For the wine professional, this chasm in awareness presents a rare opportunity: a clean branding slate that allows ownership and brand leadership in a category with few leaders and open waters.  In the beverage industry, we salivate over these types of moments.

As Matt Kramer recently pointed out in Wine Spectator, the U.S. wine lover has more choices than ever before.  And if the success story of prosecco evolving into many American consumers’ sparkling wine of choice is any indication (for example, the ubiquitous La Marca, who was depleting 5,000 cases just four years ago, reached a whopping 260,000 cases last year), our collective palates are ready for more.  Brands that can deliver high quality and value should be poised to jump in.  But how can these brands make sparkling more approachable and clarify the misconceptions, thereby growing the market?  Five key elements could help pave the way:

1. Bubbly is a lifestyle:  Wine is now a part of everyday life in the U.S., we are the largest wine market in the world and even Rupert Muroch is getting in on the action.  Sparkling wine has long been synonymous with luxury, because of its French heritage and association with nobility.  Sparkling brands moved into the lifestyle space quickly, even for occasional wine drinkers with brand loyalties unrelated to value or quality.  Wines with the added benefit of both these qualities are at an advantage.

Want to live the bubby lifestyle? Unbutton the shirt and give your fedora a tilt. Photo Credit: http://www.champagne.us/

2. There’s more than just champagne:  with a rich and diverse group of selections from regions beyond Champagne in both the Old World and the New such as Cava, sparkling wines produced in the often-superior méthode traditionnelle of secondary fermentation in the bottle should tout this fact at every opportunity.

3. A great sparkling doesn’t have to be expensive:  as with still wines, there’s a rampant misconception that you have to spend a lot to get a great bottle of bubbly.  This is simply not the case, and leaves great opportunity for brands to dispel the myth.

4. It’s something you can drink anytime, with almost anything: just ask your favorite sommelier.  Those impossible-to-pair spicy, salty or vegetal flavors typically work beautifully with sparkling wines, even Indian food, asparagus and artichoke. When in doubt, think bubbly. It’s hard to go wrong, and as far as occasions, sparkling wine is perfect for any moment, event outside of celebrations. Just ask Lily Bollinger!

5. Look to Millenials: it’s no secret that Millenials (myself included) crave what’s best and what’s next.   Those of us on the older end of the millennial spectrum may bring more disposable income to the table to spend on beverages.  Do you have a fantastic and authentic bottle in that $30-$40 sparkling sweet spot that outshines one of those everywhere-brands for the same price?  We want it, so tell us about it.

Courtesy www.urbandiner.ca

Although the worlds of food and wine are certainly married in many ways, one of the important ways they are not is in the trends that sway each industry in very specific directions. It always puzzled me that, at the height of the locavore movement, at a moment when you had to be careful not to eat your off-season strawberries in front of anyone, that wine lists were still touting libations from far flung corners of the world.  Where were all the local wines?

Well, fast forward a few years later to today and there are plenty of restaurants in New York City and, notably, Brooklyn, with wine lists that either focus on local (or, at least, domestic) wines or are entirely composed of them.

The locavore movement has evolved yet again to the point where savvy restaurateurs are now not only singing the gospel of local, but, in a move straight out of a Portlandia sketch, they’re now listing the farms and purveyors of almost every item on the menu (eggs, kale, beef, flour)

courtesty www.ahalife.com

This is a trend that, for once, echoes the goings-on of the wine world. A wine’s producer has always been important. Could you imagine a wine list that didn’t list producers?

In the wine world, however, a producer is often just a name or even a brand. It can signify a certain expectation of quality, price or both – but it doesn’t evoke an actual human so much as it signifies a legacy. It’s no surprise, then, that often a producer is just a name – an inherited and unchangeable name – rather than an actual person.

Just as the food world has developed an appetite for transparency in bringing to light the hard working farmers, chefs, and artisans who put food on our tables, the wine world is slowly catching on.

