Comments for Acan Media http://acanmedia.com Conversational Marketing for the Wine Industry Sat, 26 Jul 2008 03:09:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 Comment on The Future of Wine Marketing by el jefe http://acanmedia.com/2008/07/20/the-future-of-wine-marketing/#comment-785 el jefe Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:18:35 +0000 http://acanmedia.com/?p=127#comment-785 hi Richard - That's been my mission all along! Up with Wine Racks and all that! hi Richard - That’s been my mission all along! Up with Wine Racks and all that!

]]> Comment on The Future of Wine Marketing by Richard Shaffer http://acanmedia.com/2008/07/20/the-future-of-wine-marketing/#comment-770 Richard Shaffer Mon, 21 Jul 2008 06:05:35 +0000 http://acanmedia.com/?p=127#comment-770 It WAS tough, but somebody has to do these things! Tim only got a little nervous when I announced my plan was to bring sexy back to the wine industry! Richard It WAS tough, but somebody has to do these things!

Tim only got a little nervous when I announced my plan was to bring sexy back to the wine industry!

Richard

]]> Comment on Family Winemakers of California Tasting by el jefe http://acanmedia.com/2008/07/20/family-winemakers-of-california-tasting/#comment-767 el jefe Mon, 21 Jul 2008 02:03:45 +0000 http://acanmedia.com/?p=136#comment-767 11 total hours is brutal, but I'll be there! 11 total hours is brutal, but I’ll be there!

]]> Comment on The Future of Wine Marketing by el jefe http://acanmedia.com/2008/07/20/the-future-of-wine-marketing/#comment-766 el jefe Mon, 21 Jul 2008 02:02:26 +0000 http://acanmedia.com/?p=127#comment-766 250 women bloggers. What a tough gig. 250 women bloggers. What a tough gig.

]]> Comment on Tom Wark Is Full of Crap! by el jefe http://acanmedia.com/2008/07/10/tom-wark-is-full-of-crap/#comment-765 el jefe Mon, 21 Jul 2008 01:42:32 +0000 http://acanmedia.com/?p=111#comment-765 No worries! I was hoping to goad you into writing it for me ;) Cheers! No worries! I was hoping to goad you into writing it for me ;) Cheers!

]]> Comment on Tom Wark Is Full of Crap! by Tim Elliott http://acanmedia.com/2008/07/10/tom-wark-is-full-of-crap/#comment-762 Tim Elliott Mon, 21 Jul 2008 01:26:29 +0000 http://acanmedia.com/?p=111#comment-762 Sorry I didn't ask Jeff; lesson learned. But I did give you credit. Forget about the crack about Creative Commons ;-) Sorry I didn’t ask Jeff; lesson learned. But I did give you credit. Forget about the crack about Creative Commons ;-)

]]> Comment on Should Wineries Sample Wine Bloggers? by Tim Elliott http://acanmedia.com/2008/07/09/should-wineries-sample-wine-bloggers/#comment-761 Tim Elliott Mon, 21 Jul 2008 01:20:49 +0000 http://acanmedia.com/?p=110#comment-761 Josh, I've been thinking about your comment for a few days now and think I can now respond with some answers. First, great points all around. I'll go a step further and say that only two publications matter in the U.S. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and The Wine Spectator. If you are in Europe, then Decanter and whatever local language publication is all that is relevant in the market. But your point about if everyone is a "critic" then "what makes you matter" is the main thing I wanted to respond to. You are correct, wine bloggers only "matter" to their community which can be from a few dozen friends to tens of thousands. Reviews posted on these blogs do result in sales for wineries; I know because many have told me this directly from some reviews I have posted at Winecast. The bottom line is that wine bloggers have an audience and more people looking for wine recommendations are discovering them. This is the evolution of word of mouth that used to be limited to the individuals' social circle. Today a blog greatly amplifies their potential audience. Lastly, if you don't believe in sampling the 3 or 4 critics that have some power today, then I would not advise you to sample any wine bloggers. I think I already said that in my post. Thanks! Josh,

I’ve been thinking about your comment for a few days now and think I can now respond with some answers.

First, great points all around. I’ll go a step further and say that only two publications matter in the U.S. Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and The Wine Spectator. If you are in Europe, then Decanter and whatever local language publication is all that is relevant in the market.

But your point about if everyone is a “critic” then “what makes you matter” is the main thing I wanted to respond to.

You are correct, wine bloggers only “matter” to their community which can be from a few dozen friends to tens of thousands. Reviews posted on these blogs do result in sales for wineries; I know because many have told me this directly from some reviews I have posted at Winecast.

The bottom line is that wine bloggers have an audience and more people looking for wine recommendations are discovering them. This is the evolution of word of mouth that used to be limited to the individuals’ social circle. Today a blog greatly amplifies their potential audience.

Lastly, if you don’t believe in sampling the 3 or 4 critics that have some power today, then I would not advise you to sample any wine bloggers. I think I already said that in my post.

Thanks!

