How fun is this….let’s grab a glass of wine and study what we can learn from the wine industry.

I just got home from a fabulous trip to the Okanagan (Wine country in BC, Canada) and BOY did I have FUN!! One whole afternoon was devoted to wine touring on the Naramata Bench just outside of Penticton.

Even the wine industry has seen some disruption!  Wine tasting isn’t just for wine snobs anymore! Anyone who enjoys a glass of wine is welcome and you don’t have to know a thing about it other than you enjoy the taste. No more faking your way through descriptions about ‘bouquet on the nose’ and ‘oaky palette’ ~ blah blah blah. These days wine is being marketed to someone like me who just knows what she likes!

So HOW do they do it?

They make it FUN and they show a LOT of personality!

Laughing Stock is a GREAT example! How’s this for marketing?: When they bottle a vintage they pull the ticker tape off right off the Wall Street Stock market and alert the companies who are mentioned and ask them how many cases they want! BRILLIANT!

Founders both came from the financial industry and so clearly so their tag lines like “How liquid are Your assets?” and “How is your portfolio performing? Ours is drinking beautifully.” show off their personality in spades!

Another branding gem is Therapy Vineyards! Check this out:

That’s right… “Freudian Sip”; “Pink Freud”; “FizzioTherapy”; “Analyze This” ink blots and that picture is of the different soil used to grow the different grapes but all images appear on all their products including VERY cute tshirts!

Need I say more?

And who wouldn’t stop at Ruby Blues Winery! As you cruise down the cute Naramata back roads you spot a colorfully painted vitange 60′s VW van hoisted high! Inside funky art, red stilettos and a friendly puppy named Dawn draw you in.

All of these wineries are within 20 minutes of each other ~ They’re all competing for the same customers and really aren’t radically different wines BUT each one has it’s own personality and fun story that differentiates them.

What’s YOUR Story?

How can you share YOUR Personality?

Brokerages and Agents can all take a hint from this kind of marketing and shake it up a little! Maybe start with pouring yourself a glass of wine! Cheers!