A WINERY GUIDE TO AVAILABLE RESEARCH You know what’s better than spending ten grand on a focus group where Jan from accounting tells you your wine label “feels aggressive”? Doing your homework first. And no, we don’t mean journaling your feelings over a glass of Pinot. We mean secondary research—the overlooked, underloved MVP of marketing insight. While everyone else is out there reinventing the wheel with a clipboard and a budget they don’t actually have, smart marketers are quietly unlocking industry goldmines using data that’s already been collected. It’s like discovering your neighbor’s Wi-Fi is open and they happen to stream all the same shows you like—only more legal. Let’s break down this not-so-secret weapon. THE BOUGIE STUFF: COMMERCIAL SUBSCRIPTION DATA If you’ve got champagne dreams and a caviar budget, welcome to the gated community of NielsenIQ, IRI, Forrester, and Gartner. These firms offer beautif

Make Most of Rising Chenin Love, Says Ken Forrester and Enter Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 10 Challenge

June 10th – “Many of the finest and (now) most admired South African wines are based on Chenin Blanc,” says influential UK critic Jancis Robinson MW. She also highlights the grape’s sound ageing potential, asserting in last month’s Financial Times article on Chenin that “with time it can hold its own with the finest white wines”.  […]

We’ve been waiting, and it’s finally here – tasting rooms can finally open for many of us. But 2021 began as 2020 ended, with much uncertainty as to when this significant revenue driver will open. And when they do open, how quickly will customers feel comfortable enough to visit in pre-COVID numbers? In the meantime, eCommerce and club sales are still growing exponentially. Please don’t walk away from this new channel but continue to invest in it. To take full advantage of all that you’ve achieved while your tasting rooms were closed, wineries should continue to use part of their tasting room marketing budgets to augment brand awareness, virtual experiences, and eCommerce marketing in the online space. How Much? According to a survey done by cmosurvey.org last year, most companies budget between 6.5% and 10% of their revenue to marketing, making up about 12% of their total operating budget. In June of 2020, they revisited this survey to evaluate the i