With its new, legalized status and its range of formats—from teas to edibles, vapes to infusions—how does cannabis appeal to the educated, affluent consumer who favors wine? And what will its impact be on the wine business? This session will explore the cannabis consumer and the new wave of entrepreneurs reaching out to them with events and activities modeled on wine marketing. It also will cover the legal and regulatory landscape to help wineries and growers assess the challenge and opportunity of this newly legitimized industry. Expect a lively discussion and come with your questions.
Moderator: Rebecca Stamey-White, Hinman & Carmichael, LLP, California
Will a new hybrid of canned rosés and stout-infused Cabernets cannibalize the traditional wine market or usher in a new generation of consumers to the wine category? Coffee, wine, beer and spirits are all finding ways onto the consumer palate — sometimes in the same swallow. As a marketer, how do you decide when/if blending your wine with a product from another category is right for your brand? What insights drive those decisions? Is it consumer preference or market pressure to preserve share that’s ceding to other beverages and buzzables? Hear from producers who’ve braved the gray areas between categories.
Speakers: Chip Forsythe, Rebel Coast Winery, California Ami Opisso, Bridge Lane Wine, New York
Wine varieties come and go, but Chardonnay continues to command an impressive market share: one in four of all wines sold in the United States are Chardonnay. It’s superpower? The range of styles, price points and quality that, today, has never been better. But could that diversity also be its Kryptonite? Join us for a deep dive into (and blind tasting of) Chardonnay. From the winemaking side, we’ll examine replanting trends and new plant material as well as trends driving stylistic outliers.
On the marketing side, we’ll look at sales in retail and restaurants, and journalistic insights into what’s driving the latest renaissance in Chardonnay. In addition, we’ll discuss how Chardonnay producers are working to stand out in this increasingly competitive category and the cues they’re giving consumers to help guide their understanding of what’s in the bottle. She may wear many disguises, but by the time this session ends, you’ll understand why the queen of the white grapes remains the superhero of the wine world.
Moderator: Ray Isle, Food & Wine Magazine, California
From new packaging and label innovations, customer management software to point-of-sale displays, to digital media engagement tools to next-generation giveaway items, vendors are constantly creating new ways to help wine marketers engage with their customers. You’ll see some of these new offerings employed in Unified talks this year. Now stroll the Unified show floor to meet the companies behind some of the newest ways to differentiate your product and manage your message.
Journey mapping—visually depicting the customer experience from the first interaction with your brand through (hopefully) an ongoing relationship—is a powerful tool to understand and drive your business from a customer perspective. This how-to session will cover the basics of creating a customer journey map and using it to enhance the experience at each touchpoint in the customer journey. Map your way to fostering more relevant, creative and meaningful engagement with potential, first-time and long-time customers.
Speakers: Bill Smart, Lambert Bridge, California Additional speakers to be confirmed.
A wealth of technologies are on the market today, promising to transform customer data into actionable information for wine marketers. New apps and digital services leverage point-of-sale data, demographics, buying trends, patterns of use/consumption of social media to help grow reach, segment customer communications, automate and augment marketing messages, and more. Are they within your budget? In this session, we’ll explore some of the solutions tech-savvy wineries are using, and the price points and ROI you can expect from each. You may be surprised how affordable innovation can be!
Moderator: Erin Kirschenmann, Wine Business Monthly, California
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