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Dec 22 2011

Santa Needs a Wellness Makeover – and So Do I

December 22, 2011 – 7:00 am

By Jenn Riggle

santa scaleLike Santa, Americans could use a wellness makeover.

Christmas has turned into a season of excess – whether it’s eating too many Christmas cookies, replacing our workout schedules with holiday shopping and back-to-back holiday parties, or watching an endless stream of silly and sentimental Christmas movies. I guess it’s only fitting than an overworked and overweight elf is the holiday’s ambassador.

However, I got an idea while watching “Too Cool for Christmas.” In this movie, a teenage girl gives Santa a fitness makeover, only to discover that beneath the red fur suit was the eternally a tan and fit George Hamilton. If only we could be so lucky.

However, there are small steps we can all take to give ourselves a wellness makeover this holiday season:

Christmas is for children of all ages. However, you can’t eat like a kid forever: There are all kinds of fast foods. And while you may not go through the drive-thru on a regular basis, you should take a closer look at what you’re eating. Pizza, pasta and frozen dinners all taste great, but they’re packed with salt and extra calories. Instead, think about making meals over the weekend that you can reheat during the week. Or prepare chicken and veggies in advance so you can make a quick salad when you get home in the evenings.

santa5

If you want to squeeze into your jeans, you need to fit exercise into your schedule: The end of the year is a crazy time of preparing for year-end reviews, Christmas shopping (and wrapping) and holiday parties. In the endless whirlwind of activities, it’s easy to be too tired for your morning workout or too busy to stop by the gym after work. So pull yourself away from your desk at lunch and take a 15 to 20 minute walk. You might even become reacquainted with the sun.

It’s okay to dream about sugar plums, as long as you get enough sleep: All right, I’m one to talk. As a busy working mom, I’ve found that the time between 3-6 a.m. is a best time to write – but it’s probably creating some horrible sleeping habits. Research shows that one-third of Americans are sleep-deprived and sleep less than 7 hours a night. I don’t have any solutions about how to get more sleep. However, I find if I put in a Disney animated film in the DVD player, I’m asleep within minutes.

While everyone loves a morning latte, you can have too much of a good thing: This is the time of year when we’re all burning the candle at both ends. Surely we deserve a reward for all of our hard work. But you can make some small changes, such as switching from 2 percent to non-fat milk and skipping on the whipped cream, that can turn a guilty pleasure into a not-so guilty one. Another thing to consider is switching from going on a coffee run once a week, rather than daily.

A tan looks great, but be sure to wear sunscreen: George Hamilton is the poster boy for the golden tan, but it’s important to wear sunscreen – even in the winter. You can get a nasty sunburn skiing or playing out in the snow, so be sure to lather up.

Drink enough water: Okay, maybe you don’t have to drink 8 glasses of water a day, but we all need to drink more water. Drinking water even helps to burn fat and build muscle, and can help prevent cramps and injuries while exercising. Also, you might want to try some flavor packets to add to water. It make drinking water a lot more palatable.

So have a Merry Christmas. I know Santa and I have our work cut out for us in the New Year.

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AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Jenn Riggle | Posted in Healthcare | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)
Dec 21 2011

How to Break Through the Holiday Haze – 3 Smart Approaches to Holiday Beverage Branding

December 21, 2011 – 9:00 am

THE BOOZE BIN

By Emily Valentine (@ebvalentine)

The month of December always brings back warm and fuzzy memories for me – making eggnog, wrapping presents and boozing … I mean … feasting with dozens of aunts, uncles and cousins.

But, for many, holiday activities are fraught with emotion. Entertaining, gift-giving and spending time with family can be comforting, exhilarating and rewarding … or laden with guilt and stress. From a booze brander’s perspective, this time of year is a promotional heyday. What better time to forge a lasting connection with consumers than when they are hurtling along an emotional roller coaster, searching frantically for something soothing to glom onto?

