Ok well, maybe not them but pretty similar. The point Im trying to make here is that for decades wineries have catered to an audience that was and has been accustomed to the same traditional ways of wine branding and marketing (ie: word of mouth, print, visiting wineries, and wine tastings). But a new generation is now of age to drink and enjoy your tasty alcoholic beverages and if you want to capture their attention you’re going to have to make some changes. 

If you read my last post Your Wine Label Sucks consider this a lot more important that just being able to stand out on the shelf. This is about engagement. Particularly social and digital engagement. According to Nielsen, in Q3 of 2011 mobile users ages 25-34 consumed the most data with a 118% increase from 2010. Ages 18-24 were the second highest group of data consumed and their percentage increase was even greater, 147%. These age groups are using their phones for just about everything and that amount of usage will only continue to increase.

When apps started becoming popular it seemed like every winery and their mother had to have some sort of wine pairing app. Sure, it adds some value but in the end you’re just like everyone else. So how do you connect with this new audience in ways that will appear unique to your brand? By diving into all kinds of new digital platforms, apps and techniques. Here are a few that come to mind:

QR Codes: I just wanted to get this out of the way first. There is a right way and a wrong way to use QR codes. Unfortunately, for most wines that I’ve seen with QR codes on the bottle, its the wrong way. If I see another QR code that just takes me to your site Im going to have a hernia. What’s even worse is if your site isn’t even mobile friendly! Holy grape smashing Batman we have a problem! If your choose to slap a QR code on the bottle make sure it enhances the wine experience and not waste the users time. Use the code to suggest pairings, connect it to a simple link that allows them to rate the wine, or link it to a sweet brand video thanking the user for buying the wine. Anything but boring!

New Mobile Tech: Developers are coming up with new platforms every day that can be used in some way to engage an audience. I recently came across Blippar - an augmented reality app specifically catered to brand engagement. Take a look at what Cadbury and Guinness did with this new platform. Especially when you have a tangible product (like a wine bottle) this is an awesome way to give it new life. 

Social Connection: Unless you are producing some amazing and engaging content through Facebook or Twitter, I really could care less to “like” or “follow” your brand. However, there are some equally rewarding ways to gain social connection. I was listening to Pandora today and came across an add for Apothic Red Wine. Like usual they talked about their product but what I found intriguing is that they had their own Pandora Station. I was really curious to what kind of music a wine could have. I really didn’t know what to expect. Maybe piano ambiance or some sort of Norah Jones? To my surprise I heard songs from Ellie Goulding, Adelle, and Vampire Weekend. With Adelle aside I instantly connected and got an understanding for who Apothic Red was: A unique new red blend that likes awesome music. And I have to say I now want to go buy their wine to see if the taste matches the sound. 

These are just a sample of how to engage this new generation of wine drinkers and mobile discovery junkies. The best part is that if do succeed in connecting with this audience they are very good at sharing their newly found love for your content.

Image courtesy of Free Digital Photos

I started this site to try and create a different way to look at the discovery of wine. My goal was not only to find unique and creative wine labels but to prove a point that in a sea of shelves stacked with tons of wine bottles to choose from, you’re (you being the winery) going to need stand out. 

Its amazes me how many completely plain and boring labels there are out there. Sure if I tried you at a friends house or if someone recommended you at a restaurant I would consider drinking your wine. But in a grocery store where your wine is surrounded by others, you have two things to capture your audience’s attention. Your price and your label. In this situation your label is the face of your brand. Why not make it stand out from the rest? Who said the label had to be a 3x4 square with snooty writing that I can even tell what it says from afar. Chances are Im not going to remember where the grapes were made or how fancy your winery name is. Im going to remember what it looked like. 

By choosing wine based on the label I have been able to discover some amazing and reasonably priced wines. Bear Flag (which Im sad to see go), Headless Red, Green Fin and Seeing Red to name a few. I chose these wines because they stood out! Not because of their awards, high ratings or special grapes. Think about how social the act of wine drinking is. You’re usual with friends or family experiencing the wine together. If you found a good wine the next thing you want to do is brag to your friends about it!

Now, Im not an expert and I probably never will be but I do understand the value of first impression. It seems to me that this is probably the most important thing when your product is on the shelf with hundreds of others just like you. The best thing to do is to focus on creating strong brand recognition through the label and then let the audience discover your winery from that. 

In short, when giving your bottle an identity dont slap the winery name on it no matter how special it is. Go one step further and give your label some creative life!