Wine & Grocery Buyers
February 17, 2010 by Benjamin Christie · Leave a Comment
Gourmet Ads works with a variety of wine companies, but you’d be suprised to know that the majority of the campaigns being run are targeted to the grocery buyer and not the wine coonisueeer. Apart from working with major wine companies and smaller boutique wineries, Gourmet Ads runs a lot of wine campaigns for wine retailers and liqour chains.
There is no doubt that expensive high end wines (here at Gourmet Ads we call them collectors) skews to more of a male demographic however the majority of wine campaigns we run are for wines are under $20 and targeted to the female grocery buyer. Our clients prefer to target the audience which is going to make a wine purchase while doing the groceries. With this mind it’s important to influence the wine buying decision before they go to the grocery store. With Gourmet Ads our advertising positions are next to or close by recipes, allow you to reach the grocery buyer while they are doing their grocery list. Instead of having your target market put down wine on their shopping list, wouldn’t it be better for them to write your wine brand down? That way their looking for your brand instead of just a white or red wine.
Some wine brands are national, others are available in select markets. Using our platform’s industry standard geo targeting capabilities, we can pinpoint your target market only displaying your ads if they live in your target market’s location.
So if youre a wine retailer or winery, what kind if campaigns could you run with Gourmet Ads? Well a while ago we wrote a list of ideas – check our Wine Advertising Ideas.
So of you’re charged with lifting wine sales and increasing brand awareness, then Download our Media Kit or Request a Proposal from our team. We’ll help you reach the grocery buyer online and influence their buying descions.
Wine Sites Wanted
April 13, 2009 by Benjamin Christie · Leave a Comment
Right around the world, wine companies both big and small are using the internet not only to drive new customers to order online, but they are using the web as a platform to promote visiting their winery as a destination. With so much competition both on line and at liquor stores, wine companies need to undertake an equal balance of brand and direct response marketing online in order to maintain market share.
Wineries currently advertising with Gourmet Ads prefer to advertise their everyday drinking wines through our Food Advertising Vertical and advertise their premium wines (vintage or reserve ideal for cellaring) on sites specifically about wine. There is usually a massive demographic difference between the everyday drinking wine customers and the premium customers.
Apart from wine companies we also regularly accept advertising from a range of wine related companies which sell items such as like glassware, bottle openers, wine fridges and wine book publishers all interested in gaining new customers online.
As such Gourmet Ads is keen to expand our wine advertising network and are looking for site which has quality wine content. Ideally you’ll be producing your own content on a regular basis and have a real opinion about your thoughts on wine. So what kind of sites are we looking for?
- Wine Portals
- Wine Review Sites
- Wine Blogs
- How to Cellar Wines
- Wine and Tourism related sites
- Regional Wine Sites
- Video Wine Reviews
Or any other wine related website, blog or video site as long as it’s about wine, we’d like you to apply to join our wine advertising network.
Click here to join Gourmet Ads
Advertising your Winery Website
March 9, 2009 by Benjamin Christie · Leave a Comment
So you’ve spent time and budget on developing your winery website. Your winery site has all the bells and whistles from the latest ecommerce system through to inventory management and point of sales software integration. There is also a wide range of delivery methods, as well as all the wines which are for sale, including the latest vintage as well as the reserve vintage. Your winery site has it all. So what’s the next step?
For many wineries, one of the most important steps is often forgotten about when developing a winery website. The advertising plan. The advertising plan is about how you plan to reach your target consumers and drive wine sales on the site. Your winery advertising plan should include information on;
- Target Market
- Location of ideal customer
- Advertising Message
- Launch Promotion
- Budget
Driving new customers to your site is what it’s about and having an online advertising campaign is the logical medium to start with, given that you are promoting your website. The aim should be to advertise where possible consumers are engaging online, which is why advertising in a vertical advertising network such as Gourmet Ads is ideal.
Gourmet Ads has the ability to run online advertising locally, nationally or internationally depending on the target you wish to reach. Apart from reaching wine consumers and wine connoisseurs we can reach also reach food communities as well through our food vertical. If you’d like for Gourmet Ads to develop an advertising plan for your winery, request a proposal from us and we’ll help you drive sales online.
Wine Advertising Blogs
February 25, 2009 by Benjamin Christie · Leave a Comment
Wineries and Wine companies all over the world are transitioning their advertising to online from older advertising mediums like outdoor, magazines, TV and radio. Advertising on wine blogs and wine review websites is certainly one of the best ways to reach a truly targeted audience and from a cost perspective one of the most cost-effective ways to increase your sales. When budgets are limited, wine advertising online is something that should really be considered.
Gourmet Ads wine advertising vertical targets both everyday wine consumers as well as wine connoisseurs in just one media buy. We represent both large wine review sites as well as niche wine blogs. With this in mind, we’ve collated a list of wine advertising blogs which will help you understand more about online and how you can execute successful online wine advertising campaigns.