Consumer brands can make the most of holiday marketing by 1) understanding the seasonal sentiments of their target customer, and 2) tailoring messages to appeal to their needs and aspirations. At the end of the day, whether or not someone tosses your product into her holiday shopping cart depends entirely on what it can help her achieve.

Here are a few examples of beverage brands that have tapped into their customers’ emotional needs and are responding to them this holiday season:banana_republic_wine

  1. Clos du Bois apparently has found that its target customer wants to feel and/or appear effortlessly sophisticated when hosting a holiday party or giving holiday gifts. This fall, the California winery partnered with Banana Republic on limited edition wine bottles that appeal to the yuppie lifestyle aspirations of its target audience. Associating with an influential fashion brand builds Clos du Bois’ credibility among an image-conscious crowd, and bringing a limited number of the “designer wines” to market adds an air of exclusivity so buyers feel privileged and in-the-know.
  2. Whether they have a large network of family and friends or are more reclusive by nature, many people find comfort and satisfaction in connecting with others during the holiday season. Heineken is hitching onto this phenomenon of social psychology to enhance the link between its brand and “what’s truly important in our lives this season – our friendships.” HeinekenTreeThe Dutch beer brand’s new Facebook application lets consumers use photos of their friends to make and share a Social Christmas Tree, spreading plenty of green cheer and buzz about the Heineken installation in the process.
  3. Okay, so Coca Cola isn’t exactly booze, but it is the preferred mixer for many rum and bourbon drinkers around the world … and, as the world’s most valuable brand, it’s redwhitecansalways one we can learn from. This year, Coca Cola is piggybacking on the fact that many consumers want to feel like they’re doing good and giving back to the community during the holidays. In November, the megabrand transformed its iconic red can to arctic white in order to raise awareness and funds to protect the natural habitat of its brand mascot, the polar bear. I see this campaign as a win-win for all parties involved. Coke fans get to support the World Wildlife Fund while sipping their favorite beverage, and Coke marketers get to drive holiday sales while embedding their responsible citizen image into the minds of consumers. A number of die-hard Coke drinkers didn’t see it the same way as I did, however, and the brand has since tweaked its strategy in response.

These are just a few instances of smart holiday beverage branding. What others have you noticed?

Photos courtesy of Banana Republic, Heineken and Coca Cola.

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AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Emily Valentine | Posted in Digital Marketing, The Booze Bin | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (4)
Dec 16 2011

5 Web Trends for 2012

December 16, 2011 – 10:41 am

Mobile, Search, Social and Beyond

By Jason Poulos (@TheSaganaki)

  1. Mobile Continues to Grow

    In previous posts I’ve mentioned where the mobile market is headed and the importance of the emerging mobile market. With over 5 billion mobile devices expected to be in use by 2012, I don’t see this area losing any steam next year. Marketing in the mobile world will continue to grow and according to the Direct Marketing Association, mobile spending is predicted to grow 39 percent and should come close to the $1.2 billion mark. With only 33% of US businesses having mobile friendly websites, the time is now to “go mobile” while the opportunity still exists.

  2. Quality Matters

    Google’s Panda/Farmer update earlier this year affected a lot of websites and brought to light that a “quality” website is favored by the search giant. Post Panda, design, branding, user engagement and social signals all seem to have more weight to a site’s rank. No one really knows how much weight these factors have but a poorly designed, ad heavy site with thin content that was ranking well will not rank as strongly after this update. You’d think that quality would be a given but this relatively major update has really tried to weed out the content farms and low quality websites.

    The design, brand, user engagement and social footprint all need to be thought out, planned and integrated to really create a well rounded digital footprint that plays well with Google. As Google figures out how to work these factors further into their algorithm, the need to adhere to these factors will become more and more important in order to obtain those first page search results.

  3. Pin It!

    pinterest.com_uv_1yCheck out that graph! With vists up 10,000 percent from last year and up 50 percent from last month, I’d say that the scrap booking inspired social network Pinterest, is gaining popularity.  Is it just a fad or will this social network really take hold? Compared to other  networks, Pinterest is the biggest mover. It might be too early to tell but I think 2012 will be a big year for the pin boarding site.

