Socially, Mobile, Millennials: Farming for the Future User Group

One of the highlights of the 2015 Direct to Consumer Wine Symposium agenda was the user group focused

on Millennial marketing. Over 100 industry professionals attended the discussion and learned how shifting

demographics in the “Direct to Consumer” wine sales channel will have a major impact on current and future

marketing activities.

In short, retiring Baby Boomers are shifting their spending habits and will be taking over $400B in

eCommerce spending with them. Generation X and Millennials are the present and future of “Direct to

Consumer” eCommerce, with an expectation that this group will spend over $600B annually. Building brand

loyalty to Millennials is more challenging than doing so with their parents/boomers. The traditional approach

to marketing is no longer captivating to a generation that is used to everything happening at the speed of wifi.

Social media, mobile applications, value added services, and most importantly, telling the brand story are all

front runners to engaging this group.

THE PANEL:The Socially, Mobile, Millennials: Farming for the Future session, hosted by Copper Peak Logistics, brought

together four wine-industry and marketing experts who gave a look into the next generation of wine

consumers. Their knowledge and expertise in this field o�ered insight and actionable takeaways to help the

attendees build brand loyalty with Millennials, suggestions on how to capture the growth of the DTC market

among Millennials using social mobility, and tips on how to create added value without turning to discounts.

Tracey Mason President, Mason Marketing & Media Group

Tracey launched M3G,

Inc, in 2013. Today, M3G

is leading brand

marketing, PR,

innovation, and

renovation projects at

some of Northern

California’s most

renowned companies.

Patrick Sullivan DTC General Management Executive

For the past 10 years, he

has held executive roles

in multi-brand wine

companies across

commercial finance,

information technology,

direct to consumer

marketing, operations,

support organizations,

and strategy.

Steven Carleton Director eBay Marketplace Customer Experience Expert

Steven is a seasoned

business leader who has

built new business

organizations from the

ground up and

transformed existing

organizations to deliver

breakthrough results.

Susan DeMatei Owner, WineGlass Marketing

Susan has worked for

over 25 years marketing

luxury goods and

currently runs her own

consulting agency

specializing in

consumer database

development.

www.copperpeaklogistics.com | Missouri | California | New Jersey | (707) 265-0100 1

Can you give us examples of how to build brand loyalty with the Millennial group?

• Focus on the customer experience.

[Steven]

• Be where Millennials are: on

iPhones / iPads. [Steven]

• Millennials are relationship driven;

make sure you matter to them. You

do this by knowing who they are,

where they go, and understanding

them. [Steven]

• Use an authentic voice. No

pandering or generic messaging.

[Patrick]

• Millennials are “fantastic testers”

and they will find all flaws in the

entire chain (from e-com to

receiving of product) so be

prepared to address their

concerns. [Patrick]

• Consider focusing on what

wholesale is doing as they

generally set the tone and

messaging for your brand.

[Tracey]

• Millennials are willing to try new

things (growlers, wines on tap,

etc). Think of di�erent and new

ways of doing things. [Susan]

• Don’t innovate blindly, track

analytics and data capture. [Susan]

Can you give two takeaways of how to drive additional value and sales without discounting?

• Use of value add-ons (i.e. extra

bottle given instead of % discount).

[Tracey]

• Millennials are using wines as a

social vehicle, so a winery needs to

create a social environment in the

tasting room. Create an experience

for them. [Tracey]

• Invest in special value (over

deliver) and give more at full price.

[Patrick]

• Try benefits selling by answering

the question – “How do specific

wines fit into the Millennial

lifestyle (wine use in recipes,

mixers, etc)”. Consider this from

your winery messaging (e-mail,

texting) to the tasting room.

[Patrick]

• Use of di�erentiation! Make sure to

separate yourself from other

wineries. [Steven]

• Make it fun (gameification).

[Steven]

• Expand experiences with your

brand with customer service like

handwritten notes and other small

details. [Susan]

What’s the di�erence between marketing to Millennials and other generations?

• Baby Boomers would stay attached

to a brand once they were familiar

with them, high loyalty (I’m a

“Chevy” guy, I’m a “GMC” guy, etc).

On the other hand, Millennials

have grown up with technology,

cable TV, etc. They were born with

more choices in everything. “They

have A.D.D.” so they are always on

the hunt for the next “thing”,

always. [Susan]

• Marketing is just marketing and

innovation. Millennials are the

now. There will be a new

generation just around the corner.

[Patrick]

• 35-45 year olds are the key to

wineries success. Branding to

Millennials, right now, is

preparation for when they reach

this 35-45 range. [Tracey]

THE FREE ADVICE:Their expert advice and responses to questions posed by both audience members and moderator, Dave Dobrow, are chronicled here.

www.copperpeaklogistics.com | Missouri | California | New Jersey | (707) 265-0100 2

Copper Peak Logistics Summary from facilitator Dave Dobrow

We hope you enjoy this brief Millennial marketing recap and find the information both thought provoking

and actionable. With a focus on experimentation, customer service, and uniqueness Millennials appear to be

a rather demanding group.

As you consider each and every touch point with all of your consumers, please consider what we call the last

mile, which can be the most important element in building brand loyalty. The last mile is what happens to

your wine shipments from the time an order is placed until it is delivered. Does your current logistics

provider focus on delivering white-glove service and fulfillment execution? Can they o�er solutions on a

variety of fronts, and help you distinguish your brands in quality, creativity, and speed to market? When

every piece of packaging is a chance to communicate the competitive advantage of your brand, a high-end

fulfillment and logistics partner may be your best chance for keeping your brands in the forefront of

discriminating buyers.

Please contact us to learn more about how we can help you grow your wine brands.

Sincerely,

Dave Dobrowddobrow@copperpeaklogistics.com

707-265-0100

Resources:http://www.today.com/video/today/56714265

http://www.marketingcharts.com/traditional/millennials-and-brand-loyalty-a-complicated-a�air-41522/

http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/wine-trends-for/article_09a8d3a5-1311-5654-85e7-250952049c31.html

http://www.slideshare.net/ideasandrew/the-millennial-handbook

http://learn.adroitdigital.com/Millennials_MillennialsLandingPageHomePage.html

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