"No Rules:" When Regional Wine Marketing Jumps The Shark

WINE TALK
1

I heard an ad the other day for the Paso Robles wine region, and it made me roll my eyes:

“In Paso Robles Wine Country, there are no rules. Here, daring and traditional meet, and independence is ignited. Here, there’s no should or shouldn’t, no do or do not. There’s only try. Because variety rules, and tame is lame. This is the place to Grow Wild.”

I realize that I’m not the target demo for this ad campaign, but I wonder who comes up with this nonsense. It reminds me of the Outback Steakhouse “no rules, just right” marketing campaign. Does anyone think they’re going to get a taste of “wild” Australia when they go into a mega-chain steakhouse?

Bruce

2

Say whot??? Not one mention of “warm days & cool nights…” ?? What kind of marketing is that??

It does seem a little over-the-top. Sounds like something TobyJames would come up with. I actually met the young lady who heads
the PRV&G group in Aug when I was having lunch with RichardSauret at ThomasHillOrganics (always like to work in a plug for that restaurant…
and I just love their name). She was very engaging and quite interesting in what we were doing w/ NEB. But she’s definitely one of the
milennials for which this campaign is no doubt targeted.
Tom

3

Yep. I’ll bet their next ad will feature wine twerking, 'cuz that’s what all the cool kids are doing these days.

Bruce

4

That’s really bizarre.

It sounds like the writer is a graduate of a very recent publik edumakashunal 100%-taxpayer-funded Gubmint Edumakashun: Chock full of “self esteem” and “everyone gets a trophy” and “you and you alone are the most perfect little snowflake in the entire history of the universe [of any and all possible snowflakes]”.

It’s also in direct contradiction with the immortal words of the Jedi Master himself:

I could see going with a wild-wild-west / there’s-no-sheriff-in-this-town / marching-to-the-beat-of-your-own-drummer / crazy-hippies-on-acid advertising campaign.

But at the end of the day, “There’s only try!” needs to be replaced with something more along the lines of, “Yeah, but does it actually work?”

Unless maybe they’ve got a ton of marketing research data which indicates that their target audience of 30-something hipsters bozos is such a bunch of gubmint-edumakated loser idiots that an “You’re the most perfect snowflake. Evah! Like totally!!!” advertising campaign is the sort of thing that would motivate them to pull the trigger and make the purchase.

5

I really disagree with the sentiment of this thread so far. For perspective, I’m 28 which is really young, from my experience, to be into wine as much as I am. I got into wine at around when I was about 22 completely by myself.

I don’t understand why Paso, an inchoate region that is producing some “rule bending” wines (which don’t always work), is being chided for trying to attract some new blood. Let’s say they’re targeting millennials who don’t know much about wine. Why is that bad? Let’s say they’re targeting people in general who don’t know anything about wine but are intrigued? Why is that bad?

I think that there is a very real perception that wine is a stuffy, old man hobby that is difficult to get into, partly because people will judge you based on what you like (the jab at Toby) and you may not fit the mold. I think the sentiment expressed so far in this thread is doing nothing but reinforcing that perception, assuming anyone they’re allegedly targeting would ever see this thread.

And all of that aside, if you don’t think you’re the target audience for this, why do you care? I think three things need to be kept in our direct line of sight. 1) wine is for enjoying, especially with others 2) this is marketing after all and 3) we’re talking about it, aren’t we? [scratch.gif]

6

Okay, Mr Perfect Little Snowflake, what if the winemaker “tries” his very best, but the product which he ships experiences secondary/tertiary fermentation or a brettanomyces bloom or a significant deterioration into a mess of volatile acidity?

The result being that the wine for which you just paid $19.99 [or, God forbid, $64.99] is completely undrinkable?

But that’s all hunky-dory with you because the winemaker “tried”?

Even though the winemaker didn’t actually “do”?

Because “trying” is all that counts?

PS: Are you saying that you never watched “The Empire Strikes Back”?

Seriously?

BTW, I’m not being facetious here.

I’d be really curious to learn whether you ever watched “The Empire Strikes Back”, and whether you really do think that it’s okay to merely “try”.

7

What the hell are you talking about? Did you actually read what I wrote?

I’m not sure how your questions related to secondary ferm., brett, etc. don’t apply to every single wine bottle, producer, region, and country. (See: sparkling Pegau 2009 :-( - WINE TALK - WineBerserkers)

I have seen “The Empire Strikes Back.”

By the way, what’s with the ad hominem attack?

8

It would have been better without the butchered Yoda saying, but I think Kyle is generally correct.

