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July 20 2009
In a period of time where “Flat is the new up” would you believe me If I told you sales were up 17% through June for a premium branded adult beverage?
It’s true. Dos Equis beer sales are on a tear and its directly attributable to well-executed advertising that appeals to Millenials.
I continue to revisit advertising and branding, especially over the course of the last year, because I continue to see winery advertising that causes me to scratch my head in bewilderment and wonder, “Who is this really trying to appeal to?”
I firmly believe in my heart of hearts that aspirational marketing for the wine country lifestyle is an anachronism, a throwback, outdated, hopelessly out of touch, whatever phrase you want to use.
Simply, it doesn’t resonate anymore. At all.
For many wine enthusiasts, especially those under the age of 40, it’s not about a desire to live the wine country lifestyle. No. It’s much bigger than that, it’s about people’s desire to live a fruitful, varied and well lived life, and that can frequently include wine, or not. Nobody’s really a one trick pony.
How do you appeal to a youthful audience? It’s inspiration, not aspiration.
Dos Equis cracked the code.
If you haven’t seen the new Dos Equis commercials, keep your eyes peeled (or check YouTube), they’re running nationally and they are brilliant – brilliant in writing and brilliant in execution.
The premise, as laid out by the advertising agency, was to create a campaign that:
“establish(es) a distinctive, desirable and premium identity as evidenced by significant growth of key brand-tracking measures,” which would, in turn, be “different from other brands,” a “cool brand” and be “worth paying more for.”
Sounds like the Holy Grail.
But, they did it by creating a swashbuckling older gentleman who is dashing in improbable scenes of international intrigue with a voiceover that intones bon mots like, my favorite, “He once had an awkward moment just to see how it feels ... He is the most interesting man in the world.” And, the ads always end with, “I don’t always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis. Stay thirsty, my friends.”
It’s genius, just like the Canadian Club advertising I wrote about late last year.
And, similar to Canadian Club, Dos Equis has an immersive, educational micro site that features “The Most Interesting Academy” where you can take “online courses” in things like, “Circumnavigating the Globe.”
But, Dos Equis isn’t the only advertising that is using this blueprint. Fat Tire Amber Ale is another hot, hot beer brand and their print ads are supported by the tag line, “Follow your Folly, Ours is beer.” Check out the video at their site to see an example about how it’s not about the beer, it’s about the consumer, in a life well lived.
Finally, the third example is a radio campaign for, of all things, motor oil. Actor Owen Wilson laments, “Don’t be THAT Guy.” The radio spots, with just narration and no effects, talk about not being “That guy” the kind that can’t change his own oil. In the brief monologues, Wilson explains the simple lost skills of everyday life from previous generations.
All of these campaigns have a couple of things in common – they are only tangentially about the product, they don’t present lifestyle, they are amorphous enough to be relatable to many different demographic segments and they all, in a subtle way, call consumers to a higher calling in their own life.
To me, the way for a winery to relate to customers is clear – it’s not about you, it’s about me, and how your products can fit into my unique aspiration to be interesting and live a life well-lived.
I hope wine marketers are listening.
Additional Articles of Interest
Dos Equis’ ‘Most Interesting Man’ Is an Even Greater Beer Salesman
Dos Equis Launches Effort Around ‘Academy’
The Most Interesting Man in the World
July 19 2009
I am glad major wine critics are denouncing wine bloggers. That means we have their attention. Let every one of them come out and dismiss the hack work of junior wannabes. But, they should at least do it with specificity and call their shots instead of offering neutered general opinions that take everybody down to mud level, wallowing in their hyped morass.
By way of background, in the editorial column of the July issue of the trade magazine Tasting Panel, Anthony Dias Blue came out against wine bloggers and defended Robert Parker in the controversy that occurred between Parker and wine blogger Tyler Colman (also known as Dr. Vino), in April and May of this year.
If I have this conflict (in its entirety) correct: Tyler makes a legitimate ethical consistency inquiry to Robert Parker, kicking up some significant dust in the process. Parker attacks back, but not at the specific situation through which the inquiry was made, not going after Dr. Vino, no. Instead, Parker goes after all wine bloggers while Dr. Vino remains silent. Two months later, Anthony Dias Blue, in an editorial in his trade magazine, defends Parker, while also indicting all wine bloggers. Dr. Vino still remains silent.
You can get caught up on the source material here here and here.
