Business of Drinks 29: Millennial Marketing Masterclass with Aly Wente of Wente Vineyards - Business of Drinks
Today’s episode is a case study on how a 140-year old winery was able to quickly shift its consumer base from Boomers to Millennials. Aly Wente, a 5th generation vintner and Wente’s vice president of marketing and customer experience, shares key learnings and insights relevant to all brands looking to engage younger consumers.
For those of you unfamiliar with Wente Vineyards, it was founded in 1883, and is located in Livermore Valley, east of San Francisco. Until recently, the brand had a consumer mix that was common for a long-running premium wine brand — dominated by Boomers, aged 60 and up.
But in the past 3 years that customer demographic flipped. Aly led the charge to future proof Wente’s business by shifting its marketing strategy to focus on younger audiences, and the effort has paid off in spades. Wente’s sales are now dominated by Millennials (aged 28-43) and Generation X (ages 44-59), with Boomers in third place.
If you’re looking to understand what works in terms of marketing to Millennials in the drinks space, this one’s for you. We cover:
How to develop an authentic — and relevant — brand voice
Why aspirational lifestyle campaigns are key for younger audiences
How Wente shifted from print to digital marketing spend for clearer ROI
Paid advertising strategies that actually work
The essential marketing software tech stack
How to capture and leverage social media trends to drive engagement
How to reinvigorate your brand strategy and social media presence
Why it’s worth investing in original imagery instead of using stock photography
Stay tuned for our next episode dropping on June 12.
About Erica Duecy, host:
Erica Duecy is host of Business of Drinks, and one of the drinks industry’s most accomplished digital and content strategists. She has built publishing and marketing programs for Drizly, VinePair, SevenFifty, and other hospitality and drinks tech companies. She also has led digital editorial teams at Architectural Digest and Saveur magazines. Her content, podcast, and video programs have won more than 40 digital and editorial awards. She is a WSET Advanced-certified wine and spirits communicator, and author of the cocktail book Storied Sips (Random House), about the real-life stories behind the world’s most famous cocktails.
To learn more about Erica Duecy:
https://www.instagram.com/ericaduecy/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/erica-duecy-4a35844/
https://twitter.com/ericaduecy
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