XChateau is a podcast about all things wine, from vine to your glass. We tackle the business of wine and keep you up to date with new and exciting developments in the wine industry.
In this episode, Robert Vernick and Peter Yeung interview Morgan Moore, Director, and Alex Fondren, Associate Director, of Glodow Nead Communications, one of the largest independent lifestyle PR agencies focused on hospitality, food and beverage, retail, and real estate. We discuss how wine is consumable art, the relevancy of trade magazines and wine critics, and how Glodow Nead creates partnerships between clients to develop great synergies.
Other topics covered in this episode include:
- Glodow Nead - started in the entertainment industry (“meat in seats”), the 1st West Coast agency to have offices in Asia (Singapore, Shanghai)
- Sample beverage clients: Plumpjack Group, Pine Ridge, Donum Estate, Seghesio, Bodega Garzon (Uruguay), Phantom Creek Estates (Okanagan Valley, Canada)
- PR firms - the primary job is to secure earned media
- Earned media - articles (or broadcast, social media) that are not an advertisement, has not been paid for or in exchange for the product; more trusted than paid media
- Wine is “consumable art” that can’t be compared to any other consumer product
- Wine critics are still relevant - for collectors, at point of sale
- Trade magazines shifting focus - Wine Enthusiast has been promoting celebrity wines
- Wine coverage has grown beyond trade magazines to other media
- 3 goals for PR firms for wineries: drive sales, brand awareness, & brand relevancy
- Business model: monthly retainer, 1-year contracts with a 30-day notice for cancellation; generally $5-20,000 per month
- PR ROI: give earned media the same value as a paid advertisement (e.g., a 1-page feature article in Travel + Leisure may be worth $5-10,000 as the cost of the equivalent advertisement)
- Article lead times
- Glodow Nead differentiation
- More than just wine - can bring more stories to more journalists, including lifestyle publications
- Global clients - journalists get more excited about the potential to write about topics globally
- Partnerships between clients (e.g., hotels, resorts, celebrity chefs)
- Big events department
- Example campaigns:
- Plumpjack Winery - hired Glodow Nead because of entertainment experience - wanted to bottle their most expensive wine in screwcaps - the screwcap vs. cork campaign was one of the most successful ever
- Flowers Winery - opened a new tasting room and articles about it drove traffic to their site
- Partnership Examples: St Regis SF’s Polo Cup with Hamel Family Wines, Ritz Carlton Lake Tahoe, hosted high-end wine dinners and private dinners with wine clients, Napa Valley Wine Train hosts winemaker dinners and spotlight tastings
- Traits for good wine PR people - 1st be obsessed with media, then wine knowledge
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