3. discussion / contents page
Welcome 4
Every Picture Tells a Story 6
Crossroads 33
The Medium is the Message 42
Crossroads – Part Deux 57
Achtung Baby! 64
Its More Than RockNRoll Baby 69
Become a Rockin Good Winery 80
The Great Alan Freed
THE DISC JOCKEY WHO
COINED THE PHRASE “ROCK ’N’ ROLL”
3
7. We need to go
“wayback” in
time to catch
the beginning
of our story
Michael J. Fox in
the movie
Back to the Future
7
8. "Sorrow can be alleviated by
good sleep, a bath and a glass
of good wine."
St. Thomas Aquinas
Noted Theologian, Raconteur of
White Wine, Mead, and a bunch of other stuff
8
9. OOPS!
We don’t need to go that far
back in time, Marty. Let’s try
again to get it right this time.
Michael J. Fox
Christopher Lloyd
Sherman
9
16. FDR, a noted lover of a nice
Madeira, is sworn in as the 32nd
President of the United States
16
17. The GREAT
Robert
Johnson is at
the PEAK of
his career and
is almost
finished
“inventing” the
modern
musical genre
to become No one really knows, but we suspect Mr. Johnson’s favorite wine was the highly rated
Chateau Coutet, Barsac, 1934 which, unfortunately, was not always easy to find on the
known as the dusty roads of rural Mississippi and Texas
Blues.
17
18. The movie “King Kong” opens to rave reviews in
New York City on March 2, 1933
Ms. Wray was known to like
French wine. Might we suggest a
vintage 2004 California Cabernet
instead?
Mr. Kong, however, was
known to drink anything
he could find that wasn’t
nailed down! Such a pity.
18
19. Influenced by
Robert
Johnson, Mu
ddy Waters
first picks up
the guitar at
Our guess is that Mr. Waters would like a nice
the age of 19
Pinot Noir, perhaps the Domaine de la Romanee
Conti (DRC), Romanee Conti GC, 1937
19
20. The movie Duck Soup is released and Rufus
T. Firefly is named fictional president of
bankrupt “Freedonia”
“Outside of a
dog, a book is a
man's best friend.
Inside of a dog it's
too dark to read.”
Groucho Marx
Mr. president, might we recommend a luscious Sonoma County Chardonnay to go
with that book on a sun filled Sunday afternoon. Your dog can
drink, well…whatever
20
22. Long before
Hannibal Lechter
uttered his
endorsement of the
pairing of liver and
fava beans, Great-
Grandma was
known to favor a
nice Chianti”
“Look at Granny’s picture and tell me it
doesn’t makes you think of flying monkeys.”
RockDoggie
22
23. Few realize that
a NEW age is
DAWNING
How about a
“refreshingly sweet”
yellow tail pink
moscato or a “light
and lively” sweet
white roo and leave
the Chianti to me?
23
26. The 3-tier System
regulating the
manufacture, distrib
ution and sale of
wine, spirits and “Once, during Prohibition, I
was forced to live for days on
beer in the US is nothing but food and water.”
introduced RockDoggie
doing his best imitation of WC Fields
26
27. GREAT-GRANDPA OPENS THE FIRST
RETAIL PACKAGE STORE
And a Rockin
good time was
had by all!
27
28. AND THEN IN A TIME OF
GREAT ANTICIPATION…
“Wait for it…”
RockDoggie
28
29. …NOTHING
CHANGES
for the next 80
YEARS
“I’m not surprised. Are You?”
RockDoggie 29
30. Why? Because
despite its many
benefits, the 3 –
tier system has
created powerful
interests that tend
to resist change
even when
brought on by
modern day
market forces.
30
31. Market forces
Insert your own snide
such as the
comment here
economic
RockDoggie
drivers of
production and
distribution;
technological
innovation;
legal, political, c
ultural
developments;
and the forces
of globalization.
31
32. The pressures of change will only increase over time
and will soon become irresistible.
