Afternoon Brief, July 31st

DTC Market Trends Toward a Re-Balanced Standard: The direct-to-consumer wine market is still trying to figure out what the new normal looks like. Is it the pandemic’s hyper growth? Is it the pre-pandemic’s pretty good growth? Or is it something else entirely?

Steve Randazzo is the founder and president of Pro Motion Inc., an experiential marketing and event marketing agency located in Missouri. He has also been a leading expert helping Fortune 1000 companies that traditionally rely on trade shows and other events to adapt to the non-contact “COVID Economy.” We spoke with Steve recently about in-person and online experiences, and how wineries can approach them no matter what their budget. You can listen to the full interview here or read the abridged version below the key takeaways: Key takeaways from our interview: Experiences are better able to cut through the clutter and sustain our attention. Tasting rooms were the traditional way wineries built those experiences but with tasting rooms still limited in what they can do, wineries need to pivot to new types of outreach, events and experiences. Experiences can be virtual, too! New ways to reach customers were created during the pandemic, and the most successful brands will be th

Shep Hyken is the “CAO” (Chief Amazement Officer) of Shepard Presentations, and is a leading expert on the topic of excellent customer service and experience. As well as a nationally known keynote speaker, he is also author of several books on the topic, including The Convenience Revolution (Sound Wisdom, 2018). We recently reached out to Hyken to discuss customer service and experience in the wine industry. Listen to the full interview here or read along below Milton Cornwell: Today I’m here with my dear friend, Shep Hyken, who is arguably one of the foremost experts on delivering amazing customer service, managing the customer experience, and creating brand loyalty. As a keynote speaker, his client engagements take him all over the country (and internationally for that matter!) for companies like AT&T, Disney, Lexus, SAP, American Express, and coincidentally, our local favorite In-N-Out Burger. He is a New York Timesand Wall Street Journal bestselling author and inducted into t