As consumers grow increasingly aware of what they’re drinking, it seems inevitable that they will also start questioning what’s in their glass.  With the rise of the organic, biodynamic, and natural wine movements, one could easily argue that it’s already happening. The next step is surely for consumers to wonder, not just how their wine is made, but who is making it.

Courtesy www.cartoonstock.com

It’s time for winemakers to get personal. As consumers become more accustomed to knowing the face and name of their farmers and producers (real or imagined) it makes sense that this particular trend will carry over into wine. Consumers are ready to see behind the curtain, as it were, and meet their winemakers. Impersonal brands are going to start to feel lazy and consumers are increasingly craving the romance of a back story and personality.

The smart winemakers will give it to them.

By Eliza Winston

“A woman drinkin’ a Guinness?” my elderly cousin asked in horror during a recent family reunion in Ireland.

Of course I was drinking Guinness, this was Ireland, right? From then on, I couldn’t help but notice something that gave me the sinking feeling my beer choice was wrong. Very wrong.

That’s because the drink of choice of the Irish woman is …. Coors Light.

Photo: brewbabes.wordpress.com

That’s right, Irish ladies prefer to drink the official beer of NASCAR, and the beer that an Alaskan man drank to survive while being stuck in a snow drift. Is it because Irish women are just a little more rugged than their American counterparts?

Nope. It’s because in Ireland, Coors Light was thought of (since its introduction to the market in 1997) as a decidedly “girly” beer. Through a little research (talking to relatives) I found out when it was first introduced, it was marketed as a light beer with a nice taste, and it was one of the only Lagers available.

In the U.S., it’s common to see Coors Light at college parties, sports games and even made into Father’s day, birthday or groom’s cakes. But in Ireland, that desirable young male demographic was turning up their noses in favor of a point of Guinness or Bulmer’s. Why?

Photo: www.cakepicturegallery.com

Because the culture didn’t fit the beer.

According to a case study from Chemistry, a communications company, when Coors Light was launched in Ireland the Irish market had no history of a light beer. To Irish men, “light” meant low calories, low taste and low alcohol content. And none of those were good things.

So what to do? According to their research, when Irish men order a beer at a bar they order it by brand. Here in the U.S., you might ask the bartender for the best IPA, a hefeweizen, or lager they have on tap. But in Ireland, they ask for a Bulmer’s, a Guinness or even a Budweiser. So Coors Light had to be given a rich heritage that made men think of quality.

Chemistry had to establish an emotional connection with young Irish men, and they did so by publishing ads that pointed to the rugged mountains and history of the Rocky Mountains. The push was to get men to think of the beverage as rugged, not weak.

Are men no longer ashamed to ask for it loudly at the local pub? I’m not sure. Chemistry’s case study points out that demand for Coors Light has continued to grow at a time when the country’s demand for beer is steadily decreasing.

But that buy-in from the Irish woman definitely isn’t hurting sales. In fact, Molson Coors is trying to figure out how to get women in the United Kingdom to be as enthusiastic about their pints. Women in the UK knock back only 13 percent of beer sales, while women in Ireland consume 36 percent of beer sold. But even at 36 percent, it’s easy to see why Coors Light wants to get men (who make up the other 64 percent) on board.

And it looks like the UK feels the same way. But they didn’t choose the company’s history and rugged gold-miners to reach British men. Instead, they opted for an epic quest through the Rockies with Jean Claude Van Damme. Has it worked? Just as in Ireland, Coors Light has outperformed the UK market, growing in sales even when the overall beer sales for the country are declining.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Coors Light’s effect on the Irish beer market proves that timing and understanding can have a significant impact on reaching your target market. Irish men might not have realized at first that a light beer could be rugged. But many of the women knew immediately it was just what they had been waiting for, and those loyal customers will continue to drink it and ask for it loudly, at any bar.

