The Secret to a Winery’s Success
“If you build it they will come” does not work anymore. The wine industry is over saturated and too competitive to start a winery and assume it will be successful by merely existing.
Quality is not a predictor of success either. We’ve all seen low quality supermarket wines take off and become household names while exceptionally crafted single vineyard bottles are left unsold.
As the founder of one of the wine industry’s leading DTC wine marketing agencies, I’ve looked at sales data and anecdotal evidence to understand why some wineries succeed while others fail. None of the factors like funding, location, or maturity are a predictor of success. The best way I can describe what destines a winery to be successful in today’s market is its x-factor.
Lighting In A Bottle
X-factor cannot be created in one boardroom brainstorming session. It is an inherent level of contemporary appeal that is built overtime. X-factor is almost impossible to describe in words, but you know it when you see it.
One of the best examples is the early days of The Prisoner before Dave Phinney sold the brand. They broke ground with their artistic labels and blew open the red blend category. The wines and branding were cool!
I see too many wine brands chasing fads or competitors- look at everyone who tried to make a hip red blend after The Prisoner’s success. X-factor cannot be copied, it needs to be authentically part of a brand’s DNA.
X-Factor Can Be Created
To take your brand to the next level you need to cultivate an x-factor that is far bigger than being family-owned or farming sustainably.
Highway 29 Creative is fortunate to have been working with the new Napa Cabernet Sauvignon brand Seven Apart since day one. The owners had an impressive vision for the next generation of cult Napa Valley wineries and they are well on their way to bringing it to life.
The brand was born in 2018 and it's amazing to see what has been accomplished in three years. We’ve had brands approach our agency expecting the same kind of results in just a matter of months. But there is no shortcut to success.
If you are unfamiliar with Seven Apart I suggest you check them out at www.sevenapart.com. They produce four Cabernet Sauvignons from their two estate vineyards in Napa Valley and we have helped Seven Apart build their brand entirely through digital channels. Just this past November we released their 2018 Summit Cabernet Sauvignon at $360 a bottle and it sold out within 45 minutes to their mailing list. It's worth noting consumers have never tasted it since it was the first vintage, there were no big scores to aid marketing, and yet customers were clamouring to get it. That is the result of the brand’s x-factor.
Breaking Down Seven Apart’s X-Factor
1. Brands Need A Personality
Undeniably, Seven Apart has one of the biggest assets of any winery. They hired legendary Napa winemaker Andy Erickson whose resume includes Napa greats Screaming Eagle, Harlan, Ovid, Mayacamas Vineyard, Dalle Valle and more. He is a one-of-a-kind talent.
Whether you have a winemaker of Andy’s caliber or not, there is still a lot to learn from how we’ve incorporated him into the marketing. Consumers want to see a face of the brand so they can emotionally connect to it. Andy has been gracious to give his time to appear in photo and video shoots so we can tell the Seven Apart story through his eyes. These videos and photos have become the foundation of the Seven Apart website, email marketing, Facebook ads, and printed assets. Looking at the data from their Facebook ads we’ve seen that photos of Andy outperform photos of the wine bottle itself.
2. Mystique
With Seven Apart we have built a mystique around the brand that has consumers and the valley buzzing. The brand’s prized gem is it’s Stags Ridge Vineyard located 1,475 ft above Napa Valley atop Atlas Peak. We personified this vineyard and mountain rage to create a unique brand story. The four wines are named Expedition, Shale, Basalt, and Summit and each tells the story of the journey to perfection through a mountain climbing narrative.
We developed the tagline “Napa At Its Peak” which perfectly sums up the brand story. In our marketing we use phrases like “extreme mountain grown Cabernet”, “join our expedition”, “reach the summit”, and decided to forgo the title of tasting room and instead call Seven Apart’s new property “Base Camp.” Consistency to the narrative is key!
We are not trying to appeal to the masses and make everyone Seven Apart’s customers. Instead we are unapologetic about the prices, scarcity, and lack of details. The right customers get it and have bought in. The results speak for themselves.
3. Social Proof
We say very little about the brand and wines and instead prefer to let others do the talking to build social proof. Consumers want confirmation that their purchase is a good decision and there is nothing better than it coming from authority on the subject.
We leveraged PR to capitalize on “juicy quotes” to build the brand. I do not think consumers care about overly specific tasting notes. Juicy quotes are declarative statements about the brand or product. We take these quotes and use them in emails and digital ads to much success.
Some of my favorite examples for Seven Apart are:
How Can You Create An X-Factor?
There has to be something noteworthy about your brand for it to have an x-factor and succeed. We suggest starting with a list of what makes your brand unique. Write down as many ideas as you can, then go back and cross off ideas that your fellow wineries could also claim. Hopefully this exercise will get your creative juices flowing and make you rethink how you market your wines. Remember, an x-factor cannot be cultivated in a day but is the result of years of work guided by a clear marketing strategy.
If you still feel lost and need some help defining your x-factor and marketing messaging, our DTC wine marketing agency Highway 29 Creative offers a 2-day brand workshop that will help you define your brand story and create clear messaging you can use in your marketing.
We also offer retainer based DTC wine marketing services to provide ongoing support as you grow and scale your brand.
Click the button below to request a consultation and learn more.
Simon Solis-Cohen is the founder of Highway 29 Creative, a leading digital and creative agency serving the wine industry. He challenges clients to think about the future and constantly innovate. The agency chases data, not fads, and provides one-stop shopping for wineries looking to enter or jolt their direct to consumer sales. Their approach starts by designing and building a website focused on conversion (wine sales, club sign ups & tasting room reservations) and then dives into each digital channel with consistent and effective content and messaging. What to learn more or looking for advice? Shoot Simon a message at simon@hwy29creative.com.