    Think of the site as a blend between Google Images and Twitter. Users can create “boards” based around specific interests and “pin” images to them. Users can follow others with similar interests and can share, comment, interact with others boards.

    The visual nature of the site is pretty cool and really sets the site apart from other networks. Having all of your interests and your friends interests at your fingertips can offer up tons of inspirational ideas and recommendations that are accurate and credible to your tastes.

  4. Google Dethroned

    Google dominates the search world with a 65% market share but the need for the most accurate and relative search results might push users away from algorithm based search engines. Search results maintained by humans present a socialized search experience that might gain popularity in 2012. At the moment, I don’t think any of these have the potential to dethrone Google but at one point no one knew about Google either.

    • Blekko’s goal is to use human editors and not algorithms in order to personalize and socialize the search experience. With users maintaining topic tags, search results can be more relative and accurate to the query. Blekko averages 1 million searches a day.
    • DuckDuckGo has partnered with Blekko and shares some of the same information and technology to improve search results. DuckDuckGo’s main feature provides zero-click info, similar to Google Instant Search, DuckDuckGo tries to provide the most relevant information without clicking. DuckDuckGo averages about 5 million searches/month.
    • Greplin, Wajam and Quora are three other alternatives that are socially and human driven search engines.

  5. Filter Bubbles Burst

    Eli Pariser offers up some very insightful thoughts based around how we find information and how that information is filtered to us. We experience these filter bubbles on a daily basis and may not even know that certain content is hidden from us. Google forms user profiles and engineers the info sent to your results page based on past searches and web activity. If I like Obama, Google determines that and sends me pro Obama links when searched, if I do not like Obama, I mainly get negative links when I search for Obama. As Google tries to serve up what it thinks I want, my view of the world is misshapen by the search engine.

    So how do we break these filter bubbles? The social web seems to be a partial solution but even then the social web won’t fully solve filter bubble issues. 2012 might see the rise of human based search engines and the human element of Pinterest might help you find that perfect recipe.

    It’s pretty apparent that fully relying on algorithms to serve us the “right” content isn’t the answer. Even algorithm based Google is starting to take human interaction and social signals into consideration when ranking pages. No matter where the filter exists, whether it’s Facebook, Netflix or Google, the need for the human touch is the future.

Bonus Trend: Catvertising

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AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Jason Poulos | Posted in Digital Marketing, Search Marketing | Tagged , , , , | Comments (6)
Dec 15 2011

Are Twinkies the Next Tobacco?

December 15, 2011 – 3:00 pm

By Jason Stemm (@NYCubsFan)

clip_image002What do Tony the Tiger and Joe Camel have in common? The question has been battled out in Washington over the last two years, under the radar of budget cuts and debt defaults. Millions of lobbying dollars have been spent by the food manufacturing industry to limit and even eliminate legislation to curb the ability of companies to market foods deemed unhealthy to children.

Some are comparing the fight to the battles with big tobacco in the 80’s. Now, as obesity surpasses smoking as the number one cause of preventable deaths, and in the face of rising health care costs and a crippling burden on our future fiscal solvency, restrictions are being scaled back to accommodate an industry with billions at stake.

Soda and breakfast cereals have found themselves in the bulls eye, since they are most likely to be a daily part of a child’s diet, however, all foods are being examined to help impact early behaviors that can be lifelong habits detrimental to health. This of course includes restaurants, some of whom are already making voluntary strides, such as making fruit the default option for kids meals instead of French fries.

While some will claim an overreaching of the “Nanny State” most would agree that some regulation is acceptable. Even if you think the drinking age should be lowered, you are likely to agree that an age limit on the purchase and consumption of alcohol and tobacco is acceptable. The question is where do we draw the line on the hazards targeted and the way the government goes about it.

New York City led the way in eliminating trans fats. The state’s attempts to raise a tax on sugary beverages failed, and now they are working with food manufacturers to reduce the amount of sodium in processed foods. The attempt to raise a regressive tax in the midst of a recession had little chance of succeeding. With the city’s approach to sodium they are taking a more collaborative tact with food manufacturers that should pay dividends.

