If you are having trouble viewing this email, please click here

Newsletter March 2010

INNOVATIVE MARKETING SOLUTIONS FOR THE AUSTRALIAN WINE INDUSTRY

Wine Marketing 101

The industry is facing is most challenging time and the next few years will be no different.  How is your business positioned in order to survive over the coming years?

Marketing your brand should be a critical part of your business and there are some fundamental issues that should be part of your strategy.

1. Public Relations: Are you getting your wines in front of the industry opinion leaders such as James Halliday and Huon Hooke? 
    
2. Social Media: This form of marketing is here to stay, so get involved. Get on 'Facebook', 'Twitter' or 'Tumblr' and engage customers, retailers and media. It will only get more cluttered in the years to come. 
    
3. Are you competitive? Retailers and consumers are looking for a bargain. Do you need to offer a deal, or is your brand strong enough to command a premium? If you need to deal, be it a 6+1, work this into you budgets and pricing. Understand the profit requirements of your retail partners.
    
4. Profit: Simply, margin times volume. Can you increase margin via decreased costs, or alternatively increase your price? What will happen if the WET rebate dissappears?
    
5. Sell direct: Focus your marketing efforts on building direct sales (and therefore margins) via the internet and other direct marketing initiatives.
    
6. Product Mix: Do you have the right product mix? Don't discount having a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gris in your range, as this is what consumers are drinking. Ensure you have the right portfolio to offer the highest returns whilst managing supply and demand.

It's a busy time of year, with vintage consuming your day. However, never lose sight of your marketing strategy and how this affects the rest of your business.

Cheers, David & the Define Wine team

Putting your best foot forward

Whilst the Orange region has Sauvignon Blanc as its hero variety, it's the region's Chardonnay that is starting to fire.

Jane Faulkner, wine writer for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald described the 2008 Printhie Mount Canobolas Collection Chardonnay as "...quite possibly the most delicious Chardonnay I've tasted from the Orange area...", more...

Fergus McGhie, in the Canberra Times, gives his view on the 2009 Bloodwood Orange Region Chardonnay;

"Orange's cool-climate viticulture is superbly expressed in the '09 Bloodwood Chardonnay...".

If you have wines that express their regional origins, are innovative or showcase a particular variety, then you should consider showing them to the wine media.

The reviews above were in publications with a combined readership of 678,000 people. Not a bad way to build awareness for your brand.

To discuss a public relations plan, please call us on 02 6361 9898.

The art of Facebook

Still trying to get your head around social media and Facebook?

Check out this article on Mashable dot com; "Killer Facebook fan pages" for some ideas on how to make your fan page better and generate more interaction with fans of your brand.