Who are the Influencers of consumer behaviour in today’s wine business?

Influencers can affect, positively and negatively, the opinion of others regarding a product, brand, or trend. They can also guide consumer conversions, such as purchasing, signing up for a wine club or course, attending an event, etc. Influencer marketing is a marketing branch where the brand, in collaboration with professionals (or not), defines strategies towards a specific public segment. These strategies can be realized and implemented through various channels, offline and online, or both.

The categories of Influencers in marketing are mainly divided into: Social Broadcasters (including TV or radio well-known personalities, journalists, critics, etc.), Mass Influencers (experts in the sector with strong visibility), Potential Influencers (or micro-influencers with a high engagement rate from their audience). Recently we have focused mainly on Digital Influencers in the wine business but the offline channel is equally important and includes offline journalists and writers, retailers, sommeliers, educators, enthusiasts, and much more.

Consumer Behavior. Consumption has long since become a social act rather than an economic one. The excessive offer, including that on the web, makes the consumer dissatisfied because of regret for the options rejected, the so-called “paradox of choice“. The consumer (especially the low-involvement one) tends to simplify the choice by conforming to mass preferences. Knowing that others have chosen the same product reassures him. The Influencer uses this factor as an advantage through communication aimed at a precise consumer target. Above all, in wine, where the vast choice creates decision-making confusion, many consumers trust those who have already lived the experience of purchasing or consuming without even considering the variables of subjectivity. Just think of the popularity (and Trust Score) of the review’s wine app Vivino, especially in some markets for product reviews, or the Trustpilot, especially on the service reviews.

Another ever-growing phenomenon is when the consumer becomes the testimonial (therefore Influencer) of the products purchased, the so-called “follow the crowd“.

Furthermore, consumption has become increasingly anarchic. Also, other dynamics of purchasing processes come into play, such as TOPO (Try Offline, Buy Online) or ROPO (Research Online, Purchase Offline). Influencer marketing is a complex subject, as well as the study of consumer behaviour or Neuromarketing, a discipline that provides the means to influence decision-making dynamics.

Target. Generally, the target is divided into categories based on geolocation, demographic data, income, interests, and behavioural habits. Each one has its specific characteristics. For example, individuals who are part of Generation Z (Net Generation) focus on the environmental problems they will face; therefore, they tend to be more eco-friendly than other segments. Consequently, communication campaigns must strongly consider these factors.

On the other hand, the Millennials generally are more educated, sceptical and, distant from ideologies or faiths, narcissistic; they seek instant gratification and peer approval but are aware of environmental problems. They are also researchers of unique products and experiences, they grew up with luxury brands, and this no longer makes them perceived as something unusual or particularly desired. Moreover, they particularly love storytelling. Therefore, each campaign or channel must consider the generic characteristics of a precise target, creating tailor-made communication. Obviously, these are generic categorisations; in reality, the segmentation is never homogeneous.

Influencers online, offline and channels. Influencer marketing can be particularly effective within less free wine markets such as the Monopoly states, where the State controls the distribution channels, or in the US with the “Three-Tier” system, but also in Russia, where advertising of alcohol is prohibited. An Influencer can communicate and promote organically (not paid), for example, on Social Media, to a large (or niche) audience in a market where paid campaigns are banned.

In this case, the wine courses (online and offline) also strongly influence consumer decisions. However, wine educators are among the most persuasive influencers addressing a perfectly targeted audience. Just consider one example of how WSET courses promote the growing interest in fortified wines, which are undervalued lately in many countries. In addition, group promotional bodies such as Consortia or various Associations increase online and offline training, influencing the choices of professionals or wine enthusiasts.

Among the leading influencers in wine business I have mentioned are journalists, writers, educators, communicators, and bloggers. When it comes to blogging, the content, perfectly optimized for web search (SEO activity), is constantly driving more and more visitors to it, such as a video or an article. There are many communication channels, and nowadays, we have highly specialized Influencers on some of them: Bloggers, Vloggers, YouTubers, Instagrammers, and TikTokers are the most common in the wine sector.

Trends. A wine brand should consider the latest trends for Influencer marketing strategies. Taking into account the change in consumption patterns is essential. Trends such as “from the economy with to the economy without” (without or low alcohol, without sulphites added, without sugar, etc.), towards healthy criteria, attention to sustainability (lighter bottle, recyclable packaging, waste and water management, among others), are all means of powerful and effective communication in the Influencer Marketing strategy. The megatrends, which do not only concern the wine business, are by now the classics such as behavioural anarchy, quality=price=profitability, cultural contamination, ecologism, ethnocentrism of consumption, the animosity of consumption (country-of-origin-effect, for example, Made in Italy) and much more.

How Influencers’ performance can be measured? The effectiveness of the Influencer marketing strategy is often difficult to measure tangibly, especially when working on Brand Awareness. In Digital Marketing, there is various measurement software such as Klout, Kred, Peer Index, and Net Promoter Score, but also tools such as Social Mention, Keyhole, Google Alerts, HowSociable, Socialbackers, Hootsuite and many others. We can measure in detail the effectiveness of any sponsored campaign in collaboration with an Influencer. Instead, the offline campaign could be measured in sales increase or positive feedback through social mentions.

Influencers may or may not come from the wine sector. It all depends on the strategy chosen. However, we all need to consider this topic’s complexity, importance and depth, often judged superfluously or from a limited point of view. Instead, it is a high-value and sophisticated discipline for the wine sector where no influence should be underestimated.

Sparkling Life focuses on Italian food and wine excellence, trying to spread its culture and lifestyle.

Join me on Instagram or Facebook