The food industry has tried to head off government regulation by making some voluntary concessions, but many feel it is not enough. It is one thing to have commercials with Tony the Tiger encouraging kids to exercise to work off that sugary bowl of cereal, but with cuts in physical education at school and a more sedentary populace, it comes across as an empty effort.

Other food manufactures simply throw up their arms and claim there is nothing they can do. They are simply giving consumers what they want, and people would reject food with less salt and sugar. Clearly the only way that significant strides to healthier products can be expected is with consumer acceptance, but without a push from the government for companies to invest in the research to make these improvements they are unlikely to be adopted on a large scale.clip_image004

Marketing to kids with popular characters is a proven tactic. It has worked for fresh produce as well, such as images of Dora on packages of edamame, Tinker Bell on sweet corn or Shrek on a bag of onions. Unfortunately the marketing budgets for healthy options always seem to be dwarfed by the deep pockets of the food manufacturers. As we have seen with cigarettes in the past, sometimes we do need the government to protect us from ourselves.

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AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Jason Stemm | Posted in Wine, Food & Nutrition | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

5 (Achievable) Health Resolutions for 2012

December 15, 2011 – 9:04 am

by April Sciacchitano (@aprilcs)

Every year, people make health and wellness resolutions for the coming year. Unfortunately, they often have a tough time sticking to them. Sixty percent of gym memberships are out of use by mid-February, and it appears we aren’t making progress outside the gym either – 66 percent of Americans are overweight or obese.           

So what health resolutions should people consider making for the coming year?

Successful resolutions have certain characteristics, and the specifics can make or break you before the spring thaw. At the 2011 SupplySide West conference, the Today Show’s registered dietitian Joy Bauer revealed her 20 most frequently asked questions. Her answers provide a perfect foundation for setting a specific, measureable health goal for 2012:

  • Get your sugar intake under control. Joy recommends only two items per day use artificial sweetener because they increase sugar cravings. 
  • Go cold turkey, and cut out three “never” foods: Hot dogs, soda and starchy breakfasts
  • Break a weight loss plateau. Add 15 minutes to your cardio workout and focus on strength training.  (Women tend to put too much focus on cardio, and only 21 percent of women strength train two or more times per week.)
  • If ‘don’t’ lists aren’t inspiring, try emerging food trends that are good for you. Joy explained quinoa, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, roasted edamame, steel cut oats, kefir, chard and kale are healthful foods that are under the radar.  
  • Add three fast, healthy meals to your repertoire to rely on when schedules take surprising turns. Most ingredients should be something you typically have on-hand.

What health resolutions should marketers make in 2012? Help consumers in their resolve to improve their health. Consumers think about health during resolution season because they know it’s a work in progress. Brands that help them live a healthy lifestyle will become a trusted partner and be an invaluable part of their regimen.

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AddThis Social Bookmark Button By April Sciacchitano | Posted in Healthcare | Comments (2)
Dec 14 2011

From Vente to Vino – Starbucks Brings Wine and Beer to the Java-Loving Masses

December 14, 2011 – 8:00 am

THE BOOZE BIN

By Pia Mara Finkell (@piamara)

StarBucks-Beer--78326

After testing the concept in several Northwest stores, Starbucks announced its plans to add wine, beer and accompanying tapas dishes to around half a dozen stores in Chicago next year.

According to a recent article in the Seattle Times, Starbuck’s spokesman Alan Hilowitz reports the coffee chain will focus on appropriate neighborhoods for this concept. He added the addition of wine and beer to test stores has resulted in “double-digit sales growth after 4pm.”

A Chicago Tribune article discussed Starbucks’ hope to create a “more community-oriented store” to help them compete with local watering holes for consumer’s happy hour dollars. Their hope is the non-bar atmosphere and availability of coffee options for those abstaining or simply underage will better help them fill seats during the evening daypart.

