Commentary from Wines & Vines Editorial Staff
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I spent my high school, college and grad school years avoiding science classes. I wasn’t anti-science, I just had other things on my mind -- the kinds of academic interests that make you nearly unemployable. Then I took a couple of computer programming classes at a community college, total cost about $25, and found myself quite gainfully employed doing a sort of science thing. When I got hooked on wine, I started wondering how it worked, and here I am.
What’s in it for me? The question sounds narcissistic, but it is something we all must consider to understand what motivates people. Marketing professionals have known this for a long time, but since I never took any marketing classes, I was in for a surprise.
Our model for quality wine was developed in part by the claret-swilling British, and this bias still dominates the “international variety” marketplace for wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Merlot. There’s no question that very fine wines can be made from these varieties, and the California wine industry is deep in this game.
I’ve seen the term “stealth” applied to wines that get little notice; that is, they “fly under the radar.” Fruit wines could be called stealth wines simply because in comparison with grape wines they get little attention in the wine world, even though increasingly more wineries are making them and many consumers like them. But they could also qualify as stealth wines because they are all too often the subjects of hidden discrimination that takes place without explanation.
A keynote address and a breakout session at the 2010 Direct to Consumer Symposium emphasized that winery marketers must include mobile communications as a key element in their promotion and sales plans. The Jan. 19 event, in a new location at the Hyatt Vineyard Square in Santa Rosa, drew an overflow audience of about 300, mostly representing California wineries large and small, plus another 100 staffing the well-attended trade show.
The term "brand" is defined by the American Marketing Association (AMA) as "a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers." It sounds straightforward enough, so what's all the fuss about?
