Get Your Wine Story Amplified

By On · 10 Comments · In General
It was tough having to be back on duty at the Wine Future conference just over a week after the end of the EWBC. Consequently, we have been unable to write up our post-conference observations in a timely manner. But on the flipside, the lag time has allowed us to continue developing our thoughts and understanding on these topics with even more input. (photo by thepismire)The two conferences have made me think about the role of the blogger. Much of what we discussed at the EWBC was about ‘bloggers’ as the intermediaries between producers and consumers – in part because there are a lot more people writing about drinking wine than writing about making it. However, at Wine Future, it was Ryan Opaz & Gary Vaynerchuck‘s turn to encourage the wineries themselves to step up and get involved.

Get Amplified

At the EWBC, I was excited to help push the discussion about the social wine brand, and take a different look at what we understand as a ‘wine brand’ itself, but also the role of bloggers.

I was therefore struck by one of Gary’s most interesting points (and I paraphrase liberally):

Tell your own (winery’s) story, with passion. Don’t be lazy and wait until others tell it for you, take ownership and speak to your consumers

At first, this seems to contradict the EWBC message as this is exactly what many of the EWBC bloggers want to do. Should it only be wineries that blog and talk to consumers? Is every other blog a waste of time and space? Are we actually hurting the wineries we are trying to help?

In fact, it is not a contradiction, but it does raise important issues that were discussed at the EWBC and reminds me of a model I have become part of in the UK called “Amplified“.

Amplified is a ‘network of networks’, it is about making contacts with other players in the social media sphere who can not just learn about you and your brand (or your particular network), but if they like it, they’ll find a way to share it with their own audiences. The role of these players is to take a message and give it a boost to a new audience.

…sometimes it requires other intermediaries to filter and share that message, get it to new people, give it some credibility and start the process of building the brand

It IS up to the wineries to tell their stories, as was discussed and debated in the EWBC session “Winery & Wine Blog Relations“. Wineries need to do their bit to communicate their story, and make it easy for others (such as bloggers) to share the story, but wine bloggers are not being delegated the task of talking about wines, as arguably used to be the case with journalists in wine magazines. Instead, they have a role in amplifying the message that wineries put out. As Ken Payton said, “wineries tell their own story .. they always do it better than a writer could”, but sometimes it requires other intermediaries to filter and share that message, get it to new people, give it some credibility and start the process of building the brand. This is very much the role of the participants at the EWBC.

Not all wineries have, or will want to have, blogs of their own, but they are still telling their stories at tastings, in their cellar door shop, with their press releases and many other media. It means that there is a major role for wine writers of many different styles and backgrounds to learn the stories and wines they like and then bring them to a new audience.

One of the most important things achieved at the EWBC did not come from an individual speaker or exhibitor, but was the fact that all the participants have become a stronger network. There is now a means for sharing ideas, collaborating on projects and identifying opportunities. In short, we are ready to amplify each others’ stories.

Pass the megaphone!

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  • Fabius

    How interesting! As a winemaker who believes in marketing, and who has just recently 'discovered' social media, I'm trying to tell my own story, and I blog as much as possible about the winery, vineyards, events, related topics, etc. But, obviously, being a (very) small producer, I have so many tasks and jobs to do, that I cant be blogging and networking all day every day!!! For me, dedicated wine bloggers are essential and add value because they can take my story (and any winery's story of course) and run with it: wineries and/or grapegrowers can easily provide the basic 'insider' info while bloggers could then expand on it, rewite it, give a different slant, integrate it with other stuff, etc, etc.
    I don't see any contradiction/conflict at all. On the contrary, I see complentary skills, synergy, etc. Or have I got it wrong? Like I said, I'm very new to this!!!

  • bkwine

    I must say you seem to have a very odd perception of what the role of journalists and writers is (or have been). “but wine bloggers are not being delegated the task of talking about wines, as arguably used to be the case with journalists in wine magazines”.

    I think that is a misconception that also permeated the EWBC, that bloggers are a tool for wineries to get their story out.

    I cannot see what the fundamental difference would be between journalists and bloggers. (And you have yourself argued strongly in the past that there is no difference, if I remember right.)

    That writers (of various flavours) are there as a marketing tool for for wine producers is really a strange view. That, I would not call journalism, nor blogging.

    • http://www.catavino.net Ryan Opaz

      “That writers (of various flavours) are there as a marketing tool for for wine producers is really a strange view. That, I would not call journalism, nor blogging.”

      Having worked with wineries for many years, most wineries see these platformas, mainstream, new media or otherwise, as channels/tools to get there message out. A tool is defined as by Dictionary.com in it's 5th reference: “anything used as a means of accomplishing a task or purpose”

      If your purpose is to promote yourself, decanter, twitter, bloggers are all tools. So really that is not very far off from reality as far as I can tell.

      We as bloggers need to make sure that we aren't “used” so much as become self aware that we are a platform that has the potential for abuse, if we're not careful, this will happen.

      • bkwine

        What you write in your comment I can agree with.

        However, the original post said (or implied) that bloggers/journalists are there for the wineries to get their message out (NB: there's a big difference between saying “wineries use blogs to get their message out”, and that “wineries use bloggers to get their message out”). That is not so IMO. (That was also one of the strange aspects of the #EWBC – so much focus on how wineries can use bloggers to get their sales going.)

