Question

Topic: Advertising/PR

Wine Company: 21st Birthday Ideas

Posted by Anonymous on 9/23/2011 at 4:03 AM ET 250 Points
I work for a wine retailer who now sells wines online and through mail order.

It is our 21st birthday in Novemeber and we are looking for ways to use this through our promotional activities.

At the moment we send out mail order catelogues through the post and newsletters (online). We also use various social media platforms.

Any ideas?
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RESPONSES

  • Posted on 9/23/2011 at 7:59 AM Accepted
    I would pass on the 21st birthday idea. Your customers don't care if you're old or not. They want the core benefit you offer them all the time. Focus on reminding them of why you should be their preferred source for wine. That promise won't expire when you're 22 years old (or 23, or 24, etc.).

    Anniversaries and birthdays are inward focused. That is, they are meaningful to YOU. But your customers don't care. Some may even prefer to deal with younger, more contemporary companies. Don't let your need to beat your chest to prove you've survived this long get in the way of good marketing communication.

    Let the 21st birthday happen in the office, not in your customers' faces.
  • Posted by Peter (henna gaijin) on 9/23/2011 at 11:55 AM Accepted
    I don't know - guess I don't agree with mgoodman. It seems like an opportunity to make a play on how the company is now old enough to drink (assuming you are in the US or other location where the drinking age is 21).

    Yes, he is correct, most people won't care that the company is old, so long as it has enough track record to show they are reliable (which could be a few years). But this could be a way to give you a theme for your promotion activities, to hopefully make it stand out from prior promotions or from competitors promotions.

    The other option for 21 is to use something gambling related (21 being a winning hand at blackjack). Not sure this is something you'd want to use. Here's an example of a company that id use it:
    https://www.redorbit.com/news/business/1394662/continental_airlines_celebra...

    If you are not in an area where 21 is the legal drinking age or otherwise has a meaning you can use, then I am with mgoodman. Probably better to skip.
  • Posted on 9/23/2011 at 1:01 PM Moderator
    Keep your eye on the prize.

    You want people to buy wine from you because you deliver a specific benefit. Any time you wander off into "We're 21 years old now" messages, you are making a conscious decision to go "off-message" and missing an opportunity to reinforce the reason you want the customer to keep coming back.

    It's like saying, "Buy from us because we're 21 years old now. Next time (i.e., when we're no longer 21) you can buy from someone else."

    Being 21 is not a reason to buy from you, not a benefit. And promoting 21 will distract your customers from the real benefit they get when they buy from you.
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 9/23/2011 at 3:46 PM Accepted
    Perhaps focus on a 21st anniversary special - focusing on 21 wine deals, or 21 great wine parings, or 21 little-known wineries, etc.
  • Posted on 9/28/2011 at 3:18 AM Author
    Thanks for all your comments - much appreciated!
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