It also made me realize that my tastes in beer are equally influenced by my peers. I know I’ll stick to drinking Guinness when in Ireland and when it’s St. Patrick’s Day. On other days, well, I’ll take the local microbrew. (A hefeweizen, if you have it.)

By, Rosalie Morton (@rosaliemo)

Meme 101

You might not think you know exactly what a meme (pron. MEEM) is… but if you’re reading this blog you do, promise. I think memes are best described through examples. So consider a few of my recent favorites:

-         Angelina Jolie’s leg from the Oscar’s

-         What my friends think I do (the PR one is priceless)

-         And of course, Tebowing

If you still want to get formal, according to Wikipedia, a meme is:

- An idea that is propagated through the World Wide Web. The idea may take the form of a hyperlink, video, picture, website, hashtag or just a word or phrase. The meme may spread from person to person via social networks, blogs, direct email, news sources, or other web-based services. An Internet meme may stay the same or may evolve over time, by chance or through commentary, imitations, parody, or by incorporating news accounts about itself.

A good meme is any marketer’s dream. It means your product or campaign goes viral (win!) and tons of people are not only looking at it, but they are:

1)    Interacting with your brand

2)    Making your brand their own

3)    And then… the clincher: they are sharing your brand with their friends.

(A bad meme could mean a crisis… but that’s a different post for another day.)

It’s textbook social media engagement, and it’s precisely why social media is more powerful than traditional media. As your customers interact with your brand, it becomes branded into their minds far deeper than it would through a TV commercial or a billboard.

Memes Behind the Bar

One thing is sure, people love their liquor, so it should come as no surprise that beverage brands and their supporters have had a LOT of fun with memes.

Here are two of my favorites:

The Most Interesting Man in the World – This is a marketer’s dream come true. The Dos Equis team created “The Most Interesting Man in the World” and not only did people love the commercial, it became a meme and went viral on its own. Kudos, Dos Equis. Kudos to you, indeed.

Bros Icing Bros - In my opinion, this is the best beverage meme to date. The game is simple. Hide a Smirnoff Ice somewhere for your friend to stumble upon – his sock drawer or say, the shower. When he finds it, he has to get on one knee and drink it, unless he is already in possession of a Smirnoff Ice. A website developed, bros posted pictures of their best ices. The game became a meme.

Like many memes, the mystery remains… was this a PR ploy by Smirnoff, or just 23-year old Joe’s mode of procrastination. According to a Huffington Post article, Smirnoff denies everything. Support a reckless under-aged drinking game? Of course not! Regardless of their involvement, the urban legend lives on… although brosicingbros.com sadly has been taken down.

The old Smirnoff in a Burrito. Classic!

And so, this morning I leave you with the famous Hitler Meme, hijacked by winos, The Downfall of a Cult California Winery

Share your favorite beverage memes, below!

Photos from: http://knowyourmeme.com/

BrosIcingBros.com

By Rosalie Morton (@rosaliemo)

What better way to celebrate Social Media Week 2012 than with a look at how craft beer, an American past time, is faring on everyone’s favorite social network, Facebook.

The craft beer movement is well underway in 2012, and these small breweries are absolutely perfect for social media. Add the naturally social aspect of drinking with friends to the sense of local pride that comes from drinking a beer from the brewery around the corner, and you have a sense of community that transfers seamlessly to Facebook.

From splash pages, to e-commerce, to good ol’ fashioned engagement, here are five craft breweries getting it right on Facebook:

1) Heavy Seas Beer- From the punchy phrase on their splash page, “Join our crew. Sailor’s tell tales. Pyrates make legends” to their three custom tabs dedicated to their “fleets” of beers, it should come as no surprise that fans flock to Heavy Seas. They share pictures, give away shirts and interact with their fans. Ahoy, mateys—it’s a happenin’ place.