As part of his study of climbing
plants, Darwin had a particular
fascination with grapevines.
Darwin was particularly intrigued
by the fact that grapevines produce
either tendrils
(for climbing) or bunches of grapes
(for reproduction) opposite each
leaf – a reminder that grapevines
evolved in a forest habitat 60
million years ago. The vine could
adapt to a shaded environment and
climb to sunlight using
tendrils, or, when at the top of the
forest, produce fruit.
“He Had a great like for dogs too! Especially the
“Beagle” Thus endeth the lesson. LOL”
RockDoggie
32
33. “Time for a little of the old
slow hand.”
RockDoggie
Eric Clapton
Crossroads Guitar Festival 2013
Wine RockStars™
CROSSROADS
33
34. In many respects the wine industry has
reached a crossroads
More popular than
ever, with more
choices being offered
to the consumer, wine
has increasingly
become an important
part of the national
lifestyle
“Crossroads” Catch the
RockDoggie reference? Ha!
34
35. In many respects the wine industry has
reached a crossroads
• The fundamental
consumer base has and
will continue to change.
• There has been a
sustained shift in
consumption patterns
away from bars and
restaurants and more
towards at-home
consumption.
Source: Beverage Information Group
35
36. In many respects the wine industry has
reached a crossroads
• Core wine drinkers are those who drink wine
daily, several times a week or about once a
week
• While marginal drinkers are those who drink
wine less often than weekly—the greatest
number of whom drink wine two to three
times a month.
• In 2010, marginal wine drinkers represent 31
million U.S. adults, making the total number
of U.S. wine consumers 77 million.
Source: Wine Market Council Estimate
36
37. In many respects the wine industry has
reached a crossroads
• According to the Wine Market Council, the U.S.
market gained 71 million cases in total table wine
sales during the first full decade of the 21st
century; creating the most transformative 10
years of positive change since the 1970s.
• In 2000, 57 percent of all U.S. wine drinkers were
marginal wine consumers, but today the core and
marginal proportions have reversed.
“In my humble opinion, this one of the most positive
signs of acculturation if there ever was one!”
RockDoggie
37
38. In many respects the wine industry has
reached a crossroads
• Part of that growth in
off premise
consumption is due to
the fact that
“occasions”—events
worth purchasing or
opening a bottle of
wine for—are
increasing in
popularity.
Source: Wine Market Council Estimate
38
39. In many respects the wine industry has
reached a crossroads
• Consumers are
finding more
reasons to
“celebrate” with a
bottle of wine or
drinking more wine
when a bottle is
opened. Wine Market Council Update on Jan. 18, 2013
39
40. In many respects the wine industry has
reached a crossroads
• Of all wine drinkers, 57 Demos
percent are now
considered “core” wine
drinkers, and they account
for 25 percent of the Core
United States’ adult NON-
population. CORE
• This represents a major
shift in repeat purchasers
and adds to the promise Wine Market Council Update on Jan. 18, 2013
of a brighter future.
40
41. In many respects the wine industry has
reached a crossroads
• This group consumes an astounding 93 percent of
the 175 million cases of wine sold off-premise
last year.
• Most importantly, data shows price points
increase dramatically when wine is enjoyed with
friends
Wine Market Council Update on Jan. 18, 2013
41
43. "Making wine - that's the easy part.” "It's selling it
that's hard."
Dario Sattui
Sattui Winery
Napa Valley, California
43
44. “RIP, Dude” We have to
RockDoggie
ask ourselves:
Regardless of
which
channels we
“The medium is the are using, how
message” in our
“global village”
effective are
Marshall McLuhan
we at actually
July 21, 1911 – December 31, 1980
connecting
with the all
important
consumer?
44
45. And how is that message being shaped in the mind
of the consumer?
45
46. Because of the 3-
tier system, our “Well said!”