It’s an ad trying to play up the whole L’Aventure thing, that Paso is a place where they’ve thrown off the shackles of rules, conventions, DOCG/AOC/AVA, and history and just try to make tasty wines. It’s a message that probably resonates with younger folks and with people of all ages who are put off by the perceived stuffiness, geekiness and old boy network of traditional wine.

I’m not taking either side of that cultural wine debate, but I understand the message and what they’re trying to do. And it’s certainly a lot better than this marketing effort:

9

Im 69 points on this thread

10

Exactly.

Back to nature bohemianism.

Marching to the beat of your own drummer.

Crazy hippies on acid.

Folks would eat that up.

But “Do Not. Merely Try!”

That’s bizarre.

To me, it reeks of “Outcome Based Edumakashunalism”.

11

Whoa, let’s cut the vitriol a little. Let’s also not get bogged down in the semantics of “do” versus “try”. If a winemaker decides to grow Dolcetto in Paso because, hey, why not, and produces a “meh” wine, I’d say they “did”, rather than that they “tried”. So what?

After reading the ad copy a bit, I have no idea what angle they’re even pursuing. Sounds like they’re marketing themselves as an alternative to Napa/Sonoma, and not giving advice to winemakers in general.

Let’s remember, not too long ago some wild haired hippies were chided for trying to “wine” in “California”, and actually saying it was “good”.

12

I agree that is the message, but not to lump AVA in with DOCG/AOC. The AVA system doesn’t dictate a varietal makeup or style, and its rules do indeed apply to the rule-breaking Paso Robles AVA, and its 11 new sub-districts.

This “throw off the shackles” approach applies to anywhere in the new world. That’s where I find the true lameness in this pitch - it describes the status quo in all the new world, since before those so targeted were even born.

13

Larry–I generally agree with your comments. There’s the other thread on Luna, a Napa producer who makes a labeled Sangiovese. There’s no “Napa rule” that forbids making that wine, anymore than there’s a “Paso rule” that prohibits (or permits) Viognier. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a confused marketing message that isn’t very accurate (at best) and that tries (unsuccessfully) to be hip.

No rules? So is it OK for a winery to dump dead bodies into the fermentation tank? That’s certainly daring and wild! [snort.gif]

Bruce

14

Okay, AVA didn’t belong on there with DOCG and AOC. A bit sloppy on my part, but you all knew what I meant.

And again, I’m not arguing that point of view, but I understand what the purpose of that marketing campaign is. It’s directed at those wine consumers who are put off by the perceived stuffiness and geekiness of the wine world and all its dos and don’ts.

15

+1

16

I think Nathan has other axes to grind, and thought this might be a neat little jumping-off point.

You must understand: Nathan fell out of mommy’s cervix with a fully functioning intellect, several centuries’ worth of collected wisdom, and a knack for first-time perfection in all things.

The rest of us - from Aubert de Villaine down to the Paso Robles strivers - are very comfortable with the notion that we are fallible, imperfect, and at best filled with slightly less ignorance than yesterday’s version.

17

I am now more confused than I was before. Do you have a problem with:

A) the ad itself
B) the message you think the ad is sending
C) the copy editing of the ad (this would be mildly ironic)
D) the country’s education system
E) Paso trying new things in terms of practices, blends, etc.
F) drums
G) acid and hippies

Choose all that apply.

18

Kyle, I can’t speak for anyone else, but the problem I have with this advertisement is not the message that they’re trying to send (Paso is fun, inventive, different, etc., I guess), but the really weird, somewhat counterproductive way in which they’re doing it. The ad makes it sound like it’s okay if the wines aren’t good as long as someone tried for good. There’s plenty of good wine coming from this region that has some identity of place and fits a style that probably appeals to a large portion of their target audience for this campaign. They could do a better job of saying that in my opinion. Yes, it’s only two sentences that seem poorly written to me, but it’s two out of six, so I think that’s not good.

Overall, I agree that this is pretty cheesy, but I also agree that the tone probably makes sense for the intended target audience.

19

I agree. That part of the ad is really poorly written.

20

Wow, the condescension in this thread encapsulates why 90% of my friends are into craft beers, but only 10% give a whit about wine. It reminds me of the snooty arrogance that kept me away from wine throughout my 20s.

Is the wording of the ad a little clumsy? Sure, but I can’t imagine anyone is going to read that and think, “Oh finally, I have an excuse for making unsound wine!” I also don’t think anyone in the intended audience is going to say, “Man, this wine sucks. But I’ll buy some more because, hey, they’re trying.” Seems like they just want to reach out with a message that, overall, resonates with the younger folk. Plus, they’ve got some mildly amusing promos in the same vein of breaking the stuffiness.