2) Deschutes Brewery- Deschutes knows Facebook. A fan-gate tempts prospective fans with the chance to win a ski-trip, the welcome tab offers an easy-to-view summary of the brewery’s offerings and… they had me with the “Shop” tab. E-commerce!? I’ll take four pint glasses. Well played, Deschutes. Well played, indeed.

3) Victory Beer- Victory Beer’s Facebook page is no-frills and the 35,000 fans love it. They keep their fans engaged through Friday Quiz Questions, lots of pictures and constant event updates. Honestly, the intense Victory pride probably stems from their location. These beer-lovers have built-in Philly pride. And, Victory uses that to its advantage.

4) SweetWater Brew- Creating regional Facebook or Twitter profiles is a challenge, and I love the way SweetWater confronts it. Their splash page links to each of their regional pages, front-and-center — a great way to unify the brand, while enabling fans in certain regions to keep up with SweetWater news and events.

5) Anchor Brewing Company- Anchor’s page has a delightfully simple tag-line: “Beer is Social.” I couldn’t have said it better myself. I love the classy splash page that channels old-school San Francisco and the “virtual toast” at the bottom left corner. On Anchor’s wall, a fan asks for a couple of coasters to add to his wall of coasters. The Anchor team offers to send him some, showing they understand that social media only goes so far. It’s those real-life touch points that turn a typical beer fan into an Anchor devotee.

So with that, raise your glass to a rockin’ Social Media Week and please share any other great examples of craft beers going social below.

(photo credits: Anchor Brewery, Victory Brewery, snbz.net)

By Pia Mara Finkell (@piamara)

This is my last Booze Bin post before Baby Finkell joins the party, so I thought I’d leave you with some of my favorite wine social media tools and platforms for 2012. Don’t worry though, my much smarter and wittier colleagues will be pinch hitting for me while I’m on maternity leave. The Booze Bin lives on!

 Now on to those hot tools for grapey greatness. The first applies to much more than wine, the second saves you time and keeps you engaged (for free) and the third offers a good solution to small business owners trying to get on the social train.

1. Pinterest: I’ve heard mention of it so many times in the past month that it seems a waste to not start a drinking game, or at least scream Pee-Wee’s Playhouse word-of-the-day style with every reference. For those of you without estrogen running through your veins or a close female friend in her early 20’s, Pinterest is an invite-only, visually-beautiful, digital bulletin board that takes your magazine cutting and scrapbooking habit online, and makes it searchable for others with similar interests.

Now one of the top 10 social networks, Pinterest is perfect for wineries and wine regions looking to engage potential customers online with cool visual (image + video) elements of their winery and wines, pairings and recipes, new label ideas, etc.

2. Social Connect: Created by a friend’s wine digital think tank, the second is a killer tool to help the wine industry listen and engage with their customers in the online sphere FOR FREE (yes, actually free, forever). It was a cool tool as Cruvee, but the spanky newest version of this web application mines and delivers all online conversation around your wine brand on wine blogs and discussion boards, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Foursquare, CellarTracker and others. It has lots of new bells and whistles, but bottom line, it’s a great free tool to measure online discussion specific to the wine industry. Rad.

3. Social Candy: Great for individual wineries on a shoestring marketing budget (take a look at their client lineup), Social Candy offers small businesses simple, online tools to create and manage Facebook content, including wine e-commerce, events and integration with other online mediums (blogs, websites, etc.). One of their customers from Lambert Winery testified, “the integration to our eCommerce system allows us to change content in a single location, and it automatically updates on our website and in Facebook at the same time. Social Candy also makes it easy for us to change our featured wines, update event information and showcase our beautiful winery.”

Cheers y’all and thanks for reading the Booze Bin. Lordy knows I’ll need a stiff drink once this baby is on the outside, so you can be sure you’ll hear from me soon.

Photos courtesy of Godammit.com, Wine Industry Network and AppsBistro.

By Cassandra Bianco (@cnbianco)

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.

I 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.

When 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.

