Why I love wine marketing?

What business does a small town prairie raised Canadian girl have dreaming about wine and wine marketing? Probably not so much, but I still can't help myself.

In 2004, I flew to Bordeaux, France to start a wine marketing and management program at INSEEC. I had about $80 in my pocket and a nearly maxed out credit card, but there you go. The modern day gypsy in me took a leap of faith.

Through that program I was introduced to a host of very prestigious wine marketers - staff of LVMH, Pernod Ricard, Marie Brizzard and Allied Domecq lectured to us during our masters. I wrote down most of it, or at least, I tried. Quite a bit of it was beyond my scope of experience. Since then I have reviewed my notes and delighted in how much solid advice was hidden in my scratchings.

Wine marketing was at first, all about branding and brand story for me. When you are audience to powerhouses you tend to get a little dazzled by the strategy behind such juggernaut brands. I unabashedly love the stories built by champagne houses and spirits companies; and also love a good underdog story as in the re-branding of some of the better known brands in our industry like Black Tower, yellowtail, Fuzion and J. P Chenet. At the time in France, the producers were scratching their heads and realizing that the efforts of their counterparts (ie. Australian Wines, New Zealand, the California Wine Institute) were forging the path of the future with innovative and strategic marketing plans that delivered.

Upon taking the role of Marketing Manager for a medium sized estate winery, I began to realize the scope of skills and duties that the marketing role incurs. I felt completely overwhelmed to conscientiously understand the product so beloved by so many, and especially it's family owners. I began the task of delineating the various facets of wine marketing and trying to come up with a comprehensive and cost effective strategy.

Like most things that truly fascinate us, wine marketing is a kaleidoscope of activity, never static and always fluid. As the market changes, legislation, commodities, supply and demand all fluctuate as well. So it is more than just what picture you have on your website and the label on your wine that dictates success. What a powerful and engaging industry to be involved in.

I conceptualize wine marketing now in 3 main divisions: Product marketing, Trade marketing and On-site marketing. Within each division are about 8 categories of spend to consider and plan for. It sounds complicated, but its all about a road map and scaffolding to build on. And a bit of excel skills doesn't hurt either.

I've learned quite a bit during my career, but I am still enthralled by how much more there is to learn. Wine marketing is discussed and delivered publicly only by a few major MNCs and universities, it has yet to build in a forum of professionals - albeit linked in and wine business are very close. I've been fortunate to sit on committees and discuss wine branding in Canada and also to attend wine conventions around the world to hear various pundits break down the most seemingly complicated marketing strategies into simple concepts. It's absolutely mind-blowing beautiful to see a simple strategy executed and successful. To watch a marketers envision unfold in the market place.

At any rate, I love talking about it, and reading about it. Digesting and rolling it over in my mind. Maybe even as much as I love the variation and esthetics of the product itself.