So check out our list of Wine Advertising Blogs;
- Wine Advertising Ideas
- Advertising on Wine Blogs
- Wine Tourism Advertising
- Advertising Next to Wine Reviews
Advertising on Wine Blogs
February 17, 2009 by Benjamin Christie · 1 Comment
Most wine companies around the world are yet to really adapt to online advertising with most still concentrating on outdoor, magazines and TV still. But given the recent economic situation, many wineries are exploring online, especially advertising on wine blogs.
Advertising on wine blogs and wine review websites is certainly one of the best ways to reach a truly targeted audience and from a cost perspective one of the most cost-effective ways to increase your sales. When budgets are limited, advertising on wine blogs is something that should really be considered.
Wine blogs tend to attract a certain type of wine consumer. Sure there are the dedicated die hard wine connoisseurs who know everything about wine. But there is also a level of consumer that has a general interest in wine and who are interested in learning more about wine in general. Because wine blogs talk specifically about wine brands and varieties in a non-marketing way, people are attracted to wine blogs in order to educate their wine palate.
Many wine blogs have unique and original content that you cont find anywhere else. There are obviously wine reviews but that’s not all. Wine bloggers include blogs about visits to wine regions, blogs about vertical tastings, and wines from overseas as well as interviews with wine makers and even brand ambassadors.
Wine bloggers tend to be on the cutting edge, introducing wines and wineries that are often unknown to most, so they can be seen as influential. With this in mind, advertising on wine blogs will definitely elevate your wineries image and being seen as an innovative brand will certainly help at the checkout. Branding is everything when it comes to marketing wines and being viewed on a wine blog does a lot more for your product’s image than a randomly placed newspaper ad ever could.
If you’re looking for ideas on how to position your wine brand or advertising campaign, check out one of our most popular blogs on Wine Advertising Ideas
Gourmet Ads represents a number of wine blogs around the world from small localised ones to large internationally renowned wine blogs. If you’re interested in advertising on wine blogs to create brand awareness for your wine label, contact Gourmet Ads or request a proposal.
Advertising Next to Wine Reviews
February 4, 2009 by Benjamin Christie · Leave a Comment
The most effective online advertising campaigns are those place your advertising on highly relevant websites. You want to get straight to your target audience and especially while they are thinking about your type of product. Many of the Gourmet Ads publishers in our wine vertical produce wine reviews, so why not advertise where wine consumers are learning about wines and reading reviews? It doesn’t matter whether your wine label is specifically mentioned in the review, although a positive wine review can have a massive impact on wine sales. The point is that people reading wine reviews are going to generally be in the market for wine.
If the wine blog happens to be talking about how well a nice, smooth Merlot tastes with a grilled lamb chop with herb sauce and you are selling a Merlot, you are certain to sell more wine. Or maybe they are extolling the health benefits of drinking red wines, you may sell more Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Syrah or Pinot Noir. Even if the wine blog or review isn’t talking about your particular label or wine variety, you are still advertising to wine lovers while they are thinking about wine and that is the very definition of a highly targeted online advertising campaign.
Good reviews attract traffic and traffic generates sales as they put the consumer into a positive frame of mind about wine. Wine consumers are always looking for something new to try and catching them while they are reading wine reviews is the perfect time to interest them in your offerings. Even “wine newbies” who are coming to the review sites to learn will be interested in trying a wine they see advertised. Getting your wine advertised next to wine reviews is a great way to strategically place yourself in the right place at the right time.
If you’d like to advertise in our wine vertical, download a media kit or request a proposal.
Austrade EMDG
December 15, 2008 by Benjamin Christie · Leave a Comment
Recently one our Australian Winery clients who uses Gourmet Ads to advertise their Australian wines in America told us about a government grant system called the export market development grant or EMDG. Administered by Austrade (Australian Trade Commission), the EMDG is a grant which supports Australian companies in their marketing activities offshore (or in market).
Every year the selection criteria for the EMDG changes, but principally this is how it works. Australian companies can apply for the grant at the Austrade website after they’ve spent the required amount to qualify for the grant (this year it’s A$10k). Then the amount over and above the threshold, the government will allow you to claim up to 50% of your approved in market spending each year for a period of up to 8 years.
The EMDG grant isnt just for wine companies, its for all Australian companies that are exporting. The benefit for Australian companies is once you’ve been accepted to receive the EMDG you can effectively increase your marketing by 50% giving you greater reach.
Make sure you checkout the Austrade website for selection criteria, visit www.austrade.gov.au/exportgrants/
Wine Tourism Advertising
December 5, 2008 by Benjamin Christie · Leave a Comment
People travel for a variety of reasons that usually involves seeking a specific experience such as relaxation, discovering history, experiencing a new culture or to enjoy different foods and wines. In fact, many people travel specifically to experience and learn about wine in its “native environment”. Some people discover wine tourism accidentally, as a part of their vacation to an area that specializes in wine and others travel specifically to learn about and enjoy wine. In either case, there is a viable market that wine and grape growers associations, travel agencies and even an entire wine region acting as a co-op can tap into with the right advertising campaign.