Wine on coffeeOther fast food chains selling booze to boost sales include Burger King, Sonic and Pizza Hut. While adding alcohol to their menus can offer greater sales opportunities for the late afternoon and evening crowd, there is some discussion that the risk might not be worth the investment given increased liability comes with the turf.

Starbucks clearly believes the risk is worthwhile and will continue to look for appropriate stores for an added wine and beer list. Along with booze, the coffee chain will experiment with live music, poetry and other entertainment to further attract the evening crowd and boost sales.

starbucks-wine-glassIt seems to be a logical next step for Starbucks. Call me old fashioned though, but I still enjoy my friendly corner bar for a pint and a wine or tapas bar for a glass of vino. It’s nice to have options though, so to each his own.

One hopeful thought is Starbucks will focus on local wines in each of their shops to demonstrate support of the local community. Cheers to that!

Photos courtesy of Freaking News, Beyond the Bottle and Dr. Vino.

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AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Pia Mara Finkell | Posted in The Booze Bin, Wine, Food & Nutrition | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (3)
Dec 13 2011

Rome Burns While Politicians Fiddle

December 13, 2011 – 7:00 am

You, Nero

by Mike Mulvihill

Back in November, my Buzz Bin post warned that as campaigning for the next presidential election heats up, green energy would become a football tossed back and forth for political gain with little concern for whether these actions foster or retard the creation of needed alternative energy generation and a foundation for achieving green energy affordability. Well, the first long bomb just got thrown

Republican-leaning Crossroad Grassroots Political Strategies (GPS), formed by Karl Rove (yes, Dubya’s former deputy chief of staff), will spend $500,000 on three cable network ads that hit President Barack Obama for “crony” government spending citing his administration’s half-billion-dollar loan guarantee to Solyndra. The first renewable-energy company to receive a loan under a DOE stimulus program to encourage green energy, solar-panel maker Solyndra filed for bankruptcy in September..

As reported in the Huffington Post, the “nationwide ad by Crossroads GPS is aimed at exposing this ugly underbelly of Obama’s vision,” according to a memo from Crossroads president Steven Law. It calls the Solyndra case “a powerful cautionary tale about big-government hubris and the cronyism it invariably invites.”

The ad hits the Obama administration for making a “risky investment” in Solyndra. In reality, it would be hard to find any technology start-up, especially a green technology one, that should not be considered risky – which is why a combination of government seed money and private sector commercialization funding is needed to jump start this industry.

Meanwhile, as the U.S. gets sidetracked with politics, China continues to bring its green energy technology strategy to life. Already the world’s leading manufacturer of solar panels, China is also the globe’s number-one wind-energy superpower. China expanded its capacity by 30 percent from 2009 to 2010. Currently producing more than 40 gigawatts (GW) of wind power, it expects to reach a capacity of 150 GW by 2020 — as much as all the power, fossil-fuel-based and renewable, currently installed in Germany.

And speaking of Germany, Teutonic electronics and electrical engineering global superpower Siemens just announced a deal with Shanghai Electric

to form two new joint ventures: one focused on wind turbine research, development and production, the other to specialize in sales, marketing, project management and other services.

So while China lights more fires in the race to green tech leadership, our national leadership fiddles away oblivious to the fact that we need action and we need it fast. You can smell the smoke and see the glow in the distance, but apparently not from Washington.

Photo: Danny Scheie as Nero in “You, Nero.” Credit: Scott Suchman

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AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Mike Mulvihill | Posted in Digital Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)
Dec 12 2011

Skillsets Every PR Pro Needs

December 12, 2011 – 10:50 am

Guest post by Gini Dietrich (@ginidietrich)

Gini Pro Photo

If you missed it a few weeks ago, the New York Times wrote a piece about redefining public relations.

You see, the last time PR was defined was in 1982. Yes, 30 years ago. And, in the last five years, our industry has completely been turned on its head.

All of the journalists we spent our entire careers building relationships with were suddenly unemployed. Companies began to rush to figure out how to make money with the newest and shiniest penny. Paid and earned media had a new sibling: Owned media. And marketing, public relations and advertising began the “who owns this” fight.

