"Generation Y-ine"

My first experience with wine was my senior year of college when one of my best friends organized a wine and cheese party. It all felt very grown up, and my love for wine blossomed when I began working in DC after college.  Having a glass of wine or sangria at a post-work happy hour was one of the things I felt solidified my status as a ‘real’ adult.

Apparently, I was not alone. Millennials are the fastest growing segment of wine drinkers (Stanford, 2011 para. 6), and brands are taking notice and catering their advertising and branding to attract a new demographic.

For some brands, this means expanding their presence online. BusinessWeek profiled the world’s second largest wine seller, Constellation Brands, who has increased their online presence 150% to connect with Millennials (Stanford, 2011, para. 10). The company’s aim is to increase their scale while remaining authentic (a key trait Millennials are attracted to.)

These strategies work well for consumers who actively engage in discussion about wine, or are open to interact with their preferred brands online. However, it’s also important to attract attention on the store shelves. Personally, I’m attracted by the packaging and branding. An interesting label will often intrigue me to look for more information about a given brand, and sometimes I’ll just take a leap of faith and purchase based on the label alone. 

HobNob wine crafted their entire branding campaign to appeal to Millennials.  HobNob is imported from France, but their advertising isn’t about the wine or the company – it’s about you. Their campaign blankets all media that millennials use on a consistent basis:

“a Web site,; a blog called The Juice; social media like Facebook and Twitter; promotions; an application for the iPhone, Rock My Whirl, that offers spinning-bottle games; an e-mail newsletter, Inner Circle; and a focus on “indie” music that includes a section of the Web site called Creative Juices.” (Elliott, 2010, para. 7)

Interestingly, the brand is also reaching out to the target audience with posters on kiosks, taxis and “wild posting locales.” (Elliott, 2010, para. 8) The creative strategy is to “fit the lifestyle of the millennial consumer” which are “busy, casual lives, filled with friends and entertainment.” (Elliott, 2010, para. 4)

It’s important not to push too hard, or else the image will feel forced and fake. I’m on the fence with HobNob. The branding is appealing, but a bit in your face, playing up the stereotypes about the generation. Given millennials penchant for wanting to be leading the conversation about their preferred brands, your strategy may be better served by cohabitating with consumers in this market, rather than shouting out loud that your brand is the place to be. As the saying goes, if you have to say you are cool, then you probably aren’t.

Elliott, S. (2010, October 25). Selling new wine in millennial bottles. The New York     

   Times. Retrieved on September 13, 2011 from       http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10  
   /25/business/media/25adnewsletter1.html?pagewanted=1 

Stanford, D. (2011, May 12). Targeting millennial wine drinkers online. Bloomberg   

    Businessweek. Retrieved on September 13, 2011 from   

    http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_21/b4229022111543.htm