RockDoggie
messaging tends to
come from the top
down. For the
average
person, this can
make our product
appear
scripted, complicate
d, and difficult to
understand, even
snobbish
46
47. Sometimes it seems that in our desire to
create an air of “élan” around our products
we risk leaving the majority of consumers
out of the discussion.
47
48. We have
created a
multitude of
tools so that
the average
consumer
can
understand
the
message
After 3 or 4
glasses, this all RockDoggie
makes perfect sense
to me.
48
49. Much of which would
become
unnecessary if we
really knew how to
connect with our
consumer
49
50. We also traditionally
rely on the Sommelier
to make the connection
between our products But the
and the everyday lives creation of
of our consumers this
connection
can be
fleeting and
the bond is
tied more to
the venue
than to the
producer
50
51. We also rely on the typical main street wine
shop to build connections with our
consumers.
So how’s that
working out for ya?
RockDoggie
51
52. Which designed by
men for men, typically
looks about the same
as it did 80 years ago.
53. Walk into just about any
wine shop and just look
at the shelves stocked
full, and row upon row of
open crates; each crate
plumped with a dozen
bottles of the same wine.
Not a single shelf or wine
crate tells the real story
of the product in the
bottle.
53
54. Even as our business
migrates to the online
store, we seem to be
recreating the
mistakes of the past
by simply duplicating
the traditional retail
warehouse model on
the internet
“Don’t bother me now.
I’m counting clicks.”
RockDoggie
54
55. The world has
changed so much
since our “Makes it all seem so truly quaint to me.”
Grandparents and RockDoggie
Great Grandparents
first shopped at the
corner wine and
liquor store some 80
years ago.
And yet in so many
ways our industry has
not.
55
56. Many of the wines
currently in the
distribution system, most
even—are unknown to the
typical consumer, at least
as far as the producer was
concerned, and much too
often even more than that.
“I cannot take your call right now, but if it’s an
emergency, white with fish and red with meat.”
Alexis Bespaloff’s legendary
answering-machine message
56
58. • It turns out that both men and
women view wine as a high risk
purchase.
• They want to avoid being
embarrassed in front of business
associates or friends.
• Both men and women man-age
the risk by getting information at
the point of purchase—which is
where 70% of the purchase
decisions are made.
Source: Emerald Group
58
59. • Most of our messaging as an
industry is traditionally geared
toward men.
• Yet, 80% of wine buyers are
women.
• The sources of information tend
to differ, however, for men and
women.
• Men have a stronger tendency to
read reviews and even books. Source: Emerald Group
• Whereas women will look more
closely at the labels and shelf
tags.
59
60. When I walk into a
store I like all the
pretty labels to pick
from. Its how I know
they like me! They
really like me!
RockDoggie
60
61. • Its not surprising
then that Brands
with eye-catching
names, and some
with themes aimed
at women
consumers
dominated the Top
20 New Brands of
2012 as picked from
off-premise sales
data.
Source: Symphony IRI Group
61
62. TOP TEN NEW BRANDS
1. Skinnygirl,
2. Be,
3. Bella Bottle,
4. Acronym
5. Macaron
6. Fancy Pants
7. Thorny Rose
8. Wine Sisterhood
9. Flirt, and
“Another sign that the SUBSTANCE of the industry’s
messaging is really connecting with consumers. My
10. Ooh La La
personal favorite is Artisan Vintner’s Guild”
RockDoggie
Source: Symphony IRI Group
62
63. Is it any wonder, then, that nearly
$80 billion of product is sold every
year through grocery stores at a price
typically under $10.00?
64. Achtung Baby!
In the real world the past
decade or two has challenged
us to rip off our neckties, shed
our standard-issue business
suits, and, most important, to
lose our Model T-type
attitudes toward our
business.
Bono, U2
64
65. The wine business today has become a high-
stakes, high-risk, high-profile environment that is filled
with uncertainty, ambiguity and opportunity.
65
66. We have to accept the fact that
business is only going to get
weirder, tougher, and more turbulent.
