Archive for the ‘Marketing’ Category
More Proof That Wine Is Entering the Mainstream: Treating Wine Drinkers Like Beer Drinkers
December 13th, 2010 by Tom Johnson
The mainstay of beer advertising has long been convincing men that what they drink has some effect on their sex lives. Drink the right beer and have lots of sex with desirable women. Drink the wrong beer and, well, those women would rather sleep with an ugly dog than you. For those who imagine that wine [...]
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If You Want More Blackfruit, We Can Add Another Squirt for 75 Cents
October 21st, 2010 by Tom Johnson
I spent a lot of time researching Starbuck’s venture into wine, trying to formulate an opinion simultaneously wise, well-informed and amusingly original. The conclusion I reached: I really don’t care what Starbuck’s does. In case you do, here’s someone who thinks Starbuck’s wine experiment is the end of the world, and here’s someone who doesn’t.
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A Glimpse Backward at American Wine Culture
September 26th, 2010 by Tom Johnson
Actor James Mason for Thunderbird Wine.
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Rumors of Robert Parker’s Death Are Greatly Exaggerated
September 23rd, 2010 by Tom Johnson
The Internet, the story goes, is going to make wine critics like Robert Parker irrelevant. Blogging and Tweeting and CellarTracker are going to bring the wisdom of crowds to the business of assessing wine. Ring the churchbells! The era of the all-powerful and deeply resented critic is coming to an end! Today dawns a Brave New [...]
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Revenge of the Nerds: NZ Bloggers Go Righteously Apeshit
August 26th, 2010 by Tom Johnson
As part of their 40th birthday celebration, New Zealand’s National Business Review co-sponsored one of those seemingly simple social media contests with Veuve Clicquot. The winner gets his or her weight in Veuve Clicquot, and the way you enter is to go to the NBR website and write a paragraph on how you would dispose of so [...]
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The Dark Side of Direct Shipping
August 26th, 2010 by Tom Johnson
It sets the marketers free: Recently, I got a cold call at the office from a wine club I recently had joined (mostly for research, actually). The club had a hot deal, what the caller said was a great wine at a phenomenal price, and the cases were sure to be gone soon. It seems [...]
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Perspective on the Chinese Wine Market
August 12th, 2010 by Tom Johnson
There’s a common feeling that nouveau riche Asians spend too much money on wine, screwing up the market for the rest of us. Yeah, well: In China, Pabst Blue Ribbon markets a super-mega-ultra-mondo-premium beer, Blue Ribbon 1844. The beer is barrel aged and sells for $40 a bottle. Chinese vulgarians hipsters, apparently, can’t get enough [...]
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Can Wine Be Far Behind?
July 26th, 2010 by Tom Johnson
The weirdest beer packaging in history.
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World Cup Promotional Kick
July 21st, 2010 by Tom Johnson
The publicity surrounding the World Cup, held in Cape Town, has apparently boosted sales of South African wines. Su Birch, CEO of Wines of South Africa (WOSA), said that all countries with a high interest in football have seen a rise in sales of South African wine. “For the six months to the end of [...]
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After Spending Six Months and About a Billion Dollars on Branding Consultants, This
July 21st, 2010 by Tom Johnson
Fosters Group Ltd. has announced the new name of its wine division, which is being spun off as a separate corporate entity: Treasury Wine Group. I think it really captures the poetry of the wine business, don’t you?
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