Simply, Parker and Anthony Dias Blue need to grow a pair of, er, courage enhancers. Now, that I think about it, Dr. Vino needs to grow his own set, too and take ownership for the flap that he started instead of letting wine bloggers blunt the frontal assault that is rightfully his.
Instead of attacking their inquisitor, Robert Parker and subsequently Anthony Dias Blue are throwing out generalized blanket statements, couched in smugness, that significantly neutralize their point and let Dr. Vino off scot-free. And, unfortunately, Parker’s inquisitor, Dr. Vino, seems all too willing to let his brethren to take the brunt of the attacks caused by his, albeit effective, but nonetheless sensationalist-oriented, carpet bombs.
There are no winners here.
In fact, Tyler Colman’s silence is made more dubious by the fact that he attended the Symposium for Professional Wine Writer’s, but is not and has not attended either edition of the Wine Blogger’s Conference. It’s not hard to extrapolate how he considers himself and his work.
Generally speaking, I believe in a few fundamental aspects of writing opinion-oriented material:
1) Discretion is the better part of valor
2) Nobody should be above reproach
3) Decency and civility shouldn’t inhibit somebody from giving reasoned analysis and a contrary point of view to prevailing wisdom
4) Mandated hierarchical respect is quaint and outdated.
5) If you’re going to dish it, you better be able to take it.
6) Broadsides and categorical indictments are irresponsible particularly when you can give a specific, to the point, reasoned opinion just as easily.
Item #6 might be the most important because opinion is only valuable in its specificity, not generalization.
The responses from Parker and Blue have been a categorical rebuke that amounts to xenophobic name-calling and an indictment against all wine bloggers. It’s a cowardly response from both of them.
If either one of them had any stones whatsoever, instead of painting all bloggers with the same brush, they’d give a reasoned rebuttal specific to the conflict to Dr. Vino. But, they didn’t and haven’t.
Yet, ultimately, the net result of the inquiry is that Parker amended his writing ethics and standards document and Anthony Dias Blue, whose magazine sells an “Exposure Package” that includes a full page magazine ad, feature story and sponsorship package on a radio program, doesn’t have any room to talk anyway.
If you look at this from a 100,000 feet, what Dr. Vino did was a legitimate question that resulted in a response, even if the inquiry was more sensationalized watchdog than legitimate news reporting, and the response ultimately came in the form of Robert Parker re-writing his ethics and standards.
However, in the ensuing melee, the three principal parties in this equation – Robert Parker, Tyler Colman, and Anthony Dias Blue need to fight their own fights and leave wine bloggers as a category out of it. Wine bloggers have been called the equivalent of being “losers.” I would argue the only losers in this fracas are the three people that have chosen not to fight their fight mano y mano, instead letting “wine bloggers” be a catch-all distractor for grievances.
July 16 2009
The tsunami of attention the Murphy-Goode promotion received has washed over other worthwhile and notable wine-related promotions. Fortunately, it’s not too late to participate elsewhere and your vote really counts this time.
The Markham Mark of Distinction program, running pretty much in parallel from a timing perspective (unfortunately) with the Murphy-Goode ‘Really Goode Job’ promotion, gives two $25,000 grants to winners to make a “Mark of Distinction” in their community. Voting for finalists begins on July 27th and the winners will be based on online voting at the Markham program web site.
Join me in rewarding a promotion that serves the dual master of promoting the winery AND doing some real good.
Related Links:
Winery’s ‘dream job’ idea leaves an aftertaste
July 14 2009
Let’s agree on a couple of things: Wine industry reporters aren’t known for reporting hard news and industry currency is based on both reputation and word-of-mouth goodwill.
If a deal goes sour or there is a rift between two businesses it is an exceedingly rare circumstance that a story makes proper news reports. However, you can be certain that ‘over-the-fence-post’ word will spread about the offending parties, and probably from both sides of the situation.
No sir, fair and balanced news reporting doesn’t often happen in the wine business. It doesn’t have to.
The real reporting occurs over the barrel, at dinner, or on the veranda amongst industry folks; and, most of this “news” will never see sanitizing or fair and balanced sunlight from a journalist (or an editor’s red pen). If you understand and agree with this premise than what is happening with the Inertia Beverage Group (IBG) / New Vine Logistics (NVL) imbroglio should surprise you because the over the barrel conversation is starting to bleed into a quasi-news function that is neither opinion nor fact and frankly kind of frightening.
