Spring 2010

Sustainable and Organic Wines: The Business of Selling "Green"

What does it mean to be Green? Once the wine is made and in the bottle, what is the selling power of words like sustainable and organic? To the trade? To the consumer? Is Green a message that can turn indifference to interest? Interest into purchase? A powerful marketing and sales story must communicate that "this wine delivers credible, relevant value." The Business of Selling "Green" - Sustainable and Organic Wines will examine the strongest marketing and sales strategies to deliver their value story, while highlighting the similarities and differences between the two disciplines. Session topics will include:

  • Profiling the Green wine consumer
  • Drafting the message: the strongest symbols, words and phrases to communicate value
  • Legalities: what can, and cannot, be put in print
  • Communicating to the trade: a panel of experienced distributors, retail and restaurant buyers will discuss their reactions to Green sales pitches and their value perceptions of sustainable versus organic
    • If your story does not resonate with the consumer -- and the trade - the only messaging left is to talk about price. "Price" usually equates to "discount." This course will help you discover how to avoid that trap.

    Prerequisite(s):

    BUS800; 4 hours CEU; $150

    Instructor: Sharon Goldman

    Sharon Goldman has been a marketer for the wine industry for almost 19 years. She has supported small, luxury brands such as Stonestreet and Chateau St. Jean as well as large, commercial brands such as Beringer and Kendall-Jackson. In her most recent assignment as Marketing Director at Foster’s Wine Estates, she led the marketing efforts for seven different brands ranging in size from 10,000 to 1 million cases that were sourced from three different continents. She also has been very active in industry volunteer organizations, serving in Women for WineSense as National President and currently as Co-Chair of the Napa-Sonoma Marketing Roundtable. Sharon will be joined by several experts from wineries and the trade who will share their knowledge and experience with the class.

    • 1 mtg: M, Mar 1, 8:30am-12:30pm
    • Schulz Information Center 1121
    • BUS800; 4 hours CEU; $150
    • class# 3886