By Pia Mara Finkell (@piamara)

 I fancy myself versatile, but really, I’ve only ever worked in wine and food. PR, marketing, social media…they’ve all been vehicles to help me stay in the world I love. If you can drink it, or eat it…I’m in. This Thursday, June 30^th, however, is social media day, dedicated to the global awareness of emerging trends in all things social and mobile. Perhaps I get the nerdy urge to celebrate because, like wine, social media offers similar academic challenges with a small sip of dorkiness and a heavy pour of interesting.

On another note, a friend from the wine marketing industry told me she recently forayed into fashion PR, and found the industry was so much more “with it,” as far as social media. It got me thinking. With the cushy topic of booze, are we all getting a little lazy? Perhaps, but there are still some best practices out there that are worth mentioning. Here’s one for you!

Currently, my oldest client reigns from Rioja, Spain’s most famous wine region. Rioja wineries produce some of the world’s most food-friendly wines, offering a choice for every style, occasion and price point. Five years ago, the region’s regulatory board, Wines from Rioja turned to CRT/tanaka to introduce and contemporize this old world wine region to a new generation of U.S. consumers through a multi-pronged integrated branding campaign.

In order to successfully create awareness about this vibrant wine region – from educational trade seminars to fun consumer parties– every part of the campaign is integrated for the greatest impact. Coming into its fifth year in the U.S., Vibrant Rioja is proud to have a social media component to all activities.

This is a region that truly ‘gets it,’ and as the Regulatory Board’s Marketing Director, Ricardo Aguiriano commented: “the power of social media is a reality and Rioja must be actively involved more than ever before. It´s probably one of the best ways to spread the message of this storied wine region.”

This year’s Vibrant Rioja Grand Tasting events included a two-city tour with social media components integrated in every portion. This included promotion from Vibrant Rioja’s Twitter account @RiojaWine and the creation of the official Grand Tasting event Twitter hashtag: #RiojaBuzz to create a virtual conversation around the events. This year’s Grand Tasting also features the RiojaBuzz lounge, offering an approachable, engaging space for attendees to interact digitally, including:

• Live-streaming Video: Broadcasting live streaming video to engage Rioja fans all over the world who couldn’t attend the Grand Tasting in person at http://www.vibrantrioja.com/riojabuzz.
• Live Interviews: Live discussions with attending winemakers and influential attendees were repurposed afterwards on Rioja TV (Vibrant Rioja website) and the Vibrant Rioja Facebook page.
• Twitter Feed: Flat screen TVs in the lounge featured the Live Streaming video, plus Twitter discussions, so attendees could join the conversation in real time from the lounge.

In order to increase engagement with Rioja’s Facebook site and Twitter handle during the Consumer portion of the Grand Tasting in New York, the Vibrant Rioja team partnered with the online social networking site for wine lovers, Snooth to co-host a social media sweepstake. Guests were encouraged to tweet about the event to #Riojabuzz and post their favorite wine and post a picture of themselves at the Grand Tasting.

The wine industry may not always be on its game, but I think we’re doing something right!

Cheers and Happy Social Media Day to nerds everywhere!

By Pia Mara Finkell (@piamara)

Somewhere at Groupon headquarters, there is a fully functioning crisis room where someone is drawing devil horns on a picture of Mark Zuckerberg. With the recent wild fire rise of Flash Sales and Group Buying, it should come as no surprise that the social networking leader Facebook announced its intentions last week to launch a location-based, Groupon-style service to its 500 million-plus members. 

This move shows Facebook’s desire to attract new local businesses as customers and drive sales. According to Bloomberg, Facebook “raised $1.5 billion from investors led by Goldman Sachs Group Inc., placing a $50 billion valuation on the entire company,” and “Facebook may have reached $2 billion in sales last year.” With 2 billion in sales, why is Facebook creeping on Groupon’s turf? As reported by Time’s online tech blog, Techland, “according to consulting firm BIA/Kelsey, daily deals will generate $3.93 billion by 2015.” Needless to say, there is some money to be had in showing some love to local and small business.