But we’re entering a new year – a year where all of these things are meeting their mid-level experience. So it’s time to think about the key skills you need to have going into 2012 and beyond.

  1. Search Engine Optimization. It makes sense that a lot of the content that is being produced comes out of PR. We’ve always been writers and readers. Now we have to take that skill and learn how to optimize our content so it’s being crawled by the search engines, while also being highly valuable and engaging.
  2. Search Engine Marketing. This doesn’t typically fall into a PR pro’s toolbox because it’s pay-per-click and ads. But if you don’t have an understanding of how it works, how to do A/B testing and what to do with the results, you won’t be #winning.
  3. Content Marketing. Content goes beyond the white papers and advertorials we’re accustomed to doing. It’s videos and podcasts and blogs and emails and eBooks and more. The thing about content marketing is, if you don’t do it yourself, you’ll never truly understand it. Start yourself a personal Tumblr blog, get on WordPress, or even try out Blogger (though it’s not as good as the others). When you are developing content for something personal, you begin to understand the applications it has for clients, as well as how to build community.
  4. Inbound Marketing. This goes hand-in-hand with content marketing because it’s all about the engaging and valuable content you’re creating. But it’s driving leads. So you’re going to write content that drives people to your site and encourages them to buy. Content that has headlines around what people search. For instance, one of our highest read blog posts is PR vs. marketing. That’s because people search that term and we have content to fulfill their need (plus a webinar they can buy on it).
  5. Integration. 2012 is going to be the year of integration. PR is going to work with sales. Marketing is going to work with advertising. Customer service is going to work with product development. Instead of the silos we’re all accustomed to having, we’ll become a hub where information is shared and the left and right hands know what the other is doing. No longer will we have the “who owns this” fight.
  6. Results. Gone are the days of media impressions and advertising equivalencies. You need to gain yourself some business knowledge (how the company makes money) and some marketing expertise (how to target audiences to buy, using owned media). This is the only way you’ll understand how the work you’re doing is not just generating sales, but creating profit.

It’s a great time to be in this industry. We get to learn, expand our horizons and get out of our comfort boxes. So go do it!

Gini Dietrich is the founder and CEO of Arment Dietrich, the author of Spin Sucks, the founder of the soon-to-be-launched Spin Sucks Pro and a co-author of the forthcoming Marketing In the Round.

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AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Admin | Posted in Digital Marketing, PR Industry Trends | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (8)
Dec 8 2011

What the BCS and Healthcare Rankings Have in Common: The importance of building reputation for hospitals and health systems

December 8, 2011 – 11:09 am

By Lisa Kersey

It’s that time of year again, when college football enthusiasts eagerly await the matchups for the annual bowl games. And the “winners” for 2011 are in….and out, as the case may be.

What the BCS and Healthcare Rankings Have in Common

For years, sports commentators, fans, coaches and players have expressed mixed emotions when the final matchups are announced. There are the smug, like this year’s rematch between LSU and Alabama. Then there are the surprised, like Frank Beamer and his Hokies getting the at-large bid to play Michigan in the Sugar Bowl. And then there are the aghast, like Boise State and Baylor, who have been relegated to lesser bowl fame, based on this year’s rankings. It begs the question – do the bowl matchups award some based on solid talent and performance, but let others ride in on their reputation and historical records in order to maximize the financial impact for a particular sponsor and host city?

 A similar phenomenon occurs in the healthcare world as well. Granted, healthcare awards do not attract quite the same level of interest from the common man, nor do the rankings come replete with hard cash, but some of the rankings do favor popularity and name recognition over results.

For instance, some would argue that Johns Hopkins is the equivalent of LSU or Alabama –yes, they have reputation, but they also show consistent results. Then, there is UCLA Medical Center, sort of like the Hokies, in that they were humbly honored by being named to US News & World Report’s list of top hospitals in 2011. Then, there was Case Western Reserve University and MetroHealth Medical Center, which felt more like a Boise State, and believes that the US News rankings are a better measure of reputation than they are of quality care.

