The Business of Wine

Wine Industry Public Relations

Or

The Proper Care and Handling of the Beast

Tom WarkWark Communications

March 25, 2006

A. Stating the Obvious?1. The goal of any ongoing PR Effort in the wine

industry is to increase profits.

2. We are all here to make money.

3. A good public relations program, at its simplest, tells the world why Winery X is worthy of the consumer’s patronage.

4. Publicists are in the business of telling stories.

B. The StoryTo sell wine, a winery must be more than a maker of wine. A winery must offer a compelling reason to exist.

A winery’s story is a set of values and commitments that set them apart from other wineries.

Understanding that story, crafting it, being able to communicate it to various groups, then being willing to deliver the story over and over and over again, in a creative way, is what a publicist does.

C. Compelling Stories

1. Humanitas Wines:Giving Back-One Sip At a Time

2. Foppiano Vineyards: The Champions of Petite Sirah

3. Roshambo Winery: Wine for the People

4. Mayo Family Winery: Nothing but Single Vineyard Wines

5. Matanzas Creek Winery:Extremism in Pursuit of Quality

D. THE NITTY GRITTY: HOW TO TELL A STORY

Aiming a Story at Three Different Groups: Consumers, Trade and Media

Each Group Gets the same story, but gets it differently.

Aiming At The Consumer:Buy This (story) Wine!!

Newsletters: requesting they buy the story

Emails: electronically requesting they buy the story

Advertising: “Go buy this story!”

Events: experience our story

Tasting rooms: taste our story

Shelf Talkers: reach for our story

Media: a good reason to buy our story

Aiming At The TradeTraining More Storytellers

Sales Kits: creating the story book

Sales Trips: it’s story time

Trade newsletters: updating the story

Media:giving story tellers a reason to tell the story

E. The Proper Care & Handling of the Beast:

Dealing with the Wine Media

Understanding the Beast

Feeding Implements

Feed Them What They Want

Observe Them in Their Natural Habitat

Understanding The Beast

The Trade PressSmall, Technical, intra-industryWine Business Monthly, Wines & Vines, Practical Winery

The Consumer PressNationwide, Regional, Educational, Influences buying patternsNew York Times Wine & Dine Section, Forbes, SF Chronicle Wine Section, Food & Wine Magazine, Books

The HybridsFor Trade & Consumer, Enormous InfluenceWine Spectator, Robert Parker, Wine & Spirits, Newsletters

Feeding ImplementsCommunicating with the Press

The Press Kit

The Press Release

Pitching the Story

Face time

Samples

Events

Feed Them What They Want

The Wine Media has responsibilities.

By understanding these responsibilities and working with them as partners you help them do their job and you do yours.

Feed Them What They Want

What the Media Wants and Needs to Do Their Job: Lessons From the American Wine Writer Survey

1. What they get is not very helpful

2. New Products, Events, Awards = Useless

3. Personalities, Winemaking, Terroir, Trends = Useful

Feed Them What They Want

Breaking through the Clutter and Being Useful

1. Know the Writers

2. Fit Your Story To Their Needs

3. Avoid Disappointment

F. The Power of the Media

Robert Parker: The High-End Market Maker

The Wine Spectator: Expertise for the Masses

The Snowball: The Power of Many

G. The Secrets To Being a Great Publicist

Read

Write

Listen

Know Your Industry

H. The Blogosphere:A New Frontier

A PR Tool & a New Set of Publishers

Rapid Publishing

Rapid Spread of Ideas

Interactive

Potential for Creating Loyalty

Winery Blog

Winery Blog

Winery Blog

Regional Wine Blog

Varietal Specific Blog

Trader Joe’s-Wine Blog

Winery Website Design Blog

General Wine Coverage Blog

New York Times Wine Blog

Wine Publicist Blog

Rules to Blog By

1. Blog From An Angle

2. Express Your Unique Voice

3. Know the Wine Blogging Community

4. Publicize Your Blog

5. Post New Entries to Your Blog Often

6. Interact With Your Readers

Using Blogs To Promote

1. Treat Bloggers Like You Would Any Journalist

2. Contact Them Personally with Sample Offers

3. Post Comments on Their Blogs

4. Know What Each Blogger Tends To Cover

5. Do It Electronically

Tom WarkWark Communications

Public & Media Relations

Glen Ellen, California

707-933-9313tom@warkcommunications.comwww.warkcommunications.comwww.fermentation.typepad.com