Objectives

Virtual Vintner™ is an interactive digital experience that engages consumers in a "choose your own adventure"-style winemaking journey, resulting in the first ever crowd sourced La Crema wine. The program unfolded in real time: on August 11, 2014, the microsite went live and participants were asked to vote on whether they wanted to make a Chardonnay or Pinot Noir. Participants followed the winemaking path, ultimately choosing varietal, growing region, specific vineyard, fermentation style and barrel treatment, as well as the wine name. New decision points were introduced each week.Rather than the typical, stuffy wine education, we offered videos, photos, personality quizzes and quick facts to help inform choices. Popular vote determined the path, and ultimately the finished wine. Virtual Vintner is ongoing, with label design currently up for vote. We'll release the wine in late Fall 2015.

La Crema has one of the most socially-engaged followings of any winery brand. So it made sense to drive the program on social media channels, complemented by paid digital advertising, PR and blogger outreach. We engaged lifestyle bloggers to develop "blended posts," sharing information on both the La Crema blog and the blogger's own property, and we brought an influential blogger to work harvest for five days, documenting her experience for the Virtual Vintner community.

Each of the 11 Virtual Vintner stages provide opportunities for social sharing. Account registration is mandatory to participate in each of the 11 decision points and we opted for social login using Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus.

Strategy and Execution

Situation Analysis

La Crema, with its 35-year history of creating small-batch Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, enjoys critical acclaim and base of passionate, loyal consumers. It's currently ranked as the #1 brand above $15 in IRI, and, at 200k+ has among the largest Facebook fan bases in the higher-end segment of the wine industry.

However, the brand plays in a crowded segment, with hundreds of competitors on retail shelves and restaurant wine lists, all vying for consumer attention. In 2012 and 2013 alone, more than 100,000 new labels were submitted to the industry's regulatory agency for approval. In addition, in a category where perceived quality is critical to driving sales, several years of internal research suggested perceptions related to La Crema's quality needed a jump start.

We needed to validate existing consumer excitement for the winery and grow understanding of our quality, as well as attract new wine drinkers to the brand. Education was clearly key, but the traditional, serious wine culture isn't our style. La Crema had to do something fresh.

Research

To understand consumer perspectives about La Crema and the overall wine industry, we reviewed findings from our annual consumer research, as well as secondary studies about the category and key consumer segments. We asked, what drives consumer interest in wine in the U.S.?

Primary Research:

Studies of La Crema consumers from 2010-2012 showed a drop in perceptions of quality. In 2013, our annual brand profile study conducted by Millward Brown suggested La Crema's biggest opportunity was to become more meaningful for our consumers. This meant strengthening perceptions of quality for our most loyal fans – Millennials, ages 21-34.

Secondary Research:

We reviewed extensive industry research to understand wine consumption and glean insights about effective marketing trends. Wine Intelligence's "America's New Wine Drinkers" report (2013) indicated Millennials are driving wine sales, and that they are more interested in wines that educate. Our strategy was also informed by studies on overall Millennial behavior, which suggested that segment is interested in co-creation, dialogue and online programs ("Social Influence: Marketing's New Frontier," IPSOS MediaCT, 2013).

Planning

We decided to anchor around Harvest, the time of the year that holds the most romantic mystique, to engage fans in an integrated, educational communications platform.

Target Audience:

• Primary Target: Brand Loyalists (primarily Mature Millennials) who consistently choose La Crema, are digitally engaged and eager to be involved with the brand.
• Secondary Targets: Wine enthusiasts who want to deepen their own knowledge on the viticultural and wine making process.

Objectives:

• Build brand awareness
• 10,000 Virtual Vintner registrations
• Average time on site of at least 60 seconds.
• Media coverage on a national and local scale, in both traditional wine vertical and mainstream outlets
• Expand La Crema email list
• Reinforce our quality story and highlight our artisan winemaking philosophy
• Raise awareness of quality practices among Virtual Vintner participants
• Move the needle on perceptions of quality in annual consumer insights study
• Increase Sales
• Drive traffic to La Crema's online store
• Increase off-premise sales

Results

If the program were a wine, it would fall into the "Grand Cru" category – the best of the best. Virtual Vintner exceeded all expectations, with more than double the anticipated number of users and significant media coverage. Most importantly, the program drove measurable change in attitudes around La Crema's quality.

Build brand awareness

• Participants: 22,290 Virtual Vintners are registered (a number that continues to grow) – more than doubling original goals.
• Average time on site of 2:24, 140% higher than original goals.
• Media: 246,457,421 total reach and 115 stories.
• Major Market Highlights: Associated Press, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times
• Key Demographic: Urban Daddy, Paste and Mutineer spoke directly to Millennials
• Email Database: Added 15,000 opt-in subscribers
• Over 300,000 blog and social engagements

According to a survey of Virtual Vintner participants conducted in December 2014:

• 97% have a better understanding of La Crema's high quality growing areas
• 98% have greater respect for La Crema's dedication to quality
• Over half of respondents are now more likely to buy La Crema
• Millward Brown's annual consumer survey showed statistically significant increases in key factors related to wine quality:
  • Respondents noting La Crema "Consistently makes high-quality wines" were up 5 points.

Drive Sales

• In the 12 weeks after the program launch, La Crema sold 7,780 more cases of wine off-premise, representing 12% growth from the previous year (source: IRI scan data).
• Ecommerce sales were up 52% over the previous year and 63% over the previous period.

Media