How a Wine Company Used Blogs Effectively
This is one of the best and most pragmatic posts I’ve read on how companies can benefit from blogging. In this case, Strormoek Wine company sent complimentary wine bottles to about a 100 bloggers living in UK and France. They customized the label of each bottle and made it very personalized. (Look at the second picture closely.) Yup, the marketing guys hit it home right when they pampered the egos. Obviously enough, a Meme was created and it quickly spread around the blogosphere.
Did the sales of wine bottles jump instantly? Not immediately, but eventually it did. More importantly, the feedback and the buzz from the bloggers helped them in getting the exposure and the marketing edge over their competitors.
What I liked about the idea is the novelty. It’s the new thinking. If a few other companies start doing the same thing, it might lose its zing. And worse, it might even backfire. Bloggers hate to be used as a marketing tool. For example, at the chennai bloggers meet that I organized last month, even though I roped in a sponsor who was ready to foot the entire bill, a lot of bloggers voted down for the sponsorship. They didn’t want to hear a sales talk.
It’s fine line one has to tread.