HOW WINE JOURNALISM & PR HAVE GONE WEB 2.

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BENSON MARKETING GROUP - NAPA VALLEY - NEW YORK CITY 1-30-2010
Benson Marketing Group Summary

Summary:
A leading marketing agency providing public relations, digital media, direct
marketing and brand consulting services for wine and spirits marketers from
its offices in Napa Valley, New York City and affiliate agency in La Rioja,
Spain.
Services:
- Public Relations: We Make Brands Recognizable
- Digital Media: We Cultivate Online Presence, Community
- Direct Marketing: We Build Direct-to-Consumer Sales
- Brand Consulting: We Launch, Re-launch Brands
Offices: Napa Valley and New York, Spanish Affiliate
Agency Team: 13 professionals
Clients: Small, Medium and Large. 3.5+ years average engagement
Founded: 1997 by Jeremy Benson
Follow us: Facebook/BensonMarketing

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A little bit about me...

15 years of PR experience
11 years in wine PR
Former broadcast journalist
I don’t have a blog, but I tweet A LOT!

@wineinkbytia

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If you follow me on Twitter you would know...

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If you follow me on Twitter you would know...

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If you follow me on Twitter you would know...

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If you follow me on Twitter you would know...

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If you follow me on Twitter you would know...

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If you follow me on Twitter you would know...

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If you follow me on Twitter you would know...

You might be thinking...

WHY SHOULD I CARE?

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State of the Media: Current Landscape

Gourmet magazine shuts its doors.

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State of the Media: Current Landscape

Gourmet magazine shuts its doors.

Wine columns are shrinking.

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State of the Media: Current Landscape

Gourmet magazine shuts its doors.

Wine columns are shrinking.

Wine publications are expanding their online platforms and new online
wine publications are being launched.

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State of the Media: Current Landscape

Gourmet magazine shuts its doors.

Wine columns are shrinking.

Wine publications are expanding their online platforms and new online
wine publications are being launched.

Everyone is a critic. Digital media has given everyone a voice and a platform to talk
about your brand.

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Is traditional media dying?

No, but the way our news is written,

who it’s written by and the way its
exchanged is changing.

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3 Rising Trends…. Steve Rubel, SVP Digital Insights at Edelman

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 3 Rising Trends…. Steve Rubel, SVP Digital Insights at Edelman

Attention Scarcity:
We continue to be bombarded with information.
Communication will need to be short, simple and visual.

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 3 Rising Trends…. Steve Rubel, SVP Digital Insights at Edelman

Attention Scarcity:
We continue to be bombarded with information.
Communication will need to be short, simple and visual.

Plug Into the Air Supply:

Social networks are like your air
– everyone is breathing it.

Social networks have become a

new resource for trends and information.
In fact, how many of you check Twitter or Facebook
in the early morning? That’s the new morning paper.

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 3 Rising Trends…. Steve Rubel, SVP Digital Insights at Edelman

Attention Scarcity:
We continue to be bombarded with information.
Communication will need to be short, simple and visual.

Plug into the air supply:

Social networks are like your air
– everyone is breathing it.

Social networks have become a

new resource for trends and information.
In fact, how many of you check Twitter or Facebook
in the early morning? That’s the new morning paper.

The Search Engine:

“It’s more than a search engine. It’s media.”
We must learn to create content that is findable
and worthy of discussion.
The media pool may be smaller but the news
has become bigger than ever!

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How will news organizations adapt?

HOW ARE NEWS ORGANIZATIONS ADAPTING?

The way news is gathered and reported is changing.
Social Media Importance & Usage by Journalists

2009 Survey by Cision and Don Bates of George Washington University Survey:

- Most journalists (56%) said social media was important or somewhat important for
reporting and producing the stories they wrote.

- 9 out of 10 journalists reported using blogs for their online research.

- 2/3 reported using Social Networking sites and just over half make use of Twitter
for online research.

- Newspaper Journalists (72%) and those writing for Websites (75%) use Social Net
working sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook for online research significantly more
often than those at Magazines (58%).

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Social Media Importance & Usage by Journalists

2009 Survey by Cision and Don Bates of George Washington University Survey:

- Those writing for websites use microblogging sites, such as Twitter, “all the time”.

- Blogs are the most frequently used social media tool (64% of respondents) to publish,
promote and distribute what journalists write, followed closely by sites such as
LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

- 3/4 of those responding take the number of website visitors and the number of
comments or views into account when measuring the impact of their stories. Number
of Twitter followers and number of inbound links are the next most used metrics.

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THERE’S A NEW BREED OF WRITER
Bloggers vs. Journalists
The distinction is less relevant everyday.

All media is digital media.

- The largest mainstream news sites are brimming with blogs

- Digital bits are becoming a part of every newsroom’s bloodstream

- Bloggers are being hired to comment in traditional outlets.

(Chicago Tribune, NY Times, etc.)

- Independent blogs are doing more reporting, breaking more news and hiring
former journalists to staff their publications.

- Both are learning that the web is a massive resource

- Online stories develop so quickly now that if you’re going to get a word in
edgewise, you’ve got to figure out what hasn’t been said yet.