66
67. The next 5 or
10 years are
going to be
even more
intensely
competitive.
67
68. We need to create new reasons and a new approach
for consumers to reconnect with our industry and our
brands.
68
70. • When consumers find a
toothpaste or a soda they
like, they stick with it. The
same is not true for wine.
• With thousands of wines to
choose from and with wine
“We can learn a lot by being more of an adventure
studying other industries than other
and other retailers” products, consumers are
From the Wisdom of RockDoggie willing to try different brands
much more frequently.
• In fact, with so many brands, it
is often difficult for the
consumer to remember the
name of the brand they liked.
70
71. • Consumers will;
however, stick with a
retailer that helps them
get the right wine for
the occasion.
• While consumers have
lower loyalty to the
wines them-selves, they
have strong loyalty to
their wine retailer.
• That’s why we created
RockStars.
71
73. We want to reintroduce wine to
consumers in a wholly new way.
Our goal is to create a new BION BFF
customer experience and in IMNSHO
doing so we expect to broaden LIFE, like
our market, to find a way to tell WINE is
the story behind each label, and
MORE than a
to create new and lasting
connections between the LABEL
producer and the consumer in a BABY!
way that is
fresh, exciting, fun, entertaining
.
73
74. From the beginning we set out with
RockStars to be a different kind of retailer
We think that our customers deserve more. A whole lot
more
At every level Wine RockStars™ is designed to provide
customers with a superior experience
We plan to offer a very broad selection of products
We will share our pricing advantages with our customers
This approach is virtually unprecedented in our industry
Gene Faul,
Co-Founder
Wine RockStars, LLC
“I think Gene included the Homer Simpson cartoon (top left) as a
not so subtle reminder to me that I can be easily replaced”
Almost GoneDoggie
74
75. Everything we
do will be
designed
around our
customer.
Focus Whether they shop
at one of our
participating retail
stores or visit us
Fun online, we want
them to have fun
Purpose every time they
shop with us.
We hope to pique their
interest, spark ideas, encourage
them to try new things and help
them learn something new along
the way.
75
76. With something
so
great, shouldn’t
the wine people
do a better job
of making the
whole business
more
approachable?
The fact is wine
is really
sexy, interesting
, and fun. So
why doesn’t
somebody just
say so?
76
77. Our messaging will include equal
parts
irreverence, information, expertise
and outright fun!
77
78. Our strategy with
RockStars™ is
going to lean
more toward the
improvisational
and away from
the top-down
approach that
can seem
stilted, snobbish
and scripted
78
79. Rock Stars is a program to
provide customers of all types
with access to wines of
outstanding quality and value
selected by an elite team of
wine professionals, Wine
RockStars™, with decades of
experience.
Through Wine RockStars™ we
plan to create that indefinable
thing when people catch on to
something
79
80. Wine to me is passion. It's family and
friends. It's warmth of heart and generosity
of spirit. Wine is art. It's culture. It's the
essence of civilization and the art of living.
~ Robert Mondavi, Autobiography, "Harvests of Joy“*
Wine RockStars™ Next Steps
BECOME A ROCKIN GOOD
WINERY™
* Please know that Mondavi Wines is NOT affiliated or associated in any way with and does not endorse the
Wine RockStars™, LLC program. We just like the quote!
80
81. If you agree with us that we need to
recapture the passion, to reconnect
with family and friends, and that the
products that we produce should fill
the heart with warmth and a gently
generosity of spirit, then there is a very
good chance that you should seriously
consider joining with our RockStars
program by becoming a Rockin Good
Winery™.
Gene Faul,
Co-Founder
Wine RockStars, LLC
81
82. You have already been very generous
with your time. Please take a few
additional minutes to review the
information being sent to you
separately via e-mail.
We hope that you look on our program
Kathleen Homyock
Director of Marketing
with favor and are available to answer
Co-founder, RockStars of Wine, LLC any questions and to discuss your
potential participation.
(need additional contact details)
82