and you have to give them fair value. Charging means your visitor knows where he or she stands. Paying implies a clear-cut and transactional relationship. When you don’t charge, the parameters are not clear and often the interaction between producer and visitor can feel more like a bad blind date. It’s far better to subsequently give a complimentary offering and to be thanked than to be expected to give something for nothing at the outset,” he said.
He encouraged producers with cellar-door facilities to cater for designated drivers, children and possibly even pets, and said they should ensure their cellar-door staff were not only well-trained but incentivised to optimise the experience for visitors.
“Give visitors free wi-fi access so they can talk about you in real time on social media. And give people an experience they can’t get anywhere else by offering vintage or exclusive tastings. Also, think about inviting them to give you their opinions about new labels or wine styles you are thinking of introducing.”
Supermarket & Retailer: Read more
Additional reading:
SA wine tourism ‘revolution’ praised by leading wine writer Robert Joseph!