- Both are time-starved.

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But there are a few differences…
BLOGGERS
JOURNALIST
Self made The outlet often gets first billing, then the writer.

Need traffic and influence Outlet can determine influence.

to grow their site

Want to co-create content They develop stories ideas and then look for
with you sources.

Usually uncompensated Writing is often a full time job
for their content

Varied levels of knowledge. Most Wine journalists usually have a strong level of
want to learn more about wine. knowledge. Most are not beginners.

They must hit deadlines

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And then there’s another group of writers called…

EVERYONE ELSE!

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Everyone is a critic!

“Word of Mouth” is now “World of Mouth”

- What you say online travels far and fast
- Each employee now has a bullhorn
- Every customer is a potential reviewer
- Conversations about your brand are happening with or without you.

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And then there’s another group of writers called….

PUBLIC RELATIONS IS COMMUNITY RELATIONS

Countering Misinformation About Digital Media

MYTH REALITY
Facebook Users are Underage FB: 35+ is Fastest Growing Group,
Pages Can Screen Out Underage Viewers

Can’t Measure DM Results Results: New Tools Now Available; Metrics

and ROI Comparisons to PR, Advertising

Digital Media is a Fad Long-Term Trend is Online.

Digital Media Can’t Sell Product Sales: Smart Companies are Using Digital
Media Results to Engage…and Promote and Sell

Digital Media is too Complex Management: PR Team Already Working

to Implement in Digital Media World

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Countering Misinformation About Digital Media

Question: But when you engage in social media….

Don’t you lose control of your message?

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Countering Misinformation About Digital Media

Question: But when you engage in social media….

Don’t you lose control of your message?

Answer: No.
- Without participation, perception and sentiment are free to wander and influence
those with whom it touches.

In the world of digital media

- We are all brand managers, responsible for its stature, resonance, and direction

- We now have the ability to monitor conversations about our brand, shape and steer
impressions, answer questions, solve problems, and engender appreciation

- We are now expected to breathe life and personality into a brand in order for it to earn
the attention and interest of those we wish to reach.
– Brian Solis, digital analyst, sociologist, futurist.

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Social Media has changed the tradtional marketing landscape.

Now we have...
- Two-way conversations
- A spectrum of relationships
- Equalization among “Authorities”
- Diverse channels of communication

Which means...
- A bigger voice for smaller brands
- Real-time response – including consumer feedback with an
authenticity not found in traditional surveys or focus groups
- Low cost / low barrier to entry

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Social Media PR Requires…

- Listening
- Strategy, integration & cross promotion
- Transparency. It’s non-negotiable.
- A great story!
- Rock solid brand messaging – the elevator pitch is now 120 characters or less.
- An authentic voice. A human voice.
- Excellent customer service/real or perceived value
- Technological savvy
- Brand sheparding

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PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE
Case Study – Twitter Taste Live

Example: Clos LaChance Winery (clos.com)

- More than 75 participants across country (even 1 from China!), party at winery and retailers

- Some of the Tweets posted during the tasting included:

“Can you DM me or Email me about your distributor in Florida” – a Florida retailer

“We’ve been looking for a new “go to” Cab in the Under $20 range for the store. I think we just found it.
Rocking 4 the$$”– a MA retailer

“I’m impressed by the acidity on the Clos LaChance 08 Unoaked Chard. W/ all the pear & pineapple, I need a
tiny umbrella for this” – blogger, 1WineDude

Clos LaChance was #19 on Twitter search results

Sold 10 cases in 2 hours, countless new leads for sales, brand awareness

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Case Study – Story Pitch via SM

Example: Hogue Cellars (hoguecellars.com)

- Food section/wine editors have little time to meet face-to-face

- Many now active on Twitter. Bill Daley at the Chicago Tribune is even writing
columns based on his tweeted questions

- Benefits: Giving us personal insights and insights into what’s on their mind >
better pitches based on their tweets and conversations > more success

Example:
Bill Daley, Chicago Tribune, tweeting about Columbia Valley Merlot >reached out to offer him
an interview with Hogue Cellars Winemaker > result: He did a 30 min interview with
Winemaker Co Dinn and Hogue was a prominent part of the story with Co quoted several times.

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Case Study – Media Tour via Webcast

Example: Vine Connections (vineconnections.com)

Knocking down boundaries
- Where we would have visited 3 markets in a week and hosted media for
lunches/dinners, a webcast can reach across country and even across countries

Comparative Malbec Tasting with Vine Connections

- Audience: Wine Bloggers & Writers
- Hosts: Winemaker Roberto de la Mota & Vine Connections co-founder Ed Lehrman
live from Mendoza, Argentina
- 8 wines in 1.5 hours (no travel time for anyone)
- Cost effective! – less than $500 per call + wine + shipping
- Feedback: I just wanted to thank you for inviting me to participate in the Malbec
tasting today. It was really great. Very well executed. Roberto and Ed were
excellent speakers. And of course the wines were of such high quality. I look forward
to doing a piece for www.thekitchn.com. –Mary Gorman-McAdams

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CONVERSATIONS MIGHT BE HAPPENING ABOUT YOU RIGHT NOW
Are you listening?