I won’t recount the New Vine / Inertia Beverage narrative in all its glory. A quick Google search of, “New Vine Logistics” and about an hour’s time will get you caught up to speed. Suffice to say, it’s the most salacious story I’ve seen in 10 years as a wine industry observer.
And, that salaciousness shows, given the very nature of the reporting that we’re getting. Woodward and Bernstein never had it so good, what with all of the off-the-record deep throat comments that are being bandied about in “news” stories on the subject. Frankly, as mentioned, it’s a surprise. It’s as if the same anonymous insider that plagued Britney Spears in the tabloids has decided to move north from L.A. and set-up camp around two companies in the wine industry ecosystem.
By way of background, last month I wrote an op-ed piece where I offered an opinion on what could be an eventuality of the IBG / NVL deal. I suggested that what Inertia really wanted in the deal was the compliance software that would lead into a relationship with Amazon.com. It was speculation, I presented it as such, and I still believe that to be the case. It’s my opinion. End of story. However, I need to draw distinct correlation in between an opinion piece on a blog, which speculated based on reasonable assumptions, and news reporting.
Op-ed is where I source anecdotal or other circumstantial information to support my opinion, but it’s still my opinion with a relative merit commensurate to anybody else’s opinion . However, news is balanced reporting that presents both sides of a story and has direct quotes that support the story. Off the record quotes are used for background and to find a source who will subsequently allow quote attribution.
Unfortunately, in regards to NVL/IBG, we’re not seeing a whole lot of reporting. Instead we’re getting a weird kind of hybrid off-the-record background presented as news. It’s Spanglish for the online era, but the rub is nobody wants their news reports bastardized like a tofu taco.
If wine industry insiders think Julia Flynn Siler’s Wall Street Journal background, and 26 pages of sources was cause to clam up and be wary based on her airing of laundry in The House of Mondavi, the way this New Vine Logistics deal is being handled from a news perspective should turn everybody into a turtle.
Today, I regrettably tweeted to Megan, author of Wine & Spirits Daily, that she did in my words, “great reporting” on her piece about developments in this New Vine deal. And, then, I re-read her post, article, whatever the hell it is.
Then, I read Lew Perdue’s news report from Wine Industry Insight.
Neither of these two reports, presented as a news article, not opinion, offered a single person who would go on record and be attributed to a quote about New Vine Logistics or Inertia Beverage Group.
I can give Perdue something of a pass because his contacts seem well-placed and he snared some financial documents on Inertia fundraising—a coup that lends some insider credibility. However, Megan Haverkorn’s piece, upon reflection and re-reading, might as well be in an issue of Us magazine talking about an “insider” close to Jon and Kate and the eight rug rats.
Something rubs me as tabloid-ish when alleged news reports are digging into business laundry WITHOUT ANYBODY GOING ON THE RECORD FOR A QUOTE.
Secondarily, something rubs me the wrong way when none of the principals of the businesses in question are quoted outside of press releases. Even a “we can’t comment at this time” would help round out the stories to be something more than speculation masquerading as news.
Tom Wark, a guy that lifts his sheets up at night to make sure there isn’t a horse’s head in his bed based on his work on wine shipping issues, is the PR guy for Inertia Beverage Group and no stranger to controversy. I wonder what he has to say – even if it’s party line, it’s not anonymous. I’d be willing to bet nobody has contacted him. How do I know this? Because he’s pretty good at his job and he would likely follow-up a voice mail asking for comment with an email that would essentially say, “I can’t comment at this time. The next statement from Inertia will occur after the auction” which would get published in the “news” report.
Look, I’m not a pious guy coming down from up on high. I’m a blogger that offers up opinions. Some are right and some are wrong, but I’m never in doubt. But, what I don’t do is report news, balanced, fair news. It’s hard work and I know I don’t have the time to do it capably. However, as a consumer of information, what I do require is that my news sources go beyond bullshit and background to offer up somebody, anybody that will go on record with a quote and their name attached—otherwise, it’s not a story, it’s op-ed and, well, hell, any blogger can do that.
*Note*
If you’re interested in some fun, read this primer on how Tabloids operate.
July 13 2009
An interesting aspect of online wine enthusiasm has developed whereby passionate wine lovers take measured glee in opining about the passivity that marks many wineries participation in the sport of marketing.
Read any online wine media for a period of time, and you’ll stumble across this type of article or blog post. It’s the one that laments why, in a world of opportunity, are so many wineries sitting on their hands?
