What does Led Zeppelin have to do with Brunello di Montalcino?
Not much, on the surface.
Unless you listen to a colleague of mine, Bill Zacharkiw, do his weekly radio segment from Montreal. He spends a few minutes talking about a specific topic related to wine -- last week it was the difference between Rosso di Montalcino and Brunello di Montalcino -- and then he links the wine to a particular song.
Such as, in this case, Led Zeppelin's "Misty Mountain Hop."
It may not seem logical at first, but I think Zacharkiw is onto something.
First, because he talks about wine engagingly, in a way that everyone can understand.
And second, because he's being associative. A lot more people will recognize Led Zeppelin before they'll recognize Brunello di Montalcino, but if you can relate one to the other in a meaningful way, then you've built a path of familiarity that connects the two.
For wine companies, the takeaway is this: start with something your customers know, and use it to bridge to something they don't know. Especially when the second something is a wine you want to sell them.
A wine company called Wines That Rock -- which shares Zacharkiw's enthusiasm for the affinity of wine and music -- executes this strategy exceptionally well. Founded by long-time music industry veterans, Wines That Rock used their street cred in online community building to launch a line of wines and merchandise associated with some of the most recognized names in music history, including Pink Floyd and the Rolling Stones.
Here are three ways Wines That Rock has built a powerhouse brand using the power of association.
Know What's
"You put a Stones song on, and you drink Stones wine," said Wines That Rock co-founder Ron Roy. "You watch Downton Abbey, and you're drinking wine from a French château. Few lifestyle products can make that kind of connection."
That connection is exactly the rationale behind Wines That Rock's line up of wines, from Downton Abbey to 50 Shades of Grey.
It's about meeting the audience where they are, using the metrics to tease out the specifics, and developing a content strategy that's responsive and engaging at the granular level.
"We're playing in their sandbox," Roy said. "We're interested in what they're interested in."
Contests. Concerts. Content.
Take the audience interested in 50 Shades of Grey -- the book series, the upcoming movie, and (now) the wine. Roy and his team know that this audience pays about $15 for a bottle of wine. It's an audience that isn't interested in ratings. And it's an audience that responds to consistent engagement over time, especially in the form of content that is relevant to them such as recipes contests, and concert tickets.
Wines That Rock is running a contest for tickets to the 50 Shades of Grey movie premiere in Seattle next year; so far 20,000 people have entered the contest, which means 20,000 new email addresses that will receive Wines That Rock's content and buying opportunities. The company also ran a Rolling Stones / Keith Richards concert contest that received 100,000 entrants.
Those are serious numbers that convert to serious sales. Their red wine is a top result on
Piggybacking for Targeted Online Sales
Last year was the 40th anniversary of The Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd's benchmark album released in March 1973. "They'll spend millions on that anniversary," Roy said. "We won't, but we'll pick up on the popularity."
In practice, the piggybacking takes the form of Facebook conversions. Wines That Rocks bids on Facebook ads every morning; Facebook is the biggest driver of traffic to the Wines That Rock website.
Wines That Rock had the traffic. They needed the commerce.
They approached San Francisco-based Wine.com, a major online retailer of wine. Given Wines That Rock's record of traffic and conversions, they were able to convince Wine.com to accommodate requests -- such as their own splash page -- that are outside the retailer's normal practice.
"Our budget is dwarfed by major distributors' budgets," Roy said. "But we know where the fans hang out."
Rather than casting a wide net, Wines That Rock -- via Wine.com -- casts a targeted net where they know the fish are swimming.
Find Cathy Huyghe online at cathyhuyghe.com, and follow her on
