Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/101495
SALES & MARKETING So, enough about how not to do a successful event. I believe that a successful public relations event (wine or otherwise) includes the following characteristics: ��� onveys and strengthens the key points of difference or marC keting messages for the brand/winery through every element of each guest���s event experience. In other words, the event is well conceived from top to bottom, beginning to end. ��� chieves the agreed-upon defined goals, which assumes that A one has to have specific goals for an event before promising any sort of result. (This may sound obvious, but we all know that events with ill-defined expectations happen often.) Without this step, there will be no agreement about expected results, which can lead to misunderstandings and disappointment���usually on the side of management. Since most executives are not public relations experts (and don���t claim to be), it is up to us to do the educating. ��� ffers a fair return on cost for the brand or winery in terms of O desired goals. This is the ���bang for the buck��� part of the equation, which is more of a concern now than in the past 20 years in the wine industry. I like to have comparisons for an event in mind in relation to other promotional options. Is the event equal in cost to an ad in the Wine Spectator? A national media tour of the winemaker? Sponsorship of a cooking show series? Thinking about costs, payout, the tangible value of the event goals and making sure there is full comprehension among company leadership is time well spent. I should also mention that this doesn���t mean the event is cheaply done by any means. It should reflect the quality and style of your brand and positioning���or be slightly above current brand perception (aspirational) if you are trying to raise perception. Tonnellerie Rousseau TonnellerieFils Roussea P��re & In Burgundy since 1954 Tonnellerie Roussea What are the tough questions? I have worked with a wide variety of clients over the years, as well as internal marketing teams and external agencies. There is absolutely nothing else like the excitement one sees when a big event starts incubating. Results become easy to promise. Everyone will want to be there because it will be so fabulous! Budgets grow with the anticipation of results. There is excitement in the air as people begin imagining themselves at a lavish and well-orchestrated event, surrounded by ���the media��� (see first paragraph!), caterers swishing among the crowd with beautiful hors d���oeuvres.���You get the picture. People get excited. People lose sight of realities of human nature, competition in the increasingly busy calendars of wine journalists and sometimes even the realities of the media���s perception or interest level in the winery/brand. We unfortunately have to watch for the tipping over of the scale and be the voice of reality. There is a good reason for this, which I mentioned in the beginning: When the event is over, we are the people responsible for delivering all of the results that everyone has convinced themselves are so easy to achieve and practically a sure thing. We must be able to deliver. So what are some of the tough questions that wine PR people must ask, internally first and then sometimes out loud? What exactly do we hope to get out of this event? What are the actions we want guests to take following our event? Are these expectations reasonable? How will we make the event unique to our brand/winery? Why will the media/the trade/consumers/wine club members come? Will the timing of the event make sense in light of our goals, other competing events, and the business (or media) cycle? Tonnellerie Rousseau, when talents are combined. www.tonnellerie-rousseau.com Z.A. des Champy - 21160 COUCHEY - BURGUNDY - FRANCE TEL. 33 (0)3 80 52 30 28 - FAX 33 (0)3 80 52 59 52 Win es & Vin es JA N UA RY 20 13 135