        Wineries can (and should) of course communicate as much as they want with any means that they can muster, blogs, print, video, wine shows, tastings and what not. And it has always been that way. On the internet, or in print.

        But bloggers (and other writers / journalists) should be skeptical about any info coming from a biased source (such as a winery) and should decide on their own what to write about and what to write.

        In your original post you said that (paraphrased) “journalist were delegated the task to talk about wineries” which seems to imply that journalists (and bloggers) were there to be used by producers. I can't imagine any journalist (in print or in electronic media), worth his muster, that would agree to that he's been delegated the task to communicate winery info.

        Another strange thing: you seem to make some distinction between the role of (old-time print) journalists and (hip) bloggers. I don't see what's the difference. It's all about communication, whatever the medium.

        The only difference I see is between good and bad writing.

        • http://www.catavino.net Ryan Opaz

          All journalists who write about wine are there to get the message out about wine…otherwise why write about it. When a journalist or blogger decides to write about a subject they are choosing to be spokes person for that subject, hopefully objectively, but they are spokeperson and the subject is thus their responsibility.

          You choose to write about what you want to write about. If you choose wine, you are either a self appointed delegate or if your just doing it for the money a “hired delegate”.

          In the end the method of communication is not important, old time vs. new (sic:Hip)…It is all about communication, but no matter how high and mighty we want to pretend we are, we are all spokes-people for the industry we choose to cover. Our responsibility is to be objective and fair “spokespeople”.

  • http://reignofterroir.com Ken Payton

    A point to keep in mind is that while wineries may tell their own stories that is not to say they present is necessarily true. Clearly 'green-washing' is a problem. A winery may celebrate that they have planted a thousand trees but conceal that their waste-water discharges pollute local streams. What they write on their web-site is essentially an invitation, not only to drinkers but to wine bloggers to take a closer look. But if they play by basic rules of transparency and truthfulness a winery thereby adds value beyond a simple list of wines recently produced.

    They also are able to (potentially) attract readers and writers with interests other than wine: writers interested in sustainable agriculture, labor relations, climate change scientists, even historians! It is all a question of how deeply a winery is able and willing to go into these related matters. The point for a winery is to differentiate themselves as much as possible from their competitors by appealing to as many cultural values as possible.

    Wine bloggers will, therefore, be far more interested in initiating contact with a winery if they already offer a well-told 'story' and a socially responsible marketing position.

  • bkwine

    What you write in your comment I can agree with.

    However, the original post said (or implied) that bloggers/journalists are there for the wineries to get their message out (NB: there's a big difference between saying “wineries use blogs to get their message out”, and that “wineries use bloggers to get their message out”). That is not so IMO. (That was also one of the strange aspects of the #EWBC – so much focus on how wineries can use bloggers to get their sales going.)

    Wineries can (and should) of course communicate as much as they want with any means that they can muster, blogs, print, video, wine shows, tastings and what not. And it has always been that way. On the internet, or in print.

    But bloggers (and other writers / journalists) should be skeptical about any info coming from a biased source (such as a winery) and should decide on their own what to write about and what to write.

    In your original post you said that (paraphrased) “journalist were delegated the task to talk about wineries” which seems to imply that journalists (and bloggers) were there to be used by producers. I can't imagine any journalist (in print or in electronic media), worth his muster, that would agree to that he's been delegated the task to communicate winery info.

    Another strange thing: you seem to make some distinction between the role of (old-time print) journalists and (hip) bloggers. I don't see what's the difference. It's all about communication, whatever the medium.

    The only difference I see is between good and bad writing.

  • http://www.catavino.net Ryan Opaz

    All journalists who write about wine are there to get the message out about wine…otherwise why write about it. When a journalist or blogger decides to write about a subject they are choosing to be spokes person for that subject, hopefully objectively, but they are spokeperson and the subject is thus their responsibility.

    You choose to write about what you want to write about. If you choose wine, you are either a self appointed delegate or if your just doing it for the money a “hired delegate”.

    In the end the method of communication is not important, old time vs. new (sic:Hip)…It is all about communication, but no matter how high and mighty we want to pretend we are, we are all spokes-people for the industry we choose to cover. Our responsibility is to be objective and fair “spokespeople”.

  • http://reignofterroir.com Ken Payton

    A point to keep in mind is that while wineries may tell their own stories that is not to say what they present is necessarily true. Clearly 'green-washing' is a problem. A winery may celebrate that they have planted a thousand trees but conceal that their waste-water discharges pollute local streams. What they write on their web-site is essentially an invitation, not only to drinkers but to wine bloggers to take a closer look. And if they play by basic rules of transparency and truthfulness a winery thereby adds value beyond a simple list of wines recently produced.

    They also are able to (potentially) attract readers and writers with interests other than wine: writers interested in sustainable agriculture, labor relations, climate change scientists, even historians! It is all a question of how deeply a winery is able and willing to go into these related matters. The point for a winery is to differentiate themselves as much as possible from their competitors by appealing to as many cultural values as possible.

    Wine bloggers will, therefore, be far more interested in initiating contact with a winery if they already offer a well-told 'story' and a socially responsible marketing position.

  • http://www.clubpenguincheats.ca/ club penguin cheats

    If your purpose is to promote yourself, decanter, twitter, bloggers are all tools. So really that is not very far off from reality as far as I can tell.