Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/543749
58 P R A C T I C A L W I N E R Y & V I N E YA R D August 2015 58 P R A C T I C A L W I N E R Y & V I N E YA R D August 2015 A Maori-owned wine company in New Zealand asked us: "What does a Maori brand name mean to wine consumers?" We had to admit that we did not know the answer to this question, and we could not find one in academic literature either. This led to the formation of a project team to a) categorize the wine brand names in New Zealand, and b) examine consumer perceptions of these brand name categories in terms of quality, price, purchase intentions and ability to pro- nounce and ask for the brand by name. Literature Consumers attach important meanings and imagery to brands when they are making a purchase decision. A brand name influences consumer perceptions of a brand, and these brand perceptions, in turn, influence buying behavior. There is evidence that brand names are associ- ated with consumer perceptions of qual- ity and their purchase intentions. 1,8 What makes a good brand name? Successful brand names should be unique or distinct in terms of sound, pronunciation, spelling and meaning. They should be simple, distinctive and meaningful. Successful brand names should: a) be easy to understand and use b) reflect benefits provided by the product c) elicit a mental image d) arouse pleasant emotions and strong symbolism. Consumers form perceptions because good brand names convey meaning to them. As with other products, the brand name of a wine can either help to bring it success or cause it to struggle. A boring name may be easy to forget, while a dis- tinctive one can connect with the story or place behind the wine. In fact, the brand name has been identified as one of the most important attributes evaluated by consumers when making a wine pur- chase decision. 3,4,7 A recent study of German consumers reported that brand evaluation was one of the strongest drivers for informed lik- ing of wine. 5 This result suggests that the brand name is a particularly important quality indicator and a significant influ- ence on wine-purchasing decisions. S. Sherman and T. Tuten described the naming convention in the wine industry as following either traditional, contemporary or novelty variations and suggested that traditional brand names may be based on the winemaker (Robert Mondavi or Rodney Strong), while another trend with contemporary names is to name a wine after a "crit- ter" (Leaping Lizard, The Little Penguin or Three Blind Moose). 6 Paul Franson noted the preva- lence of animal brand names in the wine indus- try (Bored Doe, Frog's Leap or Toad Hollow), and the use of cartoon-like char- acter names and brands based on dead celebrities. 2 Novelty brand names are based on humor and tend to surprise the consumer (Big House Cardinal Zin, Fat Bastard, Frog's Piss [French red wine] or Wild Thing). I. Wilson and Y. Huang suggest that wine brand names are generally derived from six major sources: those based on a personal name (Torres or Gallo), a place name (Mateus Rosé), a descriptor (St. Michael English Wine), an associa- tive name (French Connection) or an invented name (Blue Nun). 8 Consumer perceptions of wine brand names T E C H N I C A L R E S O U R C E F O R G R O W E R S & W I N E R I E S Don Neel, Editor practicalwinerylibrary.com Access Practical Winery & Vineyard article archives online. Sharon L. Forbes and David Dean, Lincoln University, New Zealand BY