But the truth is, quality of care and reputation should not be an “either/or” proposition – for the successful hospital and health system, it is a “both/and” pursuit to excellence.

It is the core business of hospitals and health systems to provide high quality care. There is no hospital in the country that does not prioritize improving the quality of care in its annual goals, and for many it is even part of the enduring mission statement. Additionally, while quality may be defined in different ways by different people, the last decade has seen a rise in standardized measures of quality from a number of government and private sector leaders. Whether it is mortality rates, “never events” or HCAHPS scores, the data include comparative measurement around both clinical outcomes and patient perceptions of care.

So, while healthcare organizations must continue to focus on and improve the quality of healthcare, the best health systems are also investing in building their reputation. As the healthcare industry continues to consolidate and as health reform encourages more collaboration among providers and rewards best practices, all players in the industry could benefit from a little Reputation 101. Whether you wish to position yourself as an attractive partner in the brave new world of healthcare or you are preparing yourself to be acquired, reputation building is essential.

Ranking for ranking’s sake is not enough. And “studying to the test” to achieve the latest metrics won’t cut it either. But reputation building will serve as the foundation to your organization being one of the self-assured in the rankings – your reputation will precede you, and the quality of your product will back you up.

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AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Lisa Kersey | Posted in Healthcare | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (2)
Dec 7 2011

Why Marketers Should Pop the Bubbly Year-Round

December 7, 2011 – 11:02 am

THE BOOZE BIN

By Cassandra Bianco (@cnbianco)

debutart_peter-crowther-assocs

Champagne. Cava. Prosecco… these are the leading region sparkling wines from France, Spain and Italy. But for most, the bubbly sales just jingle this time of year.

Beverage Media’s current December issue features an excellent state of the market sparkling wine round-up. Key takeaways:

  • Champagne remains classic, and in true fashion, classically high priced
  • Cava slices its share as the value region
  • Prosecco stands as the most innovative, quickly rising to the top in sales. (Also entertained by Lady Gaga, who recently paired Mionetto Prosecco with turkey and waffles for Thanksgiving.)

So I checked in with a couple of wine journalists on their industry thoughts. Kristen Bieler, Senior Editor at Beverage Media, noted Prosecco has managed to break the seasonal curve.

“One interesting thing to me is that while sparkling wines in the U.S. market still really struggle to break out of the October, November, December sales (OND confines,) Prosecco has managed to become a year-round beverage with heavy summer consumption.”

Specifically, the Mionetto brands have proven impressive, which this year alone enjoyed 33 percent rise in sales. Prosecco’s $10-$19 price point positions the region competitively with Champagne, which starts at $30. Women and Millennials are the audience who have most embraced Prosecco’s fruit-driven flavor profile.

champagne cocktailI also asked Restaurant Business Magazine’s Tom Strenk, who noted the rise of the Italians, too. He said that virtually every wine region in the world produces a sparkler, and each has its fans. Tom said, “anecdotally, Spanish Cava and Prosecco from the Veneto are both enjoying increasing popularity these days, especially on-premise.” Both of these wines are a good price-value compared to other sparkling wines. He said, “they are perceived by consumers as less of a celebratory sipper and more of fun-occasion quaff.”

By quaffs, he was referring to how Cava and Prosecco are often featured in “Champagne” cocktails. Some restaurants are serving Prosecco on tap, like Graffiato, the Italian-inspired restaurant recently opened in Washington, DC.

Prince Harry Veuve ClicquotWhen you think of sparkling wine, what comes to mind? For me, the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic. Prince Harry played in the polo match in 2010. For a brand to align themselves with royalty downright rules.

And so Marketers, while planning your 2012 campaigns, keep in mind this very promising business opportunity. For inspiration, have a look HOLSTEE’S manifesto. Life should be celebrated often, and not just during special occasions. Cheers.

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AddThis Social Bookmark Button By Cassandra Bianco | Posted in Digital Marketing | Tagged , , | Comments (0)