A Short Guide for Wineries
This a guest post by Adam Kereliuk | Director | measured-mothered.com. Adam is also the co-owner of Plot Wines.
It’s true, the BC Wine industry is in for some challenging times, along with its network of retail partners and suppliers. This article isn’t going to go over all the grim scenarios and possibilities that are front and centre but instead will cover some strategies and insights that can help wineries pivot and even strengthen their brand. Now is a great time to start rethinking a brand’s commitment to people and purpose.
People and Purpose
As wineries inevitably have to lay off employees as a result of the slowdown, it might be time to review or strengthen your core brand promise. Remember the passion (and time) it took to shape your business into what it is today and all the unique aspects that give it a personality. Take an hour to sit down and write a revised mission statement and set your core values. If they end up being the same as when you started – great! You can also use this as an internal exercise to do with your team. Crisis often creates focus and reflection on what matters most.
Of course, having to let go of long time staff is the hardest thing a business will have to do, but hopefully, before that happens you can create a list of alternate roles and programs you can use to keep existing staff working. Maybe that means offering them alternative roles in the vineyards as spring brings more demand for outdoor labour, or you can start brainstorming new sales programs or scenarios where staff can earn a commission if they refer wine club signups and D2C sales through tracked discount codes. Experimenting with seemingly odd ideas and programs can snowball into innovation across your entire business.
Direct Connections
As a result of COVID-19, the usual hospitality channels will be slow or non-existent, meaning that direct-to-consumer sales will be more important than ever. It may be time for a creative update to your online presence. Crisis aside, your digital footprint should always be consistent, engaging, and inspiring, but especially now that you’ll be directing a lot more traffic through eCommerce. At the most basic level your site needs to work – people need to be able to browse and checkout easily. But ‘basic’ isn’t what you want to be, because your competitors are ramping up for more online sales, advertising, and content that connects with their audience. Creating unique, thoughtful content while offering a slick website experience will strengthen perceptions about your brand and your wine.
Ask yourself:
- When I land on my own website, am I excited? Curious? Inspired?
- Does my checkout process inspire consumer confidence?
- Does my website and branding represent the same quality and care that goes into the wine?
The untapped power of wine club experiences
If you have a solid wine club list, it’s definitely the time to start thinking about how you can use the next shipment to ‘wow’ your customer like never before. Take a moment to think about how special it is to receive mail, even a simple letter among all the junk and bills that normally show up. Receiving a package presents a powerful opportunity to connect with people in their own homes.
If you think about the experience of opening a new Apple product, you’ll have a ‘north-star’ to start thinking about. I’m a big believer that paper is one of the ultimate communicators of ‘luxury’, and that the tactile experience of custom print items is an untapped area that most wineries don’t focus on (beyond postcards). Increasing attention and budget on strategy and creative execution for wine club materials could help to create more powerful customer experiences, increase retention, and even capture new audiences.
Creating these new design systems can sometimes feel complex and frustrating – but this is where your new commitment to people and purpose can shine through. When you combine purpose with creative experiments and new design language, you can directly shape how people think about you and your wine. With the rise of D2C everything – from razors to snack packs, to socks, customers now expect consistent and amazing unboxing experiences.
Talk to Each Other
Don’t forget to reach out and talk to others about what they’re doing, challenges they’re facing, and ways to help each other. The wine industry is often a closed-off community, and now is the perfect time to open up, make new friends, and collaborate. As you connect and bounce ideas off other people, you’ll find a wealth of new opportunities and support.
Adam runs the brand design studio MEASURED-MOTHERED, that mainly focuses on food , beverage, natural products and hospitality. Across creative strategy, packaging, and ecommerce, he helps businesses capture attention through elevated design, content, and thoughtful experiences.