]]> Comment on Tom Wark Is Full of Crap! by el jefe http://acanmedia.com/2008/07/10/tom-wark-is-full-of-crap/#comment-760 el jefe Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:27:50 +0000 http://acanmedia.com/?p=111#comment-760 I've been pondering the proper response. I even looked into Creative Commons, but I fell asleep trying to figure it out. Apparently I am supposed to write my own license or something. Whatever happened to asking to play with someone else's toys? As someone who has written four books (really!) I tend to take copyrights a little more seriously I guess. For my photos, all I want is to be asked and to be given credit - unless of course you have large piles of money. Or diamonds. OK, really any precious gem or metal will do. I’ve been pondering the proper response. I even looked into Creative Commons, but I fell asleep trying to figure it out. Apparently I am supposed to write my own license or something. Whatever happened to asking to play with someone else’s toys?

As someone who has written four books (really!) I tend to take copyrights a little more seriously I guess. For my photos, all I want is to be asked and to be given credit - unless of course you have large piles of money. Or diamonds. OK, really any precious gem or metal will do.

]]> Comment on What is Conversational Marketing? by gabrielem http://acanmedia.com/2008/04/16/what-is-conversational-marketing/#comment-719 gabrielem Sat, 19 Jul 2008 10:59:07 +0000 http://acanmedia.com/?p=56#comment-719 And the markets are reports, look at the interview to Doc Searls, the author of Cluterian Manifesto: http://lascatoladipandora.wordpress.com/2008/07/22/i-mercati-sono-relazioni-dove-si-evolve-il-cluterian-manifesto/?preview=true And the markets are reports, look at the interview to Doc Searls, the author of Cluterian Manifesto: http://lascatoladipandora.wordpress.com/2008/07/22/i-mercati-sono-relazioni-dove-si-evolve-il-cluterian-manifesto/?preview=true

]]> Comment on Should Wineries Sample Wine Bloggers? by Josh McFadden http://acanmedia.com/2008/07/09/should-wineries-sample-wine-bloggers/#comment-635 Josh McFadden Tue, 15 Jul 2008 21:36:24 +0000 http://acanmedia.com/?p=110#comment-635 I believe one of the oversimplifications in this post is that you have defined "critics" as something that they are not. The idea that "critics" (for the rest of this rant I am talking about NATIONAL critics, local and region critics are a whole other ballgame) are relevant now or have mattered in the last 15 years is a myth. They don't matter. Well, that's a lie!... 2 or 3 or 4 of them matter, the rest will just get you distribution, but REALLY we are talking winery-direct sales here, right? And if you are a small-to-medium sized producer in California, making a product that is not flawed, and are a nice guy/girl finding distribution is not an issue. In all my time as a retailer, sommelier, and winery-direct-sales guy not one person has said "I read about in .. I WANT TO BUY!" This never happened for a lot of reasons, I'm sure. Most of these publications are behind the times and the wines they are reviewing have long been sold out, a lot of them only review large-production wines (5,000+ cases production) and lastly these publications don't often stick their respective necks out and take a stand. It could be anything, but most of these publications are happy being mediocre and publishing mediocre reviews that no one reads. Stand for something, love a style, hate a style... give something above 96 points.. do something... The simple matter of fact is that the only national publications that can sell wine to customers and make them pick up a phone, visit a website or go to their local wine shop are: Wine Spectator, Robert Parker (The Wine Advocate), and The New York Times. You can't doubt me all you want, but ask any retailer in the country. They will tell you the same thing. SO, the question I would ask to bloggers is: -In a world where anyone can do what you do, why do you matter? -How is sending wine to you going to help me? -If the traditional wine review doesn't work, what does? I believe one of the oversimplifications in this post is that you have defined “critics” as something that they are not. The idea that “critics” (for the rest of this rant I am talking about NATIONAL critics, local and region critics are a whole other ballgame) are relevant now or have mattered in the last 15 years is a myth. They don’t matter. Well, that’s a lie!… 2 or 3 or 4 of them matter, the rest will just get you distribution, but REALLY we are talking winery-direct sales here, right? And if you are a small-to-medium sized producer in California, making a product that is not flawed, and are a nice guy/girl finding distribution is not an issue. In all my time as a retailer, sommelier, and winery-direct-sales guy not one person has said “I read about in .. I WANT TO BUY!”

This never happened for a lot of reasons, I’m sure. Most of these publications are behind the times and the wines they are reviewing have long been sold out, a lot of them only review large-production wines (5,000+ cases production) and lastly these publications don’t often stick their respective necks out and take a stand. It could be anything, but most of these publications are happy being mediocre and publishing mediocre reviews that no one reads. Stand for something, love a style, hate a style… give something above 96 points.. do something…

The simple matter of fact is that the only national publications that can sell wine to customers and make them pick up a phone, visit a website or go to their local wine shop are: Wine Spectator, Robert Parker (The Wine Advocate), and The New York Times. You can’t doubt me all you want, but ask any retailer in the country. They will tell you the same thing.

SO, the question I would ask to bloggers is:
-In a world where anyone can do what you do, why do you matter?
-How is sending wine to you going to help me?
-If the traditional wine review doesn’t work, what does?

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