Facebook will roll out their new social offering in beta as part of their existing Deals program, starting in San Francisco, San Diego, Dallas, Atlanta and Austin. According to a recent statement from the Palo Alto-based company, “local businesses will be able to sign up to use this feature soon, and people will be able to find Deals in the coming weeks.” Facebook smartly extended discount offers beyond its own deals, offering users deals from partner group buying sites, such as Gilt City, PopSugar City, KGB Deals, HomeRun.com, ReachLocal, Tippr, Plum District and Zozi.

While this is an obvious next step for Facebook in developing their business model, this is good news for Facebook users looking for the next great deal, and great news for small businesses looking for new ways to reach their customers and generate loyalty via social media. As reported by Business Week, “’local is the last frontier that the Internet has not conquered, and everyone is going after it with a vengeance,’ said Lou Kerner, an analyst with Wedbush Securities Inc. in New York. ‘This news is just kind of an evolutionary moment in Facebook’s drive to be a major player in local.’”

Facebook has also done a fantastic job of working with U.S. and State authorities on drinking age restrictions to make sure their alcohol advertisers can effectively target the right consumers of legal drinking age. Even Twitter has cautiously opened Promoted Twitter Account options to bev alcohol brands and regional wine boards (upon individual approval). From restaurants to hotels, and (as it relates to the Booze Bin) from bars to wineries, small businesses and those in booze or other types of marketing have reason to pay attention to Facebook’s new offering.

Here is a great video from Facebook that explains their Deals Program. Cheers!

Photos and video courtesy of Nicholas Gill Bluurb, Guines Designs and Facebook/YouTube.

By Pia Mara Finkell (@piamara)

This is my favorite time of year. Holiday parties aplenty, wassail up the wazoo, and enough popped bottles to impress even Lil Wayne. It’s also a time to reflect on lessons learned throughout the year, and forecast trends to come, so we don’t get caught with our proverbial pants down.

Here’s a look at the major themes of 2010 that will continue to grow in the coming year, affecting wine and spirits (and in some cases other) PR professionals and marketers in 2011.

Top 5 Booze Trends of 2010:

1. Jump In, the Water’s Warm!

Wineries and other small booze businesses dipped their toes into the warm waters of social media in 2010. In what seemed like overnight, wine businesses around the world launched Facebook and Twitter pages, featuring them front-and-center on their respective websites. While most are just beginning to see the benefits of engaging customers in the digital sphere, a few stood out. Wineries like St. Supéry hired a full-time social media manager and moved from participation to engagement, driving unique content and even a global movement (e.g. #Cabernet Day).

2. Taking the Snooty out of the Wine Selection

I don’t think sommeliers should fret quite yet, but according to Wine Enthusiast magazine’s blog, several forward thinking restaurants have turned to IPad “wine tablets” for their wine and cocktail lists this year. From NYC’ SD26 to Chicago’s Chicago Cut Steakhouse to Atlanta’s Bone Restaurant, restaurants saw a boost in sales from the very first day they introduced the iPad wine lists to their customers. According to the The New York Times, wine purchases shot up nearly 11% overnight. “The devices seem to be spurring deeper interest in wine and empowering bolder, more confident selections, they say, potentially revolutionizing the psychology of dining’s most intimidating passage.”

3. Simplify the Shopping Experience

Following on the theme of demystifying the wine experience, 2010 marked the creation of some incredible and very functional tools to simplify shopping for wine, including wine apps, wine vending machines and even QR Codes on wine labels. Considering the now overwhelming selection, Mashable thankfully just put out a list of the top 10 iPhone apps for Wine Enthusiasts, pointing to, among others, Snooth Pro for their cool image recognition technology and PairIt! for their huge database of searchable wine pairings.