Mostly, this is about social media – the wineries that “get it” and the unnamed wineries that don’t.
With the economy crumbling around them, many wineries aren’t or haven’t been able to make halftime adjustments to the in-game conditions that surround them. Instead, they opt for a continuation of the game that preceded; it’s like the reverse of the long-in-the-tooth football coach drawing on experiential anecdotes from a game 30 years ago. Instead, now, it’s not the graybeards that are imploring a change in game plan, it’s those youthful or youthful in spirit.
Hell, I might be the Howard Cosell of this sport having asked my fair share of ponderous rhetorical questions while providing armchair commentary on why exactly wineries don’t seem to “get it” in the realm of marketing. Regardless, for reasons of protocol, prudence, or fear many winery folks are afraid to jump in front of the parade, let alone take a position within the caravan of new ideas that double as gawk-worthy floats.
But, when it’s not our money on the line, who can really blame a winery who may fall into preservation mode, watching the pageantry around them, trying to simply maintain their position? Particularly when you consider, to a relative outsider, this pageantry can seem more like a whirling dervish of confusion and swirl.
Yet, rightfully, I think we CAN question; especially since trends seem to be manifesting themselves into long-range developments and not short-term fads. And, if nothing else, it’s a sign that people care, which is a lot better than the alternative.
But, simply, the rules of engagement are being re-written as we speak and I think many people are asking “why” of wineries because some old tricks in the marketing bag aren’t resonating and the landscape is shifting for how to talk to customers, existing and potential.
Back in January, I put a self-imposed moratorium on writing anything that resembled a wine + social media angle. For the most part, I’ve stuck to it. That said, I do want to make a couple of higher-level points about general marketing.
Three current day wine business items seem to be indisputable truths:
1) New distribution is nearly a closed window for small wineries
2) Demand is caving for wines that are priced above $25
3) Social media isn’t a fad; what you call it may change, but the participation requirement won’t
Given these three items, I’ve seen a couple of recent articles that helped me hone in and focus on how to address customers in this era in what can be an overwhelming parade of information.
The first ‘a-ha,’ that I had occurred when I read a Matt Kramer column in Wine Spectator (June 15th edition) that attempts to define wine consumers at a very high-level.
Kramer postulates that in the new millennium, conscious or unconscious, consumers will define their “wine self”—their wine personality.
He reviews two types – a “Land Mentality” or a “Brand Mentality.”
Quoted from Kramer:
“The ‘Land Mentality’ emphasizes site specificity; single variety wines over blends; an almost obsessive celebration of differences and so-called naturalistic winemaking and grapegrowing.”
“The ‘Brand Mentality,’ for its part is more open-minded in its pragmatism. It sees the winemaker, rather than the vineyard, as critical; an interventionist approach in winemaking is endorsed, even celebrated; blending is seen as an opportunity to improve a wine.
An emphasis on brand rather than land is seen as an opportunity to offer exceptional value and higher quality at lower price points, as demonstrated by wines from Australia and Chile.”
It’s a very succinct way of thinking of wine and which category a winery falls into.
Second, I came across a matrix of existing trends that surprised me not for its size, but for the amount of existing trends that do fit wineries.
In the graphic below, information that I gathered from a blog called Fuel Lines, it highlights 36 current trends in our current consumer culture.
The thing that interested me about this isn’t the trends, which we’ve all seen in various articles, it was the gathering of them in one place and the fact that, when viewed in aggregate, wine marketing can be applied to, in my estimation, fully 75% of the existing trends today.
While I’m not long-in-the tooth like the aforementioned football coach, I think it’s safe to say that wine probably hasn’t fit into the zeitgeist of an era since, perhaps, the early 1980’s, if then.
To me, that smells like opportunity.
And, while I empathize with winery marketers, particularly those that are strapped with a small staff, I can’t help but come back to what an unprecedented opportunity exists to find customers at such a low cost.
Granted, cutting through the fog to understand what exactly is going on in a contemporary marketing climate is tough, and it’s a good measure tougher to address it in an actionable way, but if I were a winery I would ask myself whether I am trying to appeal to a consumer that has a “Land Mentality” or a “Brand Mentality” and then I would isolate existing trends that fit within that mentality that can lead to an affinity customer base.
In doing so, a winery can jump the parade, earn a spot in the spectacle and pageantry, and get the online pundits off their back. Or, not. In any sport, there are winners and losers. The sideline opinionators notwithstanding.
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