Dare To Break Away From The Herd
By Scot Burns, Owner - Redbarn Marketing.
Welcome to another edition of the WineMarketer.com newsletter.
I like to use analogies in a lot of my communication with clients. Not only do they usually add a bit of humor, but they lend themselves to a clearer picture of what really needs to be accomplished. Essentially it can help make a perplexing decision very black and white… Do I stay or do I stray?
Most of my small winery clients are ones that concentrate heavily on their quality. Now, until they manage to grab a 94+ score somewhere or rope in a prized wine maker with his own fan base, they usually have the same challenges as the other 9,000 or so wineries. While the winemaker/owner feels they have a unique product, unless that is communicated effectively, they might just be seen as another one of the herd. My advice… dare to break away from the herd.
After some serious client exploration exercises where I not only feel out the brands potential for positioning, I also gauge the clients potential to try something different. If I’m lucky enough to get a wild one, that’s where the fun begins. But, even if the client is say, a little more conservative, there is still the strong potential for taking a unique approach.
Refocusing Target Markets
A classic example is… well let’s refer to them as “Winery ABC.” After deducing that the identity couldn’t be changed to help the brand and there wasn’t much money to expand promotions we decided to refocus our target. I learned that the owner’s passion was sailing (everything about the brand was nautical). I demonstrated that his current efforts were positioning him as one of the herd and that he was not maximizing the use of his resources. What I offered up was a new concentration on selling wine to sailing enthusiasts. We targeted fellow sailing enthusiasts, yacht clubs for winemaker dinners and other nautical related communities. Voila - he broke from the herd and charted his own course. The result; He spent less money but sold more and did so with a much more personal touch and added enthusiasm.
Visual Differentiation
Not being one to run with the herd myself, I cherish the opportunity to create unique packaging. Again, I don’t see how looking like every other wine bottle on the shelf is really going to sell your wine or communicate your brand. I like to separate bottled wine packaging into three different categories a.) traditional/conservative, b.) novelty (read: critters and cartoons), and c.) expressive/unique. While I feel there is place for each of these categories - mostly determined by marketing channels, I still feel most wineries or artists miss the opportunity to stand out. Whether you are trying to draw attention to a bottle lined up with a few hundred others on a shelf, or are simply trying to make an impression in a more intimate environment like a tasting room or restaurant, why not go big?! Here are a few examples and ideas on ways to zig when others are zagging:
a) Label Material - Consider silk screening or decals instead of traditional paper and to go big, how about using unique materials like metal or faux materials.
b) Bottle - Simply put, if you need a sexy image, choose a sexy bottle. If you’ve got a fun and funky image - go with something way out there. There’s a whole new generation of wine drinkers coming along and they are open to a break from tradition.
c) Label Size - If the herd is using 3″ x 4″ labels go with 2″ x 8′. Try a die cut with a unique shape or maybe even just a belly wrap label.
d) Label Embellishments - Technology has provided all sorts of new tools that you can use and with some creative thinking, can also be very cost effective. Try different approaches with foils, varnishes, embossing or high build looks. Digital printing can also give you a unique edge with the ability to vary label images or add messages or numbering.
Obviously nothing above is really revolutionary, it’s more about pointing out the obvious. It is also a lot easier to be really creative and different with a big budget, but sometime a small budget leads to the most creative and unique solutions. By rethinking who you are trying to sell your wine to or better yet, how it is best to sell your wine, you’ll be able to capitalize on breaking away from the herd.
Best Regards,
Scot Burns, Owner - Redbarn Marketing
Scot Burns is owner of Redbarn Marketing, a marketing communications company specializing in the wine industry. Scot has over 15 years of experience in marketing everything from energy drinks to video titles. Redbarn speciliazes in providing unique, outside-the-box approaches to market brands that want to stand out from the crowd.
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