4. Social Media Meets Social Commerce

I’ve written previously about the rise of private online sales, with popular invitation-only wine flash sale sites like Lot18, Deals From the Vines and VineCrowd offering a range of heavily discounted, premium and sometimes small-production wines. Sites that are doing this well safeguard the integrity of the wines they promote and offer a new way for wineries on small marketing budgets to generate brand awareness and attract/engage new customers through trial.

5. Putting the Social Back in Social Media

While many forward-thinking wine businesses and regional boards have begun to engage potential customers and fans online, the most savvy have found ways to replicate that engagement IRL (“In Real Life”). Putting the social back in social media, smart groups like TasteLive and the VA Wine Board have run virtual tastings and tweetchats with local winemakers, wine bloggers and industry influentials, driving overwhelming consumer participation, media coverage (print, online and TV) and even a Twitter trending topic.

For predictions on future trends for 2011, the National Restaurant Association just released its annual list of food and drink trend predictions for 2011. I’ll write soon about some thoughts in this arena for wine and spirits marketing professionals.

Images courtesy of Bryan Thatcher, Trends Update, Mashable,Recessionista and Drink Think Wine Blog.

By Pia Mara Finkell (@piamara)

At their core, my clients are traditional. They are quite literally rooted in tradition, be it age-old winemaking customs, or multi-generational biodynamic farming techniques.

As food and wine trade and marketing associations, many of my clients are tasked with representing the common interests of a large group of shareholders: winemakers and growers, farmers, or artisanal food producers. In addition to supporting their collective marketing efforts, a large part of their daily life is regulating strict quality controls over an entire industry to ensure the best final product for the consumer. Bottom line, it is their job to be skeptical of anything new and flashy, anything not based in science and tradition, and definitely any trend that seems fly-by-night.

Even if they see the value of social media marketing methods – if they already “get it” – they still have to convince a room full of business owners and farmers. Oh, and just to make it a little more of a Double Dare Challenge, English is often not their mother tongue, so there is quite literally a language barrier between us.

Impossible?

Like anything else, you just need to learn to speak their language. Here are five ways to translate social media, and convince conservative, traditional or just plain cautious clients it’s worth adding to their overall marketing plan.

1. Speak their Language: I’ve written in the past about explaining social media to your clients. I’ve learned the bottom line is you have to translate the gobbledygook into terms they can understand: ROI and dollars (or Euros). Explain any costs and time involved, and demonstrate that equally significant to how much it will generate is how much it will save. For more information on this topic, here’s a great white paper by Syncapse that presents social media in terms of ROI.
2. Illustrate the Value in the Real World: Take the theory out of your explanation and use real life examples of what the heck you’re talking about. There are endless case studies out there to prove social media is effective from the perspective of sales and brand awareness, but here’s a well-known recent one:

3. Don’t Create the Proverbial Social Media White Elephant: If your client is reticent about creating an entire budget line item,  avoid the silos and integrate social media strategy and tactics into your core program they feel comfortable with and have already approved. This will take the sticker shock factor out of the picture and allow them to see how the new kid on the block can fit in without breaking the piggy bank.
4. Think Long Term: While short-term strategies that immediately effect a brand’s bottom line are important, it is equally important to lay the tracks for the future. Social media marketing is a long-term “pull” method that should be seamlessly integrated with “push” portions of your campaign, keeping in mind the ultimate goal of building a community of brand loyal customers. According to the Syncapse study, 68% of Facebook Fans indicate they are very likely to recommend a product, and 41% of fans are more likely than non-fans to recommend a fanned product to their friends. Even for a conservative client, those numbers talk.
5. The Bottom Line: In addition to driving traffic to the website, driving brand awareness and word-of-mouth, top brands and companies are spending millions on social media campaigns because they increase sales. The Old Spice case study shows sales spiking over 107% in a month and Dell reported $3 million in sales through Twitter. For more information on leveraging social media to increase sales, check a previous post here.