Typically, wine tourism consists of traveling to a particular wine region in search of a variety of experiences including dining with fine wines, visiting vineyards and wine cellars for tours and education and of course, wine tastings. Wine tourism tends to attract a higher quality of clientele that are not likely to be impacted by a down economy which makes them an excellent market to advertise to right now. Travel agencies, wine region co-ops and growers’ associations can all benefit from increased wine tourism advertising.
Online advertising is one of the best ways to attract new business for wine tourism, especially in ads that cater to this type of clientele on gourmet food sites. People who are interested in fine foods and wines are those most likely to engage in wine tourism and these are the people who read gourmet food articles. This type of online advertising has a high rate of success because of its ability to be highly targeted and because it is usually viewed for a longer period of time. Online advertising costs much less than advertising on TV or radio and the success of the ad campaign is much more measurable.
Nearly every wine region unites to form a co-op to promote their own wine region and the grape variety they are known for. This offers potential wine tourists with a unique experience on each wine tour they take. They might visit McLaren Vale, South Australia for a beautiful view of the ocean and a fine glass of Shiraz or travel to Napa Valley, CA for a premium Chardonnay or Merlot. Then there is always a visit to Oregon for a delightfully complex pinot noir or to the Loire Valley in France for the finest champagne in the world.
Wine tourism is on the rise and now is the perfect opportunity to tap into this high quality market with the right online advertising campaign. There are wine tourists just waiting for the right invitation to tempt their palate and other travelers who would become wine tourists if only they knew about the enriching experience that awaits them. Remember that these wine tourists could be local, domestic or international. What better way is there for travel agents and wine tour operators to reach such a highly targeted market than with online advertising?
Wine Advertising Ideas
October 8, 2008 by Benjamin Christie · 1 Comment
Gourmet Ads works with wineries in both Australia and North America marketing their brand online. So we thought we’d share 10 simple ideas on how wine companies can market themselves online.
Some of our Wine Advertising Ideas are obvious, others not so.
- Branding Advertising
Probably the most obvious and straight forward is brand marketing. This is where the message is simply the brand and is created to engage the user and provide brand awareness so your product stands out on the shelf. Some of the key messages when advertising wine brands include location of the winery, awards and varieties. - Online Wine Sales
Most wineries these days have online ecommerce solutions on their websites, but few actually heavily advertise and promote them. Campaigns can be targeted on selling the latest vintages or even last years vintage. A key to success is to either provide free shipping or flat rate delivery. - New Vintages campaign
Aimed at consumers that already buy your wine, a wine advertising campaign that introduced customers about your new vintage can be a way to kick off sales. Either centered on the entire range or just one wine, the campaign could mention awards or how long a variety could be cellared for. - Retailer & Branding campaign
Telling your consumers where they can buy your wines is very important, it’s the reason why you’ve probably got a long list of them on your website. But have you thought about a co-promotion with the retailer to drive sales in store. Your advertising could drive people to a landing page which told people of the offer or allowed them to print a coupon to get the discount. Copuld be buy a dozen wines and get a magnum of your sparkling. What ever the offer is, both you and the retailer benefit which is why you could share the advertising costs with them allowing you reach a great number of consumers. - Export Market
Say you’re an Australian winery and you export to four America states (such as California, New York, Nevada and Florida). Why not target your wine advertising campaign to only appear in the major cities in those states, i.e. Los Angeles, Santa Monica, San Diego and San Francisco for California State. In fact Gourmet Ads can actually go right down to the post or zip codes of towns. This type of location targeting is called geo-targeting and allows you to maximise your advertising to the right location. - Cellar Door Visit
Driving consumers to your cellar door may sound unusual, but visitors to winery cellar doors spend money. Apart from buying wine and gifts for friends, many stay for lunch or afternoon tea in the winery restaurant. The strategy should be aimed at targeting the nearest major city towards the end when people are thinking about what to do on the weekend. - Wine Club subscriptions
Every winery knows that a large percentage of wine sales can be driven from newsletters sent to your wine club database. So it’s important that wineries continually invest in building their wine club databases to achieve growth. Subscription campaigns can be targeted at wines sites as well as food sites. - Competitions
Online competitions, if launched as part of an overall strategy can be very effective in raising brand awareness to a wine brand. The prize has to be for something significant like a years worth of wine or a weekend at the winery. It’s a great way to build brand and increase your database of potential consumers. - Wine Dinner Events
Many wineries undertake Wine Dinner Events throughout the year, but how often is the dinner not fully booked and you end up giving seats away for free? Together with the restaurant or hotel which is running the event an online advertising campaign can be launched to drive ticket sales. This can be promoted to people that have an interest in food and wine in the local area. - Winemaker events
Many wineries run events throughout the year each to connect with their consumers. A great example of this is the Australian winery Penfolds which runs re-corking clinics around Australia for owners of Penfolds Grange to have their wines inspected and re-corked. Why not run an online campaign to promote your winery event.
If you have any other ideas for Wine Advertising Campaign which we might have missed, then leave a comment below.
