What’s a vinfluencer and why do you need them?
In light of some of the past articles, particularly against the role and impact of wine influencers, it is worthy of looking at their role and impacting better. As an industry, we have been discussing over and over how to target young consumers. And yet we seem to keep looking the other way when it comes to catching up with the trends.
Aren't we missing the opportunity to connect with the young consumers here?
What Are 'Vinfluencers'? And How Do They Do What They Do?
Technically, an influencer is someone who uses their digital media presence (meaning Instagram, Facebook, Podcasts, Blogs, etc.) to leverage the purchasing decisions of others because of his or her authority, knowledge, position, or relationship with his or her audience.
It sounds pretty good on the papers, right? Still, when we asked some of the most popular names in the digital platforms if they consider themselves "influencers," 90% of them didn't feel represented by that term.
Why is Vinfluencing so popular and still has such bad press?
Based on We Are Social 2019's report, 3.484 billion people actively use social media, meaning almost half of the world's population. Inevitably these consumers look up to influencers in social media to be informed, be aware of the trends and find some guidance with their decision-making.
No wonder why influencing is slowly replacing advertising as the best way to approach consumers!
The real deal is that as there is also a generational gap between the larger mass of wine consumers (and wine professionals) and Gen-Z's (Who are generally the audience that pioneered the 'Influencer'!), we still manage to look down on them underestimating their reach and role. Why are we missing one real opportunity to bridge the gap between wine and Gen-Z's and other younger consumers?
Is there only one type of Wine Influencer?
The quick answer is ABSOLUTELY NOT!
There are different types of influencers, and each of them has a specific crowd of followers, a style, and a communication focus.
Separating types of influencers by their follower numbers, by types of content, and by the level of influence is the most frequent way to categorize them. You can also group influencers by the niche in which they operate. For example, many mega-influencers are also celebrities, and this also applies to the wine industry: Jancis Robinson MW, Tim Atkin MW, you call them. Some micro and even nano-influencers can have a tremendous impact on followers in their specialist niche. Think Madeleine Pucket from Wine Folly when it comes to education, Elaine Arnaqiaq Chukan Brown to relevant industry issues, or Wine Gini for lifestyle and travel content. In the social media game, there is no “one size fits all”, and you MUST know your audience. A fun approach is also on the table: take the legendary Wine Wankers for instance or Shitty Wine memes as the latest star.
Want to know more about the different types of wine influencers and how they can help you grow your wine brand? Click here
How Do Vinfluencers, Vinfluence?
Essentially, Vinfluencers are being the middle-man between a generational and sometimes exclusive communication form. This is probably where the term "INSTAGRAMMABLE" comes from- to be seen in a particular lifestyle is to attract people seeking that very lifestyle. There's no point denying that the visual aspect of wine matters. Call it a photo, an infographic, a graphic post — The color, the shape of the glass, the accompanying food, even the background scenery matters.
How powerful is this statement by Adam Lachmere:
"Meanwhile, we tell ourselves that what annoys us about this new generation is that they don't know enough about the business of wine. But what keeps us awake at night is the fear that they might know more than we do about the business of life."
Food For Thought, Right?
Success cases in the Wine Industry:
Much like how LeBron James' Instagram is currently the primary source of fine wine messaging to nearly 80 million basketball fans, there are so many potential consumers as yet untouched by mainstream wine marketing. Jay Z shaped the Champagne communication by including them in his lyrics, becoming particularly attractive to Black consumers. "Jay-Z becoming one of the first higher-end Champagne owners opens so many doors for the consumer. It lets people know, 'It is possible. We can do this.'"
Vinfluencers- The Bottom Line!
Embracing new forms of consumption and new forms of communicating wine through social media will become key if you don't want to be side-swiped by the beer or RTD industry. Wine Influencers might not be the solution to all your problems, but they are already engaging with your crowd! Want to understand how Wine Influencers can help you strengthen your wine brand? Contact me!
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